The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1921-11-22
Democrats Claim
 Illegal Board

tContinued from Page One.)
 tor and the conditions of the arbitra- tion were fixed.
 These conditions were not followed by the Republican side and a second conference took place laSs night The Republican side finally sug- gested MT. Webster for president, MT. Burns for vice president and Dr. Mo proviso that should MT. Webster, while president, resign, pr. Fones should then be named president, to the exclusion of MT. Burns, the vice presid ent, who, by the customs of the board, would be in line for the pres tdency.
 This proposal the Democratic side sharply declined as being an 1nd1g- niIy to Mir. Burns, to the Democra-nc members and to the board.
 At this point, the Democratic side renewed its demand for an under standing as to the vacancy caused by Dr. Osborne's death. The division, which then occurred. was directly due to the refusal of the Republican Side to agree to fill the vacancy.
 In 1924 there was to be an eiec- rion for sup of schools and other officers, Dr. Tones was in Hon olu1u; Mir. Pullman. then a member, was too ill to be president.
 Ut being the spirit of the law that the board should always consist of an equal number from each side. the II six to four, preferred to maitnain a generous and non-partlSan attitude. They delayed the vote until the Re- publican members could. come into the board and thus contributed to keep the schools out. of partisan pol- ties
 In view of the fact that the Repub- ican members, with an entire dlSre- gard of this spirit of fairness shown by the Democratic members when the Republicans were in the minority persisted in maintaining the advan- tage given to them by the accident Of Dr. Osborns death and in keeping the Democratic side in ,r minority, we retired from the meL-4ng.
 The four Republican members pro- ceeded with arbitrary authority to to a person unfamiliar with the rules of the Board that the Republican members did the fair thing in pro- ceeding to elect MT. T Burns as vice president. Their real purpose, how ever, in refusing to fill the vacancy on the Democratic side was to elect a president who could exercise his pow CTS as such officer in defiance of the The rules of the Board provide that the president shall name all commit tees. All that the Democratic mem bers asked was that before MT. Web should be a distinct understanding that the parties should be equally represented upon these committees making it purely 8 bipartisan board as intended by the present law. It would seem as though this were an eminently fair proposition. The Re pubilicans insisted, however, that they must control the important commit tees. They would not agree to have the newly elected president bound by any understanding as to the comp osi- tion of these committees.
 The Republicans reasoned that by J-a ,n nority and having only seven on the board they could with four members dictate their own terms to the three Democratic members associated with them Aside from the manifest un- fairness of the attitude of the Re- publican members, we believe that their action last night in proceeding to organize the board with four mem bers was illegal. The rules of the board provide that a quorum shall consist of "a majority of all the mem bers." We have been advised that under the law this means not a ma jority of those who happen to be on the board at any particular time but rather a majority of the numbe which the charter provides shall conn pose the board. If the position of the Republican members is correct and by death or sickness all of the Democratic members were removed publicans need not fill the vacancies but could proceed to transact busi- ness as a Republican body.
 The weakness of the Republican position may be assumed from the circum stances that left to themselves, they had not moral courage to carry out the program which they repeat