Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1869-08-19
0MICS ICATED.

Nr. Editor.-It is not in a spirit Of
controversy tia. I undertake 70 make
come comments on 80 much Of the com
mur;cation. from the Con missioner ofthe
sixth District, published in your last :
sue a. relates to a previous communlca-
ton from Number -Four. | entertain
a high regard for the writer Of the
article in question, but I think he has
nys,ffed rather than cleared up the ques-
ton At issue between the Board OF Cnun-
~ School Commissioners and the Teach
ers Of the county. In answer 10 my first
INQUIRY he asks, How does he know that
"our salaries" are smaller. &c. since the
have not as yet de;ermin-
.d what the amount Of ''our salaries" shall
be for the last scholastic year = an
swer, that having been paid S75 each for
the Fall and Winter Term, and S34 for
the Spring Term, it was fair to presume
that we were not to receive any better com
pensation for the remaining Summer Term.
I shall be happy to be practically con-
WINGED of my error.
My first inquiry had no reference to
the salarie. for the year ending June,
1868: for that year was more than half
completed, when the present Board was
appointed. and they only fulfilled for the
balance of the year the contract entered
into between the retiring Board and the
Teachers.
In answer to inquiry No. ., we have
the astounding information, "that the
Board of Commissioners are merely hu-
man, and not endowed with forekhow,-
edge" And this too in the face of the
enthusiastic assertion Of our beloved
Treasurer" &c, &c, ON Il recent public
occasion, that, "God Almighty had placed
him in the position he occupied" 1t is
we'll known that he was elected to the po
sition by the Commissioners. Apart from
this: we are told that they only received
$500 when they had right to expect
81 800 for the Spring Term. Now what
right had they to expect this specific sum,
unless they had been previously in the
habit of receiving that amount? It seems
to me that it would not have required
any superhuman endowments, or even
an extraordinary business capacity to have
fixed minimum quarterly salary, based
upon previous iDstallments.
Again we are told, that they hope to
pay us $3.50 for the scholastic year end
ing July, 1869. The State School Fund
for the same year, according to the state
ment of the Commissioner of the sixth
District, is only 1894. Allowing all
this amount TO be equally distributed
among the thirty schools of the coun-
ty, and we have only S23S each. Where
the balance of the $3.50 is to come from,
Wa are left to conjecture. The public
will thus see that it is impossible to have
system of free public schools advan-
tageously sustained from this fund alone
The third inquiry is answered with
more frankness but less courtesy than
those which precede it. We have not
been so stupid as not to perceive that
majority of the Board of School Commits
sioners have never been ''at all influenced
by the views or wishes" Of Number Four
or even the interests of the Teachers or
that they have been willing to do any
thing, however much it may have been
demanded by justice, tina. would endan-
ger, in any degree, the popularity of the
political combination now controlling the
affairs of the county. Again the fact
that the margin Of Sec ,. Chaps4. con-
tains the word "repairs, is poor evidence
that the law only contemplated "repairs"
when the words in the body Of the law
are so explicit as not to admit of doubt
as to their proper construction. For OBJ
serve, it says, The County Commission
ers shall provide by general county taxa
ton for school houses" not for repairing
school houses, but 'for school houses in
tho several districts of the county" &c.
While admit that the law is ambiguous
in many particulars, yet l contend that
many of its plainest provisions have been
entirely ignored. The provision requir-
ing applicants for Teacher. certificates to
be examined in the presence of at least
three of the Con mssioners has been dis
regarded The provision requiring books
to be let out to the children. they to pay
an amount not to exceed 81 90 per quar-
ter for the use of the same. has been dis
regarded, and instead. books have been
sold to them, at an advance on cost, Ito
cover the expense Of transportation sup
posc) thu. converting their Office into an
uulicensed retail establishment. The Sec
ton providing that the Examiner shall
visit our schools at least twice every year
has been disregarded He has not visi-