The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1870-04-21

posing thus between the appointing power
| and the people, / recommend. further. that
/ the range of choice in the case of candidates
/ for the county SUPPLEMENTARY shall be lin
tied by certain legal conditions of fitness.
A Board of Education is provided by the
| Constitution as the supervisory body OF the
/ system. This Is made to consist of The
| Secretary OF State, the Attorney General.
and superintendent OF Public Education"
| The duties OF that body are the management
| and investment of the School Funds, under
the general direction of the Legislature and
| .'such other duties as shall be prescribed by
law" While the Board appears thus to have
| specific functions, the scope of those func-
| tions and the manner OF their operation,
! rests according to the fundamental law, with
the option of the Legislature.
| The provision of Il School fund in the 9Th
/ section of Article 5, of the Constitution.
| bears upon the duties of the members of the
| Board of Education. Much of that fund Is
made to depend on lands whose use in the
! interest OF the fund, falls within the func-
tons now special to the office of the AttOr-
ney General, and to the Department of State.
The accompanying report of the Secretary
of state will show you how fully the exist
ing practice places this resource of the
school fund under the direction of the latter
officer; and will serve TO show you by the
legal complications which it points out how
tar that resource falls within the duties of
the law officer of the Government. In keep
ing with the existing laws on the subject.
l recommend that, while all questions OF
title in the premises be assigned to the spe-
cial charge of the Attorney General, the
management of the landed resources placed
by the Constitution at the service of the
school fund, be committed to the care of a
Land Office organized under the general di
rection of the Secretary of State. And in
asmuch as the Secretary of State complains
with justice that his clerk is underpaid. the
assignment of the Secretary to the charge
of the Land Office suggested here may be
made by the consequent addition to the duty
of the clerk. an economical ground for AN
addition to his salary.
The Superintendent of Public Education
Is made one OF the members of the govern
ing body designated in the Sth Article of
the Constitution. That officer is charged in
the text with whatever of duty may be sup
posed to be conveyed in the loose terms
general supervision of the common schools !
and the educational interests of the Stater
But inasmucn as his functions may be
made more actual and specific under the I
right of the Legislature to define "other du- |
ties of his Office it becomes important to !
consider the position to which he has been /
assigned by the Constitution
The order in which the Superintendent of /
PHbhc Education is named in designating /
the members of the governing body is that |
of the last. apart from this the Constitu-
ton can hardly be supposed, on general I
grounds, to have designed that he shall take /
precedence of the Secretary of State. While /
the second officer of the government must |
therefore, be held the President of the I
Board of Education, the quasi, or the real /
executive duties implied in the words: gen /
eral supervision go to show that tie su- |
perintendent has been assigned on the Board !
TO the only adminiStra i've position Teasona- /
by suppOsable-that of its Secretary. The |
duties of the Secretary of State and the At
torney General. as members of the Board of /
Education, being mainly those of delibera- |
ton, while the duties of the Superintendent /
are mainly those of execution, the constitu-
ton conditions that quorum of the Board |
shall include the presence of its special |
member.
L have gone at length into the practical |
facts of the work before you in dealing with |
the great question of public education. |
have sought to show you that your duty in !
that case applies to only common schools /
and schools CT a higher grade;" that the
duty in the first is an Immediate one |
which wisdom, if not necessity. would push |
forward slowly: and that the other is a duty |
which, under an option of the Constitution,
may be deferred to some convenient time in
the future.
1 have also given reasons why the common
school administration is not made by the
fundamental law to apply to agricultural
colleges but have suggested how that OPP
ton of the Constitution may be employed to
build up an agricultural and high school for
the people of color, while it may be made
TO give agricultural education to the whites |
who enjoy the existing advantages of the
university of Oxford. In addition to urg
ing all these considerations upon your ear
nest attention, 1 recommend As fellows:
That you organize the educational board
as suggested, making the Superintendent
its acting agent by and with its consent:
That you make the county Superintendent,
Immediately, elective by convention of
the District Boards of Directors of the
county:
That the board of directors of each dis
trct shall be elected by the school rate pay
ers of their respective districts; and that
they shall have the sole charge of the bust
ness of the district schools-levying school
taxes, building school houses, employing or
teachers, selecting and purchas-
ing text books, DC, &c.-Save only to the
very small extent of general supervision"
which may be exercised over them, on the
part of the Board of Education, by the
county superintendent with a view singly
to maintain the system in healthy operation
under the action of forces inherent in the
local interest. j. l.. ALCORN,
Governor.