Iowa
Old Press
THE PIONEER
West Union, Fayette Co., Iowa
Monday, March 21, 1859
Page 2 column 2
SCHOOL AFFAIRS
Last Monday the election for district officers came off
according to law, and resulted in the election of James
McMasters, President, E.L. Hackett, Vice President; P.L Hinkley,
Secretary and L.C. Noble, Treasure. The Vice President and
Treasure were re-elected; the other two come fresh from the
people.
A resolution was presented to the electors for the adoption,
which underwent some amendments and elicited no small amount of
discussion, when the following which was adopted, was offered as
a substitute for the original resolution and amendments:
**Resolved. By electors of the District Township of West Union,
that the sum of 8 mills on the dollar upon the taxable property
of this District Township; be and the came is hereby levied. Six
mills on the dollar of which sum shall be for the building of
school houses and purchasing sites, and two mills on the dollar
of said sum to be for incidental expenses; and also that the sum
of two mills on the dollar upon said taxable property be levied
for the Teachers Fund."
This per cent is as high as can be voted according to law, and no
other tax for school purposes can be levied in this Township for
the next year, except by the County Judge. That the people may
know what it will amount to, we will state that it will make
their tax next year, nearly treble what it is this year. That is,
the school tax amounts to double as much as the state, county and
school tax for 1858 amounted to.
Taking into consideration the wants of the district, and judging
the future by the past, the amount that will be raised would not
be sufficient. Speaking in round numbers, there was %1000 due
this district from the taxes of 1858, only $400 of which is paid
in, two fifths of the whole amount. Suppose that the valuation of
the taxable property within the district is $403,000, and one per
cent on that sum amounts to $1,030, and that but $1,612, or two
fifths of the whole amount is paid in, and only six tenths of the
last named amount appropriated to building purposes, the sum
belonging to the district for purchasing sites and building
houses will be by far too small, not enough to satisfy the wants
of this sub-district alone.
There are seven sub-districts in the Township, Not more than
three of which have school houses that are worthy of the name, or
can by any means be made to answer the purpose for which they
were built. Then at least four sites ought to be purchased and a
house built on each of them during the approaching summer.
THE THREAT OF ANNIHILATION.
"The as told editor of the West Union Pioneer
threatened the State Board of Education. He is a Pennsylvania
Dutchman, and quite likely is the identical person of whom the
following is told." St. Charles City Republican
Intelligencer.
We are not a Pennsylvania Dutchman, and the portion of Mr.
Hildreth's article which says we are, contains as much truth as
the rest of it dose. We never threatened to annihilate the State
Board of Education.
As the peevis, crabbed and irascible old aspirant St. Charles has
chosen to deal in personaities, we can a tale unfold of him,
without any "quite likelies," or going back to
Massachusetts for its substance.
Once upon a time, a merchant of this place and his lady were
coming from McFregor in a full coach. While paying passage, the
gentleman secured the back seat of the coach, containing Mr.
Hildreth and others came up, and while the passengers were in the
hotel and the drivers were changing teams, Mr. Hildreth squatted
himself in said back seat, and nothing could induce him to leave
it. Another gentleman gave the lady his seat, and her husband
went up on top of the coach. When the Agent remonstrated with Mr.
Hildreth, his reply was: "You don't know who I am; sir; I am
the Senr. editor of the Saint Charles City Republican
Intelligencer, The largest newspaper and having the widest
circulation of any other published in northern Iowa, and its
mighty influence against you and your line of stages shall be
felt."
Agent caved, Hildreth kept lady's seat, and the driver
"put'em through."
[transcribed by C.D., December 2017]