Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-05-12


in the great -four markets of the
country, was adjudged the finest on
exhibition. The. capacity of this
soil for the production of fine wheat
and in great quantities is unsur-
passed under the sun.
--fa
WHAT THE COUNGY sUPERINTEN-
DENIS SCOsr.
The Press and ss7Tmes continues
to peg away at the county super
intendents who are suspected of
dabbling in politics to the neglect
of the duties of their office. In its
issue of yesterday that paper says;
n "These officers should understand that
their duties requirs their presence at
home, and not attendance at political
conventions To see that the schools of
their counties are properly organized and
in actual operation are their positive
duties, and beyond this no obligations
rest upon them For this they are paid,
and not to assist in chicaneries to effect
this or that political object 1t has been
minated that such is to be the case in
the coming convention Of the Goth, and
that they are to have their pockets lined
with bogus proxies. SOuld such an at
tempt be made, such fHrore will be
raised by the properly appointed dele
| gates as might not be altogether pleasant
to itinerant busy-bOdies." ..-.t.. ...-
To appreciate the structures of
the Press and Times, it must be
borne in mind that all these county
sIfperintendents are Radicals. They
seem to regard it as incumbent
uK on them to labor for the success
o6such Radicals as are in favor of
the continuance of the presentschool
law, which is more for the purpose
Of pensioning an army Of "hungry
patriots" for whom offices have to
be supplied. Every county in the
State has its superintendent, whose
salaries are provided for by the
school law, and who never fail to
draw their salaries, notwithstand-
ing some of the counties have but
two or three schools, and perhaps
none the number they should have.
These men have but very little
work to- do and are handsomely
paid for it. The Comptroller's
statement shows that up to Dec. Z,
1868, there had been drawn from
the school fund S45,254 81, as fol
lows: ........ ....r-...
To counties for school purposes S27, 1857 SO
Salaries 10, county
superintendents, $l2,998 90
Office EXPENSES of
General Super
intendent, ,29S SO
Salary of General
Sup eri1tendent
to Nov. s, $500 0O-17, 39G So
Total, S45, 254 81
1t will thus be seen Gat more
than One-third of the school money
drawn up to the 9TH of DECEMBER
last was consumed in the payment
of the salaries of Offices provided
for by the school law 1t thus APP
pears that this army of "hungry
patriots is consuming a great por-
ton of the money wrung from an
oppressiyely taxed people ostensi7
bly, for the purpose of educating the
children of the State. Look at the
figures which the Comptroller's re
port sets forth. More than one
fourth of the school money drawn
from the treasury up to Dec. Z,
1868, went to pay the salaries Of
county superintendent. Up to that
time they got $l2,99S while the
little boys and girls got the benefit
of only S27 ,S57. These figures ex-
plain why the county superino
tendents take so active a part in
the politics of the State. There are
at least a portion of the Radicals
who are opposed TO the feature OF
tho school law which continues
these men in office at so heavy an
expense to the school fund. They
insist that the lay shall be so
modified as that the large amount
paid TO county superintendent in
the shape ofqsalaries, shall be dis
tributed for Che benefit of children
who may attend schools. A heavy
tax is imposed upon the property
holders of the State to create a
fund to be used for common school
purposes, that is, for EDUCATING the
children of the State, but very
large proportion Of it goes to sup
port an army Of office holders
That's the way the money goes. ,
Was the school law framed for sue.
a purpose as this? Was it the in
tention of the authors of that
law to pension a legion of office
holders upon the taxpayers of the
State, whose services could be dis
pensed with without the slightest
detriment to the efficiency of the
law2 1t seems that was the very
purpose had in view. VIII this out
rageous imposition be continued
upon the people? We should have
a common school system, but one
third of the money raised ostensi-
bly, for the purpose of educating
the children, should not be frittered
away upon sinecures as a reward
for partisan services. There are q