The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1855-02-28
dependent and faithful judges !

dependent and faithful judges
Were you not surprised at tho priuci.
pal positions assumed by the opponents
of tho passage Of plain, simple and uD.
ambiguous COMMON school law, in the
Assembly, viz its strictncss will never
be submitted to, BY the people Of Yer.
mont,-this democratic state will ueyor
come under such yoke school dis.
tricts are little independent democraciee,
that will never bow to such dictatiou--
Instead of controlling our school BY law,
every district claims the right TO man
age its own affairs, in its own way; this
bill enforces its provisions by penalties.
et ccle'G' These topics cover the pTin-
cipal ground Of the objections to The bill,
whose passage failed for want of few
votes A brief reply TO those objections
is pertinent here
lst It's @rictness. 10 its elementary
provisions this bill is nothing moro than
transcript Of school law long snos
enacted, BY every other Legislature ia
New England, New York, many Of the
other states, and Canada. 1t contains
not novel provision. 1t only provides
for we'll qualified teachers, aud the COR
rect aud faithful discharge Of their do.
ties uniformity Of text books, the faith.
ful supervision Of teachers, books, schol-
ars anl schools, by competent board Of
town superintendent, and IN accurate
report of the whole matter, By teaoherz
aud superintendent, first TO the town,
and then to the Legislature. This il
all. Aud these are the only, and tho
necessary provisions Of correct, good
common school law in the department.
covered by this bill. /. specifics tho
duties Of tho parties concerned, defines
the manner Of their performance, aud
declares that they must be performed
What, in all this, is unnecessarily strict !
Cd The extreme de,potism of the
bill complained Of, and its alleged, in
copgcnality. to the free democracy Of
the state, and its invasion upon the il.
hercnt rights and independoncy Of school
districts. were most strange, inconsistent
and irrelevant objections to be raised on
this subject in tho middle of the 10Th
century. Is the government Of the peo.
pie By good, wholesome laws enacted by
themselves, for the harmonious regula.
tion Of their action-thc first and prin-
ciral element Of democracy, anti-dsmo.
cratic ? While We regulate everything
elso by law, even our fences, highways,
the locality Of our beasts and every
dollar Of our property, while We live aud
when we die, and do this as independent
men, is it Inconsistent with the most en-.
lightcnsd independence, to regulate by
law, the entire system and agencies, and
its most minute action, to which ia en-
trusted the most important work of the
state. the education of its hundred thous.
and youth II in anything Of public
interest the wisdom and authority Of
legislation is needed, where is it more
necessary than in this department.
Plainly, this important work, to be well
Como, must be marked out, regulated
aud controlled by some defined, fixed,
uniform principles, known to tho parties
concerned. These principles must not
only be promulgated, bu, they must be
clothed with the authority Of the govern.
ment, to give them strength aud efficicu.
cy. Hence the necessity Of specific and
pcremptory law. Has the school dis.
trict, the town, or any other body on
earth power thus to clotho priucrlo with
public authority-to make it, as law
yer would say,man3atoryso as to secure
obedience and subjectioni If there is
any department of public iuteres. or of
society, in which principle requires all
the energy and power, vh;oh lagielaiiss
authority or the general goycrnmeut can
give it, is it not that of common Bohcc,s2
Yours truly snd sincerely,
Lex.