The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1919-06-28
ANNUAL SCHOOL ELECTION
COMES JULY NINETEENTH
Supt Hoke Will Be Chief lsseNo Lack Of Candidates and
Hard Fight Between Commoners and
Autocrats Is Assured.

The annual school board election
falling on Saturday, July 10, now
promises to be holly fought affair
There will be two opposing tickets
with possibilities Of third and, per
haps, two or three single, go-it-alone
candidates.
AS in the last two elections, the
issue will be democracy VS.. autocracy
The commoners will oppose the aristo
Gratis. This, of course, means that
Supt. Hoke will be the big, dominant
issue, as in previous years. While al
details as to candidates and tickets
have not been definitely decided, they
will be, before these lines are read
by the public.
The autocrats have been as busy as
cranberry merchants for many weeks
Propaganda and organization have
been pushed Plans have been made
and even unmade. There has been
some difficulty in framing up ticket
and, even now, there is grave doubt
as to some of the candidates picked
by the autocrats really being in sym
pathy with autocracy in the schools
and on the board.
Last year, Frank A. Brewer, chief
of the autocrats, quit cold. This year
J. R. McGiffert, the Mephistopholes
of the autocrats, and Madam Davis
benefactor and friend of the futile
Hoke, give up their directorships be-
cause their terms expire. There was
no wild cry to have them run and
although they fainl would have re.
NAMED, after feeling around bit
they gave up all idea of standing
again.
The next best thing was to dictate
their successors. Madam Davis has
been especially busy in that direction
She has picked as her successor Mrs
julius H. Barnes, long ago a teacher
in the public schools, now suddenly
interested in local educational matters
and whom the autocrats expect to put
across by virtue Of Mr.. Barnes pop
ularity, liberality and wealth. Mrs.
Barnes is a worthy woman but many
do not see how she can do justice to
a place on the board when she is resid-
ing in the far east.
Then Mrs. Barnes is a sister of Miss
Carey, the present head Of the art
department in the schools. Despite
talk to the contrary, the law expressly
forbids the employment of relative
of a member of the board without the
unanimous consent of the directors.
1t is authoritatively stated that it
would be impossible to secure unani-
nous consent.
Should Mrs. Barnes be elected, there
fore, she either will have to forego
service on the board or Miss Carey
will have to resign her $1,000 position
in the schools.
1t took a lot of doing before Mrs.
Barnes was made a candidate. Mrs.
G. S. Mitchell was favored for Madam
Davis successor but it was feared that
her husbands connection with the
News Tribune and his persistent abuse
of Pres. Wilson would make her cleo
ton impossible, therefore she was
reluctantly dropped. Mrs. H. j. Gran
mis- was considered but, for some rea-
son, was not accepted.
Mrs. G. E. Spring has been burning
for some time with desire to sit on
the school board. Mrs. Robert Spiegel
also has had her eye on chair in the
board room. Mrs. Spring is not well
known, therefore was considered un-
available. Frau Spiegel's Austrian
ancestry and pro-German activities be-
fore this nation got into the war, made
her impossible. Mrs. Barnes, there
fore, finally was selected.
Now there is well founded belief
that Mrs. Barnes will not care to serve
three years on the board Of education
and, if she gives up the idea after her
election, she will resign and the auto
Gratis will put Mrs. Spring in her place.
In fact many East End women believe
that Mrs. Davis is using Mrs. Barnes
as stalking horse for Mrs. Spring.
Time will tell, of course.
DR.. William Eklund, recently back
from Europe and son Of the highly
esteemed DR.. J. J. Eklund, has been
lined up for a place on the ticket of
the autocrats. They appealed to him
with the argument that Duluth high
school graduate never had held di.
rectorship, therefore he ought to run
They lodged the fact that o. A
Amundson was a graduate of the high
school as we'll as the grades.
DR.. Eklund is not credited will
being much in sympathy with some Of
the methods and doings of the auto
Gratis. He will make the race bu
many who know him firmly believ'
that he never will 60 the autocrati
limit in trying to keep Supt. Hok
crammed down the threats of tn
patrons of the schools. The -autocrat
have secured no pledges from Dr
Eklund and they have no assurance
that they can control his votes.
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