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Keeping the Normal off the Tax Rolls

Dec. 15, 1905, V. XXIII, No. 30

CHAPTER 71.

While reading our proposition I was asked to make a number of changes. By consent of the Faculty I made them. Any person desirous of seeing the first draft can call at the Herald office. The article on taxes is crossed out, but I will explain that further on. At the close of the meeting there was a vote taken to ascertain how many of those present were in favor of taxing the Union school district to raise the money. Only one man voted against the proposition. I will not give his name. Before a tax could be levied, a law would have to be enacted to permit the citizens of the district to vote on the question whether the Board of Education should have the privilege to levy a tax.

The 16th of April was near the close of the session and the legislature was Democratic. A leading Democrat and I had been political opponents a number of years. It was known that he was opposed to the entire scheme of taxing the people to build the house although he had not been at the meeting at the church. He had been making his boast that he would defeat the plan in the legislature.

The night of the meeting at the church, Henry Zugschwert, L.W. Reece, J.E. Lowry and myself started for Columbus to work for the law. Zugschwert and Reece were Democrats, Lowry was a Republican. Zugschwert said, "If I can see Senator Norton, of Senaca county, and get his promise before Mr. _____ sees him we will get the law through. We got there first and got Norton's consent. I may be of some interest to the old citizens of Ada to know how it happened that those two leading Democrats helped me fight for the measure. I shall here describe some secret history. The school campus was deeded to Lehr, Park and Niesz in 1870. The auditor happened to be my personal friend. When I went to see him after the deed was recorded he said he would not transfer it to our names because he thought we ought not to pay any tax as it was really school property. I thought so too. Two years we paid tax on some of our personal school property.

While I was a member of the Board of County School examiners, a certain fall, I had a particular experience which I will relate. In the early days when there was no pike to Kenton and there were few ditches, the roads were bad and I drove two horses on my trip to Kenton. The team cost $4.00, the feed 50 cents, my dinner 50 cents and we were allowed $2.00 a day for our services. We held examinations then more frequently than they now hold them. An Ada examiner was more expensive than one residing in Kenton. The other two members of the Board were Zenas McCoy and Rev. Waddle. Mr. McCoy lived about five miles from Kenton, Rev. Waddle resided in town. I had not paid my livery bill for the quarter, I needed money to pay my taxes and needed a few dollars for Christmas. I was hard pressed for money. The last examination for the quarter was held the Saturday before Christmas. It was a very cold day, several degrees below zero; but I needed my check and drove to Kenton. There were but three examined that day. Mr. McCoy, the president of the Board, did not come. Rev. Waddle, the clerk, made out the statement for my pay and expenses and signed it; but it had to be signed by the president to make it valid. I went to the auditor who happened to be a Republican and asked him to take it and get the signature of Mr. McCoy when he would come for his pay and give me a check for the amount. He refused to do so. He said there was no sense in appointing an examiner in Ada when there were men in Kenton fully as competent to perform the duties and it would be less expensive. He proposed to see to it that there would be a change; and he further stated that we were not paying taxes on our school property and he would see that we would pay taxes in the future. I made no reply. I went to the office of the treasurer. Henry Shingle, a royal good fellow, was treasurer. He was a Democrat and I had not voted for him; but I had the temerity to present my case to him, told him I wanted to pay my taxes and my livery bill. He said, "I can not cash your order without the name of McCoy, but I will give you check on the back and when McCoy comes to town, will get him to sign your order." He gave the check, I got the money, paid the tax bill, paid "Bill" Urich the livery bill and had a few dollars left for Christmas. The Normal in those days was not an oil well flowing 200 barrels a day.

On my way home from Kenton, I fully resolved that the auditor would not get my vote for a second term. He was renominated. Sometime during the campaign, Henry Zugschwert who was the Democratic candidate came to me and asked me to vote for him. I said, "Henry, if I will work for you and you are elected, will you keep the Normal school property off the tax duplicate?" He replied, "I can not promise that, Lehr, but trust me, you will find me all right." I trusted him and about a week before the election I put on my fighting gloves, but quietly. I went to Dunkirk and saw some of my warmest army friends, told them the story of the school tax, our struggle to build up the school, etc. I appealed to their professed friendship, and some favors I had bestowed on them while in the army. Got about five or six votes there. I worked among the students and warm friends of the school in the village. I wrote the name of Zugschwert on many a ticket. The judges recognized the hand writing. They reported forty- three extra votes.

Zugschwert was elected. He became my warm friend. He told Senator Norton what I done for him and that I could do the same for any friend of the school. He introduced me to about all the Democratic members of both houses. W.L. Reece, also a Democrat, helped the good cause along. He, at the time, was treasurer and township treasurer. He was also a good friend of the school. Judge Lowry and others took care of the Republicans. The enabling act or law was passed in a short time. I give this secret history to show what strange results may hinge on a trifling circumstance. The democrat who went to Columbus to fight the law, in later years became my warm friend and his brother and son and daughter today are my friends. The trouble between us was entirely political.

The Normal school property remained on the free list. Some may say, "Was this right?" I believed that we were doing much for Ada, Liberty Township, Hardin county, and for Ohio. For we founded a school where the "Common People" could obtain an education in almost every line. The small colleges and universities of Ohio being church schools paid no taxes, were expensive and failed to teach many, many lines of learning needed by the world. They had no teachers' training classes, no book-keeping, stenography, engineering, pharmacy, nor law courses; but little if any music and no fine art. We were endeavoring to furnish all at a minimum cost. I am willing to leave the case to our old students and the citizens of Hardin county.