The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1923-06-09

l
been evidenced to him by the
| attitude OF the president of the
! board, and again by tue conduct
Of the investigation of the charges
recently made by one of the pa
! irons Of the schools ..
Mr.. Bentley then went somewhat
into the Stevenson case, showing
much resentment because he was
not asked to the private meeting
after which he concluded:
| II therefore tender you my res
isnation as superintendent of
schools to take effect at the pleas
ure of the board, but not later
than July /, 1911.
| ''If it seems best to the board,
or II the board cannot at once
secure a head for the schools, l
shall be glad, for the sake of the
children Of the schools, to continue
to hold the organization together
and give legal effect to the board s
acts when they require superin-
tendent's approval"
''I'll retire while you consider
my resignation" said Bentley with
an unctuous smile, after his: resig-
nation had been read. He did not
have. the least idea that his res
ignation would be accepted.
'I move that this resignation be
accepted to. take effect at once"
moved Miss Dow Husbands, one OF
two women members OF the board.
II second the notion" said Joe
Gardner.
DR.. Caldwell, president of the
board. put the motion and It pre-
vailed.
Supt. Bentley returned from an
other part Of the building.
Ibid you act on my resignation"
he inquired
"Yes," was the reply, "and we
decided to accept 1t to take effect
at once"
The bluffing, autocratic superin-
tendent turned pale in the face. He
had expected a rejection OF his
resignation, which would have been
equivalent to vote Of confidence.
Rslnh Yakel, instructor in history
! aud athletics, was elected to sue
ceed Mr.. Bentley. The retiring su-
perintendent told Yakel that citi-
zens were saying that acceptance
Of the position would ruin him, but
all citizens charged with so saying
flatly denied the charge. Despite the
Bentleyan croaking, Yakel still is
superintendent of the Paducah pub
lie schools, a tenure Of five years.
Paducah then was as badly torn
up as was Duluth when Mr.. Bentley
insisted on turning down all Duluth
architects and importing strangers
from Chicago. Down in Paducah,
Irv. Cobb's ancestral home, Supt.
Bentley played UP closely to all
the civic organizations, hence he
was looked upon as a wOrld-beater.
In Duluth, he has the civic organ
izations against him. In Paducah,
too, the women members of the
school board turned against Bentley,
while, in Duluth, they have chung
tightly to him. But that's another
story. -
When Bentley found himself out
L on the cold world, without pro-
fessional position, or money in the
bank, by his own act, he vigorously
prodded up his admirers, club
brethren and others to protest
against his going and to demand
his retention in the schools.
The papers in Paducah were
cunningly cultivated by Bentley, the
same as in all other places where
| he has carried on. The Paducah
Daily Democrat, the paper on which
Irwin S. Cobb served his apprentice
ship as a reporter, anne out with
these. headlines:
THE GROWING ERROR.
SCHOOL CHILDREN OF PADUCAH
MUST PAY THE PRICE.
That certainly sounded Bentley
esque. -
Next was a mass meeting at the
courthouse at instance OF the Law
Enforcement League. About 800
people were present out of $4,000
in all Paducah. A vote OF con-
fidence in Bentley prevailed by
80 In the affirmative and one. in
the negative.
eve are trying to put pantaloons
on our women" beloved lawyer c.
X. Wheeler, evidently siapping at
the two women members OF the
school board.
Judge Campbell defended the
women, saying:
these women are not here on
trial and it is but brutality to call
them the lower animal of the two,
man or woman. 1t is the trend OF
thought in this country for women
to hold office and 1t Is an injustice
to speak of them as has been
DONE"
Judge Campbell is chasing rab-
bits" shouted lawyer Wheeler. i
am opposed TO woman suffrage
and to women holding office, just
.as L am opposed to death, and
4 know that both are coming. /
don't intend that my women shall
vote or work or mix with the
Negroes at the polling places. I'll
protect them myself"
Thus spoke J. III. Bentley's chief
champion at the courthouse meet
ing In Padueah.
Rabbi Lee J. Leyinger moved