Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1855-07-21
[For the Bradford Reporter.l
COUNTY SUPERINTENDENT

for the purpose of raising the salary %
County superintendent, pursuant to ,bo '"'
visions of an act of Assembly approved On rIY ~,
Sth of May last / say was NOT sn.. 'ue
but it was from the fact that knew sn.l rl'''''
act had been passed, and that durpp tbo au
few months the Superintendent had boon l''''
active in circulating petition amoro d.
rectors of the several townships for tbot
pose. F0'
1t is in the memory of every one who u..
member of the Convention that eJoo,a5 :,
GUYER, that the salary was fixed at s5oo 4'
year, before it proceeded to an election -,
hence Mr.. GUYER knew what his comno,,o,:
was to be, in case he was elected From i
remarks he made that day before the Conro,
ton, person would be persuaded that /,
cared little for wages. His motives for so,l
ing and accepting the office, if we cou,d ird-
/ anything from his speech, were pbiLoutL,o,;.
rather than mercenary. BY annexinp the a.
ricultural society with the common school :
tereSt, with his experience as a school direct,
in Harrisburg, he thought he could accomnI,b
much good. He was anxious to raise tbo
standard of common schools in Rradfo,j
| County" OF course, he did not think of mfv,
ing politics with his philanthropy (althOugb
since then he has thought, and so exnre.,ol
himself, that party identified with the school
interest should be formed, and send meptotbo
legislature who have had experience in that IN.
terest, and could advocate it with effect Tins
by his isphilanthropy, 0gricuhurallove, and some
other wires that were pulled, he succeeded in
being elected. Nothing was said about insIf
ficiency of salary He gave no assurances of
his competency. His friends did not pretend
| to say that he was "person of literary and
scientific requirements, and of skill in the art
of teaching" In fact, it was not asserted lv
him or them that he had ever taught com.
mon school in his life. If this be true he j
as we'll qualified to perform the duties of hi,
his Office as a purely theoretical farmer is IA
take charge of and superintend those whobar.
been engaged in agricultural pursuits all tbe,
| lives.
In his remarks in the Convention before tls
last ballot which elected him. he stated tia,
he would do all he c0uid to carry into exeog.
ton the spirit of the statute-that it woudIs
difficult to do so, and was not in the power Of
an ordinary man-that the County was larr
and had to be traversed byprivate conyeyan:e
&c, &c, but if he were elected he would doaI
IN his power to satisfy the wants of the cOn
mon schools This was when he knew his ,al
ry was to be $500 year. Now he asks tie
directors to increase it. On what grounds!
Can he not perform the duties Of his Office for
that sum? He ought to have thought Of that
at the time of his election The drectorssaH
We will give you $500 a year for three years
BY accepting the office you agreed to take it
1t was not intended as "boy's bargain" We
did not expect to be put to the trouble and ez
pense of going to Towanda again to amendthB
bargain. There are about two hundred and fifty
directors in the county, the most of whom arc
farmers, This Convention is called at time /
when they are in the midst of their having and
harvesting. Counting their time, it will COS.
each OF them, on an average, two dollars TO
attend the Convention They get no compeE
satlon whatever for their seryceS-eXCeF
curses. To say the least of it, it is asking
good deal of them-so much | fear, that The /
remote townships will not be represented /
They cannot afford it. They know well enough
strictly speaking, the Superintendent has no
right to ask an increase of pay. "A bar:an
is a bargain the world over" 1t costs then
too mach to make "boy's bargains :" and
think it requires good deal of nerve on The
part of the Superintendent to ask them to %
it, especially when he knew what hs salary FS
to be before he was elected.
Let us see what his pay really is Fh
works 200 days out of the 800 working daN
his wages is 81 so per day If he is empG
ed six months in the year deductng Sudar
he receives daily So 20 The schools in h.
County, on an average, are not kept open 81
months in the year-and hence he can moi h
engaged in visiting them longer than that
The balance of the time, if he expends i1'
more, is mostly employed at home. On G
whole, take it, his salary is not rcry low
is more than most men get for severer lab1
than his Be that as it may, the only quest';
for the directors to determine is, is his Ia'"
worth to the common schools, more than 81. n
year? 1t matters not what he thinks d.
services are worth. To him, they are wortaa- F
he can get. His own opinion must go''1
hlmself-not the directors They, as the II
presentatives of the people, who are well %
quainted with the perplexities and inc0a,'