St. Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (St. Charles City [Charles City], Iowa) 1857-1861, 1859-10-20
The School Law.

In order to carry ont the pro-
grammc of the Democratic state Con-
vcntion-Onc resolution of which de-
uOunces the New School Law-it has
been charged by c. c. Cole and other
Democratic stumpcrs of equal vcraci-
", that the expense of the new law
is much greater than the old. They
convey the IMPRESSION too, whatever
expense is incident to the new system,
comes out of the School Fund. If we
rccOllCct Alright the report of his
speech at Fairfield, Cole said that the
new law cost the School Fund one
hundred thousand dollars annually, in
its administration.
We have already taken occasion to
state that we are under no obligations
to defend or advocate the new School
Law. 1t was not party measure in
its inception or details. The system
was inauguratcd by Democrats. They
provided for it in the New Constitu-
ton: the onl Y votes against it in the
Convention, being given by Republic
cans. Fisher and others laborcd for
the measure as finally adopted. By
its merits must it fall or stand We
have a Democratic Superintendent in
this county, and he says the School
Law is popular here. We suspect
that much Of the opposition to it arises
from want of a proper knowledge of
its provisions. If the law has defects,
let them be rcmcdicd, by all means {;
and if it is better to change the whole
system AGAIN, and put the State to the
expense of getting a new one, and the
people to the trouble of acguainting
themselves with its details, so let it
be. All we want, III this matter, is
that the people should act understand
ingly and wisely.
Is it true that the new law is more
expensive than the old 1t is not !;
and if they had sought for the facts,
instead Of going forth with random
assertions, to mislcad and deceive the
unwary, c. G. Cole & Co. would staud
in better position before the people.
Now for the law and the facts. Chap
ter 50, Section 50 Of the New School
Law reads thus:
The County Superintendent shall
receive from the County Treosury, as
compensation for his services, to be
paid quarterly, a sum equal to one h0if
the amount paid the Clerk of the Dis
trict Court" &c
The total amount paid Clerks Of the
District Courts per annnm, under the
law, for the entire State. is $42, S54 90
On" half Of this amount would be
$2l,4II,00, the total amount due
County Supcrintcndcnts, under the
law above quoted.
The amount paid School Fund Com
miSSioncrs under the old law for the
last year of that system, is 500, 2O3, 20.
(Scc report of the State Commissions
crs to examine the affairs of office of
Superintendent of Public instruction,
page % Showing difference Of
1887 20 in favor Of the New System.
If the board of Presidents think that
their county Superintendent earns
more than half the salary of the Clerk
of the District Court, and see proper
to give more, it is no fault of the law
Under the old system, the entire OK
pensc Of receiving and discussing the
school fund, was paid out Of the an
tcrcst Fund :" under the new system,
ont Of the County Treasury thereby
saving for the education Of the youth
Of our State, S., 2O5,2! per annum.
Thus it is seen that there is not only
an actual Sacing under the New Law,
in the expense incident to lis Admin
istration, but that what expense is in
CURED, comes not ont Of the School
Fund, but the General Fund of the
State.
There is also this difference in favor
Of the new law. The superintendent
of the several counties devote their
labors to advance Common school ed
ucation, and give success to the sys-
TEN while the Fund commissioners,
(who are now dispensed with,) gave
their attention solely to the manage
ment Of the Fund.-Des Moines Citizen