The weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1869-18??, 1870-12-14
M|a1|yfess.Ih|lie 81 aa q !
Wednesday, Dec. IA, 1870.
Salaries-The blow at the Public School
Systematic superinteudeht of Public


Systematic Superinteudeht of Public
Works. i-J ID ,nvoidAs rra7i q;
A bill was reported ] IN the Senate a few
days ago fixing the salary of the Superln-
tendent of Pebble Instruction at fifty dol
lars. The passage of this bill will have
the effect to destroy the present school sys-
TEN. 1t will not, allow any man to ac-
cept the position Oh Superintendent Of Pub
lie Instruction, and therefore, the schools
new in operation would cease because
there would be no head to look after and
have then,1c carried on asethey should be.
The Superintendent of Public Instruction.
has been 9receiyihgi t#enty-four hundred
dollars annually since he went into office,
and if any man in the capitol has earned
his salary, that uanis Mr. Ashley. No one
will deny this. He has performed the du-
ties of his Office with fidelity sand ability,
and If let alone will establish in the two
remaining years Of his term system of
public schools inferior to none in the United
States The salary is not too much. The
gentlemen who wish to cut the salary
down would not accept the position, and
do the work that Mfol Ashley does, for less
than he receives; ceriainly not. for fifty
dollars per annum.aA.Why Then propose to
reduce the salary to sreha small sum? The
only reason tlies can be giyea.js, that. the
Democrats are opposed to schools and they
hope to break tEem up bS making the sal
airy so small that no one VIII accept the
position of Superintendent of Public In
struction. The object of suchilegislatiol is
to stop every school now in operation.-,
When this has been done the very men who
are now in favor of fixing the, salary at
fifty dollars .per annum will cry out that
the Republican party has failed 10 provide
schools for the children of the State. 1t
is fact that cannot be denied that there
are now schools in two thirds of the counties
il the State, all getting along exceedingly
well and doing much good. What then is
to be gained by fixing the salary at fifty
dollarsg Nothing, except the destruction
of the schools. If the object rs to get Mr..
Ashley to resign, why not ask him to do so
by resolution? In case he should resign
the Governor appoints and d man of the
same politics would be appointed to fill the
vacancy. Nothing in practical point of
view would be gained by this. What ben
eft then does the Legislature expect the
State 10 receive by fixing, the salary at fifty
dollars2 None, except to save twenty three
hundred and fifty dollars pec year, and at
the same time do away with every school
now in operation. This will be the effect
of the passage of the passage of the bill in
its present shape, and we charge that every
man who votes for it is an enemy to edu-
cation, an enemy to the best interests OF
the State, and totally unworthy of the con-
fidence of any people. Taxes have been
collected to carry on the schools for an
other year and is now in the treasury; what
is to become of this money is the Legisla-
ture going to appropriate it to pay per diem
If moi, why violate the Constitution and stop
the schools Every member of the Legisla-
ture took an oath to support the Constitution,
and that instrument says schools shall be
kept up four months in each year. Demo-
| crafts propose to violate their.oaths by clos
ing up the schools now in operation and
| have no schools until Convention can be
called, the Constitution obliterated, another
framed, the public school system done away
with, and free schools, such as fit no one
for any business, established throughout the
State. This is what the present Legislature
| proposes to do. Did they tell the people
that they intended to abolish the public
| schools9 No. They told them nothing of
the kind, yet they propose to do this very
thing and deceive the people by telling
them that they reduced the salary-that
they saved their money-and thereby re-
lieved them Of taxation. When this shall
have been done two hundred thousand
children will be idling away precious time
that ought to be spent In the school house,
will be growing up in ignorance and vice,
and at the same time money enough to keep
schools in every township in every county
Is lying idle in the Treasury. The benefit
that the State will receive from such states
manlike legislation as this, will be the saw
ing of twenty-three hundred and fifty dol
lars per annum! The saving of This sum at
the expense of schools is worthy of men
elected to office by fraud, intimidation and
murder. ut is long lane that has no
turn" and the men who are instrumental
in destroying the school system of North
Carolina will be dealt with as enemies of
good government, enemies to the best inter-
ests of the people. and enemies to every
principle of Republican government that
does not operate to the advantage of the So
called Democratic party. -L
This same bill proposes to fix the salary
of the Superintendent of Public Works at
fifty dollars per annum. This officer has
not been clothed with the power that the
| Constitution intended he should be; but
his salary is not more than it ought
to be considering the duties he is COM
PEELED to perform. Had the majority
of the last Legislature fl been con-
troled by right and justice the entire con-
troll of the States interest in the public
works would have been in the hands of this
officer, and the heavy burdens that the Re
publican party had to shoulder in the last
campaign would have avoided and the con-
dition of our public works would have
much healthier than they are to-day
| Those who had control of these matters
probably done the best they could've Shall