The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1871-05-04
The Proposed Reform i'm Our school sys.
tenn. The MaYAr,s Yefaes

tenn. The Mayors VetOes.
We were very much impressed The other
day by paragraph in some of the newspa-
pers which stated that prominent "labor re-
form" agitator had been arrested and commit
led to the worllhouse as vdgrdnt. ouch
events are disasters genuine catastfophes
Unrefecting persons, who wouid olhefwise
favor in both thought and action the reform
ihst certainly needs to be made In the rela-
lions of labor and capital, are led by such ac- |
cidental circumstances as this exposure of an |
imposter to regard the whole movement as
,ielusion and its advocates as mountebanks.
blacklegs and demagogues. Those who are
adversely interested are thus given an oppor-
tunity to bring the reform agitation into con-
tempt, restrain sensitive people from engag-
ing in it and finally to retain their unjust
privileges and monopolies. The final result
Is that the whole community put the phrase
labor Reform" in quotation marks to indi-
cate the general distrust of its sincerity and
the general Discrimination to become IN any
way identified with it or responsible for it.
A like misfortune befel the country when the
OeS'AANSS eA@S
hands of political adventures, men who have
been disappointed in not receiving appoint
ments to foreign missions OR who want "a
new deal" of offices. 1t is only the thought
full few who, under such circumstances, re-
fleet that labor reform and revenue reform
are. really necessary, and that the merits of
progressive or philanthropic movements
ought not to be obscured by the perception of
the fact that disappointed or scheming poll.
tieian habitually turns "reformer," and that
he does not present an edifying spectacle.
The supporters of reform in our public
school system should take care that attention
is not diverted from it in the manner we have
indicated. If there is anything that should
be tenderly cared tor, nourished, strengthen
ed and protected it is our schools. But there
is great danger that certain recent pretended
'reform" movements of an altogether absurd
character, initiated by insincere and design
ing men, will bring such contempt upon the
enterprise of improving the condition of the
schools that an impression will begin to pre-
vail that they are well enough and need no
especial care to increase their efficiency.
The origin of much of the current criticism
of the school committee that eliminated in
the passage by the City Council of the orders
very wisely vetoed by the Mayor on Monday,
car, be stated in few words. Last year the
City Council was SO constituted that the .di-
rection OF affairs was not confded exclusively
to either political party. 1t was an era of
"good feeling"-so good that the Republicans,
though having a nominal majority, acted up.
on the presumption that politics should be ig-
nored in the conduct of local business and
gave the lead to Conservatives. Thus it hap
pened that in the School Committee the per-
son most potential, in the direction of affairs
and in controlling the expenditure of money
was Of this class. Under this management
most of the abuses which have become the
subject OF legitimate complaint arose. But
then there was no suggestion that the Execu
tive Committee OF the board should be de-
prived of their trivial compensation, or that
the mode of choosing the committee should be
altered. But with the changes made this
year in the membership of the Committee a
new order of things was established. The
former virtual autOcrat OF the board was, as
we suppose, Invested of a portion of his over
grown authority. The new members, being
''rabld partisans," perhaps members of some
dreadful ring" and certainly undouLted Re-
publicans, did not perceive why there should
be discrimination against themselves. Ger
tainly not. If competent Republicans could
DE found to limit and share the power with
Democrats they thought it wise and Just
thing to place them in position to do so. In
short the late reorganization of the School
Committee dethroned certain political clique
and deprived it of its absolute sovereignty.
That ring-for la ring it was, if such a thing
exists in nature, was no more based on the
idea of reform and cared no more about that
idea than it did about the Darwinian hypoth-
esis. But its powers have been abridged
Hinc ittg lacrymg. Hence the orders which
the Mayor was compelled to veto, in our opin-
ion, to avoid the guilt of decided derclction
of duty. His reasons tor disappearing the
withdrawal of compensation from the Execu-
tive Commit tee are SO unanswerable That we
expect to hear nothing further about it. But
there are other considerations besides the i'm
portant ones he mentions that have great
weight in our mind against the proposition to
elect the school committee by vote of the
people of each ward. If exemption from po-
ltical influence is the end aimed at the poll
oy suggested is absurd. The constitution of
the United States and OF every STATE -war1re
the Judiciary is not elaoiivv recognizes the
r 4 -Ordnr n a..
nance of political influence it is necessary to
remove the appointing power as far as posi-.
Bile from the people. Hence the creation of
that futile body called the electoral colleoe.
which proved nullity at the beginning. and
the provision in the organic law of most
States giving the appointment of the judie.a-
ry to the Executive. But we are NOT of those
VINO dread in most cases the influence of the
political motives by which masses of the peo-
pie are governed. The method of eIe,tino
Officers that gives most direct expression TO
the will Of the people is in q eaeral TO be nre.
ferred, as most democratic and most in bar-
mony with our political system. But the
case under consideration is peculiar. The
movement in favor OF making the School
Committee elective by the people in this citv
= designed as an entering wedge for their
schemes ~ those uho are implacably hostile
TO our whole common school system. Tt ,s
device OF those who are exhausting all the re.
sources OF their ingenuity to find means IN
build up sectdrian schools with the public
money and at the expense Of the public
schools. We all know ia what an .l.
extent this is done in New York where the
same party Is m power that has the lead in |
several wards of this city. Shall we i,nitata
that example in Portland, and aid then, in
initiating their plan to subvert deraocratic in
'!ltutlons by overthrowing theiy most yalua.
Die safeguard, the common schools?
Political Notea.
The Chicago Republican names Mr.