New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-03-23

biz the other dsy, but one Of no small importance
the appointment Of q special election to b he'd on
the second Fridsy in Msy, for the sole and single
purpose Of elec,ing the two school officers for each
Ward 10 be Annually chosen.
The Board of Education-in which body al meas
ures of legislative chars ,ter relating to the admin
i..rs,;ou Of the schools. and al money questions re-
latpe 10 the purchase of neT sites, the erection oil
NAN buildings. or invoking the expenditure OF
Al 800 or UPWARD are to be dscussed-wiil, &C
corIjng TO this new system, consist OF one hundred
AID seventy. two members, four times the numoel
of which it is at present composed. II is INSISTED
that such 8 numerous body-and the objection Is
certainly very plausible-will be quite un"ieIdy
and unmsnscesble, and wholly unfit for the trans
acton Of business. The great objection to the ex-
isting Board is that il wants breadth and compre-
hensiyeness of views, and is too much the mere
representative Of local interests-an objection when
the proposed change is much more likely to aggrs-
vate than TO remedy. Ii the existing Board works
painfully and with too much friction, large part
Of the number seeming to take but little interest eI
cept in questions in which they have local or per
sonal concern. what could be expected from the
Introduction into the Board of all the local sch Dol
officers in body If the present Board works
with difficulty, the new Board it is to be appre-
hended. would hardly work ST all. Indeed, its inca.
paci'y for business seems 70 be admitted BY the To-
PRODUCTION of the Executive Committee Of one from
each Ward, TO which is to be transferred large part
of the business of the present Board. What would
be the precise operation of this Executive Committee
il is not easy to gee Much would depend upon chance,
or the particular individuals of whom il might hap
pen to be composed. 1t might find means of en-
crossing pretty much the entire management of
sairs to itself, reducing the larger Board to mere
nominal existence; or, what is quite as likely, it
might involve itself in struggle for jurisdiction and
contest for power with that body, the schools being
left pretty much to take care of themselves while
the question was being settled to whom the man
agement of this or that subject properly belonged.
The third distinguishing feature of the new bill
is the introduction Of a special election for the
choice of school officers. The object of this
change is obvious, and its intention is good. The
design evidently is TO take the choice of school
officers out of the vortex of party politics. But
while thus seeking to avoid one evil, there is The
greatest danger Of falling into another. Can
the people be made TO feel interest enough in these
spec al elections TO turn out and attend them
All past experience upon this and similar subjects
leads us to spprehend that they cannot. It's
greatly to be feared that the result of these special
elections so far from giving to the unbiased and dis
interested voters a greater scope and activity
in the choice Of the school officers, will operate to
throw the selection of those officers even more than
at present into the control of any little interested
clique that may have some local or personal object
to serve.
That our existing school system is far from
working in q perfectly satisfactory manner is gen
orally sgreed. Nevertheless it does not necessarily
follow that every change will be for the better. 1t
may well be in this, in so many other matters,
Better 70 bear the lie We have
Than hy 10 others that We know not or