Jasper County Democrat, Volume 9, Number 28, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 October 1906 — ERRORS THAT CAUSE TROUBLE. [ARTICLE]

ERRORS THAT CAUSE TROUBLE.

Some Faulty Clerks in Mr. Cotton’s Office. Wolcott Enterprise: A three years’ license is necessary to make one eligible to this office, and the papers of Mr. Fendig were sent to the State Superintendent for grading. Contrary to his expectations he received only a two years' license, having been given only 83 per cent in arithmetic when he thought he should have been given 100. He went to Indianapolis Sept. 15 and took the matter up with Mr. Cotton and his manuscript was hunted up and a re-examination showed that the arithmetic grade should have been too. This gave him the necessary three years’ license to make him eligible to the county superintendency. It was explained to him at the state superintendent’s office, we are told, that the error in the grading was the fault of a clerk who marked one problem wrong that was correct. The above is taken from the Jasper County Democrat concerning the revocation of the teacher’s license from B. N. Fendig of that place for immorality. Whether he is guilty or not, we do not know, but this is to show how easy a matter it is for “corrections” to be made in the ofiice of State Superintendent Cotton. A few years ago at almost the outset of the present town quarrel, which began principally over school matters especially on the point that recognition was not given the graduates of the Wolcott school at colleges and the university, James Blake made it known that he was ready to end the disputed question when a commission was duly and honorably won. A few days later, an influential citizen of the town had business in the state capital and following this came a commission for the school apparently properly signed, although before our citizen had reached Indianapolis Mr. Gotton had stated over the telephone on recommendation of Dr. Stone no commission was issued at that time by the State Board of Education; a school journal at Muncie whose editor had copied from the minutes a report of the proceedings did not include Wolcott in the list of schools that had been commissioned, saying it was not in the list. Later, a citizen went to Indianapolis, hoping to learn the genuineness of the commission and help to end the needless warfare, but was required by Mr. Cotton to promise not to publish what might be seen before the minutes of that meeting were produced. The record of the meeting of the State Board of Education was typewritten and on one page was a list of schools that had been commissioned, but Wolcott did not appear in the list. The record continued, showing other business that had been transacted, and at the bottom margin of the page was a line stating that a commission bad been issued to the Wolcott school, plainly showing that this had been added afterward as an after* thought. Before a question was asked, Mr. Cotton explained this was an error made by one of his clerks. The record has since been examined by other witnesses who will testify to the same statement, which shows either gross carelessness in the office or a habit of making errors convenient, and charged to clerks. , If the commission was then honestly granted the Wolcott school by the State Board, and properly recorded without the conflicting stories told in letters now on file, Wolcott’s municipal disturbances would have been ended long ago, and the principal blame rests with Mr. Cotton who doubtless sought to pave his way to further political honors by injudicious and illadvised practices.