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Show THEY CAN'T BE TRUSTED. We print this morning on another pago a ploa by Miss Bculah M. World for a new high school. In that pica she sots forth the disadvantages of tho present high school situation, und im-nginos im-nginos that because of these disadvantages disadvan-tages nothing ought to -sland in the way of tho proposed issue of bonds. She is mistaken in assuming that wo do not understand tho need of a high school. We understand it fully. Bui. tho question is, whether wo can get what is needed in case the bonds arc voted. With tho present grafting board, grafters whitewashing grafters, what is tho outlook? Wo do not ovon know what, the board proposes. We don't know that they intend to havo two high schools; wo don't know that thoy intend to havo any change of location, or if so, where the now site is to be. Tho board keeps the public cntirolj- in the dark as to its intontions, and naturally tho taxpayors who aro expected to vote this mono3' want to know what is going to bo dono with it. As wo have said, whonevor this mat-ter mat-ter hns been mentioned in these col- umus, wo are all in faor of supplying supply-ing whatovcr is .needed for tho public schools. Wo agree that i now high : school is needed. There should bo two high schools in this city, 'beyond any ' doubt, one on the cast side and ono on the west side. There is ampin material : for good, strong classes in each. Tho $700,000 proposed would, if properly used, give us two good high schools. But wo havo nothing from the board, , and judging from their action in white washing Bridwell last week, thcro is little dependence to bo placed in their integrity or good faith. They whitewashed white-washed Bridwell on tho plea that the investigation of his case had been sloppod, and nothing had boon adjudged ad-judged against him. But tho reason why they stopped was because members mem-bers of tho board were afraid that they themselves would be, caught in graft and unlawful practices precisely as Newman, ono of the members, had been caught, only in other directions; and ono of tho most interesting foa-. hires of tho investigation was the final shot between Bridwell and Giauquc as to certain "misunderstandings" between be-tween them. A board which has not tho courage to push an investigation of that kind to the end, a board whoso members dare not finish it lest they themselves should bo caught in tho toils, is not the kind of a board that tho taxpayers can re-poso re-poso any confidence in, or to whom they can safety intrust their money. If it were true that everything were straightforward, above board, and beyond be-yond suspicion with respect to tho board of education, that board could afford to ignore precedent and demand that the bonds should bo voted without any explanation ex-planation on their part as to what they intend to do with tho monoy, though such explanations havo always been made heretofore. But implicated in graft as thoy aro, their good faith questionable, their integrity at stake, it iE impossible to intrust them with money, as mieht be done with honest. intelligent, thorough-going men. Wo judge from this letter, and also from other indications that are apparent, ap-parent, that tho board intends to uso the schools as an electioneering ma chine in campaigning for this bond issue. is-sue. This, of course, would be a degradation deg-radation of tho schools, and unjust and unwarranted uso of the pupils. Still, with .the taint attaching to the board, it is not to be assumed that they would be above that kind of electioneering trickery. In fact, the presumption is that that is exactly what thoy would do, and this presumption is fairly borne out. by information received. The board ist however, in receipt of money in such unstinted amount that it ought, in fact, to bo able to put up a high school without any such big call upon the taxpayers. And, although the need of a high school is very great, and, although tho disposition of the taxpayers tax-payers of Salt Lake is liberal with respect re-spect to tho schools, tho fact remains that it is dangerous to vote monoy to be expended by tho present grafting school board." |