Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1855-08-25

ject of the addition of the $50, 900 to the state
appropriation And everybody knows that
this addition would not have been made had
there been no county superintentendents.
Besides it was in compliance with the re-
commendation in the above quotation, that the
Legislature of last winter passed the supple
ment to the school law, giving school directors
the power to increase the county superinten-
dents salaries. After this supplement became
a part of the school law, and in conformity with
the spirit of Mr.. BLAcK-the present head of
the School Department, Hon. A. G.. CURTIN,
eminent as man of mind, as jurist and COM
mon school advocate, issued circular to the
school directors last May, t,co months before the
directors Of this County met, giving notice of,
and explaining the supplement, in which the
following paragraph occurs -
The 9Th section authorizes an increase of the sares
County Superintendents and points the mode of at
tanning that object This is highly important duty de-
Voylng upon directors and from the mserablY
compensation originally fixed in many counties as will be
seen from the accompanying list of counties salaries and
Directors in strong terms the proprety and in many in
stances the imperative necessity of raising the salaries
these local officers OF the system to at least living
that shall bear some just proportion to the number of
schools to be visited the territory TO be traversed and
amount of work to be DONE The State Department will
that the duties of the County Superntendencv arc
faithfully and fully performed the places of incompe
tent and negligent incumbents filed by those who will be
both able and willing to fulfil the letter and spirit the
law, and the just expectations of the public But Drec
tors owe 1t to themselves apd to the welfare and success
OF the system as well to the Department do their
snare In the good work by furnishing adequate
enable the Department to command the time and services
OF suitable laborers in this arduous and responsible field
Of duty 1t should be stated in this connection that such
portions of the State appropriations are not expended
for this purpose go te the general fund and not to the
respective counties as has been enormously supposed
When a majority of the school directors of
Bradford county learned, as they did through
the expostions of the Department and my ex-
plantations, that the salary of the county super
lntendent did not take penny from the schools
of the county, and that it did not add one far
thing to any mans taxes they concluded to fol-
low the advice Of the State superintendent and
raise my salary; and venture to assert here,
that not ten directors Of the county if proper
ly advised and left to their own unbiased judg-
ment, will object to this increase
But some ask, where does the $50 900. out
of which our superintendent are paid, come
from? 1t is taken out of the general fund
collected into the State Treasury by the three
mill state tax, canal tolls, &c, &c.
This three mill tax the people of the county
had before they had county superintendent
and if this officers salary adds anything to this
tax, why is it not increased ? Do people not
see that this tax is just what it was before
So this Office does not increase it and does anv
taxpayer believe that this state tax would be
reduced, if the county superintendency was dis
continued? If there is one such, | pity his
weak credulity. Why was it not reduced be-
fore this Office was created So that, in re-
ality, the people have the same tax they had
before, and the county superintendent into the
bargain. The Office does not add one penny
of cost to the county. Why object to it then
No intelligent or honest man does. Those who
do oppose it, are either msinformed on the sub
ject, or actuated by unworthy motives. And
what are we to think of any one who is so de-
praved and desperate in his opposition, that he
will pervert the truth and strive to falsify the
public authorities, merely to excite the prejudces
of the uninformed against the new school law
and its officers Generally speaking, however
the people of Bradford are too sensible and in
telligent to be deceived by such evil ones and
their shallow devices and here, as elsewhere,
the slanderer's end is the devils pit"
/ make this statement in justice to those
school directors who were instrumental in rails
ing my salary. They acted from an intelligent
view Of this whole subject, and under the firm
conviction that it would advance the interests
of the schools of the county. They are known
to be right-minded, whole-souled school men,
who understand themselves, the school law,
and their duty to it, as citizens and officers
Now, to show what have done to deserve
an increase of salary, take the following ex-
tract from my second annual report to the De
partment =
81 commenced my official labors or the Sd day of July
1854 and have since devoted 800 days to the school
vice In that time examined $40 candidates for the pro-
tession of teaching travelled 374l mesSSo2 of this ON
horseback Got drenchngs from heavy rains was
out in three storms and twice storm stay
ed AT the first lost weekat the last two days
visited 293 schools 26l lectures wrote 4l9 let
ters, and 800 pages of fooscap; expended S463 22'
| have paid three official visits to every town
ship in the county, except two, and these
visited once Some have visited five times.
Yet my labor is not much seen, and solely be-
cause the county is so large. Let any one look
at its great territory its number Of schools,
teachers, and the thousand-and-one other mat
ters which come under my official notice, and
he cannot fail to see the difficulty of making
much impression the first year. Remember too,
that all is new-that it takes time to start on
new track such an immense machinery as