The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-12-21
Editorial Opinions OF the Leading Journals
upon Current Topios-compiled Every
Day for the Evening Telegraph.

this:-The President is to appoint for each
State, by and with the advice and consent of
the Senate, State superintendent of national
schools, at a salary of $4,000 per annum.
Each of these superintendents is to divide
his State into as many divisions as the
State has Representatives in Congress, and
the Secretary of the Interior is to appoint an
inspector of each division at q salary of $4,000
per annum.
Each of these divisions is to be again
divided into school districts, and the Secre-
tary of the Interior is to appoint in each one
local superintendent, who is to receive $3
per day for the time actually employed in the
duties of his Office. The State superinten-
dent is to direct how many schools shall be
kept in each district and the local superin-
tendent, with the approval of the State super
intendent, is to hire or build the school
houses. There are provisions for taking pro-
perty for school purposes where none suitable
can be had by voluntary contract, and for
furnishing books gratuitously to children who
are unable to pay for them. The sum of
$4,000, 600 is directed to be collected by
direct tax upon the several States to carry out
the provisions of the bill; but if it be proved
to the satisfaction of the President that any
State has q system of common schools which
provides reasonably for all the children there
in, the collection of the tax and the appoint
ment of officers in that State shall be sus-
pended
The chief point that strikes us in this
scheE1e is the immense patronage it proposes
to place at the disposition of the United
States Government, and the enormous ex-
penditure it will involve. There are 81 States
in the Union, and under the new apportion-
ment there will be 24l representatives in the
next Congress. Taking the population of
the United States as 3S, 500, 900, and allowing
one school district to every 2500 inhabitants
on an average, would make II, 400 districts.
Each district would require at least two
schools, with at least one teacher for each
school, or rs, 800 teachers in all. The mum.
Der of officers and their annual salaries would
therefore foot up something like this:-
II State Superintendents at $4,000. ... sl11, 900
24l Division Inspectors at $4,000. ...... 4S2, 900
14,4OO Local Superntendents at % per day
p, am ~ ior lou DAYS c..................6 900
2s,oOO Teachers at $500. ID, 400, ,OOO
43,4IS Oheers, costing .s2l, ,473, ,OOC
Besides this, there are the expenditures fo,
school houses, books, stationery fuel, and
etceteras to be made under the direction OF
the Washington authorities. But without
taking these into account it is apparent that
the making of 43, AIS appointments, and the
disposition of $21, 473, 600 in money, give to
the party in power an amount of influence
exceedingly dangerous to the public in
tegrity.
1t will be said, of course, that there is no
design to apply the act to any States but the
few which refuse to provide common schools
for their people. There is no guarantee of
this moderation. The whole thing is left to
the judgment of the President, and there is
nothing to prevent him from declaring that
Massachusetts and New York, for example,
do not provide reasonably for the children
therein, and in consequence taking their sys-
TENS of public education into his own hands.
And even as to those States which have no
pretense of common schools, by what right
does Congress meddle in the matter? The
General Government was not ordained fol-
any such purpose, and for it to attempt it is
the grossest usurpation. Let the bill bt
killed as soon as possible, and buried forever
REPUBLICAN REORGANIZATION.
From the N. r. Times.