Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-05-22
RADICAL OPINION OF EATON.

The Huntingdon WeSt Tennessee
an (RadicaD insists that Gen.
Eaton, in "his administration Of
affairs in his department has sig
nalIy failed to give satisfaction to
the country and desires to know
whether "Gen. Eaton's paper the
Memphis POST is to be made the
vehicle for denouncing every man
who may presume to question the
success of his administration"
The Vest TeRneSSeean then says
at was to us source of much morti-
fcatiOn to be constrained to acknowl-
edge disappointment in Gen. Eaton as
Superintendent. The reasons for this
were various and in some respects pecu-
liar. First, as a citizen of Tennessee
and an ardent friend Of education, we
could not avoid, in common with all good
citizens, a sense Of modification. Sec
ond. as a member of the Republican par
ty who voted for Eaton's election, and as
a journalist, devoted to the principles Of
Republicanism, we felt that the odium
of his failure, fell with more or lees
weight upon the entire party. But our
neculiar modification was from the fact
that we, as an in ,ilual, were specially
associated with his nomination and
election to his present position.
It will be remembered that the Stale
Republican convention which MONS
mated candidates on the Republi~
can ticket two years ago, did nj I
nresent the name of Gen. Eaton. The
Office of Superintendent, as we remem-
Der, had not been created by the Legis-
latnre. At a meeting of the State Gem
trail Committee, held subsequently to the
convention and to the passage Of the
law creating the Office, Gen. Eaton and
ourself were both present as members Of
the committee. ln order to avoid the
necessity of calling another convention,
the committee determined to assume the
exercised of power not legitimately be-
longing to it, and placed the name OF
Gen. Eaton before Republicans of Ten"
nessee as their candidate for the
newly created office. The action Of
the committee was severely criticised at
the time, and We, consequently, felt a
peculiar interest in the success of the
administration which we had thus aided
in fixing upon the country, and It was
with the greatest reluctance and deepest
modification, that we were finally brought
to the conclusion that it had failed to
meet the just expectations OF the coun-
try. We make no personal attack upon
Gen. Eaton Our relations with him
have ever been of the most friendly
character, but we do not wish to endure
or to bear in any measure the RESPONSE
bility of two years more of mIsmanages
ment in our school system
This confession shows how utter
ly incompetent men have been
foisted into important Offices. This
man Eaton was selected for the
responsible office of Superintendent
of Public Instruction by the Radi-
cal State Central Committee, OF
-, -
which he was a member, and with
out any inquiry into his qualiiica-
tons, the Radicals elected him, and
now the man who perhaps took the
most active part in having his name
placed on the Radical ticket, con
fesses that be is an utter failure,
and frankly states his desire to be
delivered from "two years more Of
Encouragement of our school sys-
tenn" How long are the disfran-
chised tax payers of the State to be
imposed upon in this shameless
manner g.