The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1919-02-22
SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS
BETRAY COMMON PEOPLE
Illuminating Narrative of the Way in Which Repre-
sentatives of Educational Democrats Went
Over to Side of AutOcrats.

, upon If I'll get the fifth" queried
director Amundson.
EYES," LeDuc assured him, "but
who will you get?"
Director Foster" replied Amund-
son.
81 hope you succeed, but doubt
it," replied LeDuc. Even then, the
willy individual must have known
that the Autocratic slate was fully
written.
LeDuc declared that "terrible
pressure" was being brought to bear
on himself aud others. He spoke
of "Big Influences" and declared
that even director Foster was de-
pendent ION the exchecquer," as he
expressed 1t. 1t was assumed that
| the "exchecquer" meant powerful,
dominant banking and business
| forces in the city.
How powerful financial interests
can have director Foster where the
! hair is short is not known, but 1t
may be that he has sold stock in
his cranberry marsh to powerful
financiers and bankers, thereby get
ting himself in position where he
must take their dictation.
At a previous conference, held at
LeDuc's own home a week. before
the meeting at the Grace M. E.
| church, director LeDuc had stated
that '"Terrible pressure was being
brought to bear by powerful and
influential people,"
Director Firoved pointed out that
| pressure was being brought by. the
J people on the other side, and that
| they were much greater in numbers,
if not in financial power.
Director Amundson called at the
home of director Foster Wednesday
night before the meeting.
Mr.. Foster opened the conference
by explaining what a big proposition
he had in his cranberry marsh near
Hawthorne, Wis. He elaborated on
his plans, telling how he was going
to finance the undertaking and that
he expected to make 1t pay divi-
rice" as the wildcat mining pros
pectuses often express it.
Mr.. Amundson finally got an OPP
! portunity to ask director Foster how
he stood on the matter of Supt.
Hoke's reelection.
Mr.. Foster talked at length, in a
somewhat rambling way, but the
/ tenor of his remarks were that he
! was against Hoke's retention as SUI
perintendent of the public schools.
Mr.. Foster, by the way, is cred
tied with being unfriendly towards
director Davis. He formerly served
! with her on the committee on
schools. He resented the way in
which he was ignored, or thought
he was ignored. Licking those
hurts, Mr.. Foster said:
when I was a member of the
committee on schools, never was
| consulted by Supt. Hoke or the
other members of the committee.
After sixteen years of experience in
| educational work, I ought to know
| something. The other members Of
| the committee and the superinten-
uSuI always "
ing without consulting me-"
But director Foster also seemed
! obsessed by a dislike of former
Supt. Denfeld. He seemed to look
on him as "the man on horseback"
| as the French once called the dan
ger of return to monarchy. He
| undertook to neutralize his inconsis-
tencies by seeing a danger of Den
field getting bark into the schools.
$50 long as Denfeld is a bigger
man than the superintendent of
Schools" replied Mr.. Amundson.
there always will be an excuse for
that fear. The way to kill that
| boyle is to secure a superintendent
/ who really is bigger man than
Denfeld."
81 feel that you are making your
| personal pique and enmity of more
| importance than the best interests
| of the Schools" said Mr.. Amund-
son.
"Supt. Hoke is not competent for
the position he holds" declared d.
rector Foster. Ne Is not fit for the
SUPPLEMENTARY and he should Co."
Mr.. Foster ended his talk by say
ing that he was going to see
Schaibly and Crahsweller before Fri
day night. He evidently saw them
or they saw him.
AS usual, director J. R. McFiffert
| is credited with being the Mephisto-
pholean fixer and manipulation. Two
weeks before the meeting, he dined
directors Crassweller and Schaibly.
At that very dinner, his blandish-
ments may have won over Schaibly.
as they did LeDuc a year before.
At that dinner it is believed that
Schaibly was delegated to see Fir.
| owed and Foster for the purpose OF
! throwing dust in their eyes, or even
| trying to seduce them from their
duties as directors or their pledges
to the people.
LeDuc is credited With either as
Stunning too much or wilfully mis-
stating facts at times. For ex-
ample, he told Firoved that Supt.
! Hoke had demanded two-year con-
tract of Crassweller. When asked
| by Firoved, Crassweller denied that
| any such demand ever was made OF
| him.
He who runs and reads can draw
L 1t NJ. hn fnro,