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Show TRIBUNE EDITORIAL CAUSES UPHEAVAL I - Binghamites in "Mass Meet- ing" Adopt Resolutions of Dissent. SCHOOL HEADS TALK Say Selection of Teachers Is Made on "Best of j Recommendations." j i AYithout attempting to deny tiie truth 1 of any particular statement contained in the article, but taking general exception to an editorial published In yesterday morning's Tribune headed "Cloud . over Bingham," which was based upon the Arthur Ar-thur Willard murder case, about seventy-five seventy-five people of the town gathered in the Commercial club there last night and adopted a pre-prepared resolution condemning con-demning t lie attitude of The Tribune as expressed in the editorial, demanding an Investigation and a retraction, "when it is shown that there are no grounds for such utterances." The meeting, which was designated a "mass meeting' on dodgers distributed about the streets about ti o'clock in the evening, was called by Dr. I5. E. Straup, acknowledged political leader in Bingham, and the meeting waa conducted and engineered engi-neered by recognized leaders in Bingham politics. Prominent among those in attendance w ere politicians and school teachers, including in-cluding Mayor Straup. Q. B. Kelly, candidate candi-date for mayor; D. W. George, city attorney; at-torney; Francis W. Quinn. town clerk and member of tiie Jordan district school board ; Seth YV. Pixton, member of tbe school board; C. L. Countryman, member of the school board; D. C. Jensen, superintendent super-intendent of schools of tbe Jordan district; Theo Schweitzer and Karl Randall. Advised to Drop It. L O. Leatberwood of counsel for Willard, Wil-lard, in his recent trial, was invited out from Salt Lake to speak to the meeting and did so by advising them not to make any more ado about the editorial in question. ques-tion. TlTe circulars distributed about Ihe town bore the legend: "Biiigham schools and Bingham citizens held up to ridicule. Meeting tonight a t Commercial club to take action, S p. m. JOveryhody Invited." When the people ga thered at the club neither Mayor Straup nor Mr. Kelly was present. Mr. Schweitzer went out to find them and about. 8:30 they appeared. There were several whispered conversations between be-tween Mayor S tr a up, Mr. Kelly, M r. George and Mr. Leatherwood, after which Mr. George consented to act as chairman, and called the meeting to order. Tie explained that the policy of some of the Salt Lake papers seemed to be that, of printing all the bad and no good news a ho ut Bingham. He then referred to The Tribune editorial and said that it had cast a, reflection upon the Jordan school board and the officials and citizens citi-zens of Bingham. Ho declared that the meeting was to clear up this "cloud tiiat hung over Bingham." He then called upon Mr. Pixton to speak. Editorial Is Read. Mayor Straup. who had .just read the editorial, suggested that some perhaps had not read iLand asked that it be. read. Mr. Countryman read the editorial to the audience. Mr. Pixton said he had little to say with reference to the editorial except as to its reference to the school board. He then assured the audience that the board had always striven to seled men of excellent ex-cellent character as teachers and bad even made teaching ability a second consideration con-sideration in an effort to get instructors of good character. He said that Willard had been chosen upon the best of recommendations, recom-mendations, including that of the University Uni-versity of Utah. Superintendent Jensen then explained the system of selectiug teachers and said tliat where one was not personally known he had to be taken upon the recommendation of others. Willard Wil-lard had been so selected. Mr. Leatherwood was called upon and said he knew it was easy to "pick" on a school teacher. He thought the editorial edi-torial had been written either to fill space or upon misinformation as to the conditions. His advice waa that it should be smiled at and paid no further attention. atten-tion. The Resolutions. Mr. Kellv then offered the following resolution, which was adopted without dissenting vote: Whereas. An editorial in The Salt Lake Tribune, dated October 29, UtL. with the heading, "Cloud Over Bingham," Bing-ham," charges that the direction ot our schools has been committed to questionable hands, reflects upon the. honor. Integrity and character of the school teachers of jRingham, and inti-matos inti-matos that public official are standing stand-ing in the way of a necessary moral houserleanlng of Ihe Jordan school board; and Whereas, Whatever are. tbe merits or demerits of the Willard case, a high court of justice and twelve peers of the accused have decided the case, and the school boo rd is in no way ' responsible either for the opening or the closing of the incident; and Whereas, The members of the Jordan Jor-dan school board are men above reproach re-proach in every way, elevated to the positions they hold by the vote3 of the patrons of the schools, men in whom the citizens place contidenve. men who, at the sacrifice of their personal interests, are striving to elevate tho standard of the schools; and Whereas, The schools of Bingham compare most favorably wi th t he schools in the other parts of the state of Utah and the United Stales, the teachers being selected with great care, and only givon employment in tbe schoolroom after producing the best of references and on the recommendation recom-mendation of tho highest eduoat ional authorities of the state; therefore, bo it Resolved. By the citizens of Bingham, Bing-ham, in mass meeting assembled, that we condemn most forcibly the alti-tude alti-tude of The Salt Lako Trihune. as set forth in said editorial, intimating, as it does, that Bingham rests under a cloud by reason of the general ,reputa -lion which has settled down upon the schools like a poison sas ; and be It flirt her Rpsnlved. That the intiinfltion; therein set forth are groundless, and we demand an investigation; and when it is shown there are no gi'ounis for such utterances we demand a retraction. |
