The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1871-07-19
Aboul lhe Township sYsIem.

The advocates Of u Convention are
still whacking away against the Town
ship system and other equally harmless
bugaboos to scare people into voting Tor
a Convention. Let lis Candidly examine
some Of the statements used against the
township systcm-fOr they who favor the
Convention have no arguments against
the plan-and see il there Is anything we
can seriously object to.
Did any one ever hear OF community
of intelligent people abolishing the town.
ship system alter il was fairly triedY !
think not. Ii is especially beneficial in a
country where the population Is sparse
and scattered, rs in West Virginia, The
county is divided into townships and into
school districts; and the officers are re-
quired for both governmental sub
divisions. The towship must have three
school commissioners and u secretary;
each school district must have three
school trustees; ii a county has seven
townships, and the townships average six
school districts each, then we have
tWenty.one school commissioner, seven
secretaries, and one hundred and twenty
six trustees to manage the affairs for each
school house, making one hundred and
tily-lOur township officers in the county,
Not one Of these officers, except per.
haps, the Secretary Of the Board Of Ed.
ucatiOn, is entitled 10 any pay, not one
Their work Is all done for nothing. The
Secretary Of the Board has good deal Of
work to do and ought to be paid. The
pay is usually from $40 to $25, never to
exceed the latter amount, II perhaps aver
ages $l5 for each township. And that
is all the expense there Is In running the
sO.CallCl expensive township system.
But we wish to speak Of the benefits OF
the system. While Il remains in . county
like the above with seven townships, we
have one hundred and hfly-four men in
the county who are helping TO do the pub
lie business; limited and well defined du.
ties which each man can soon learn, and
then be interested in the proper admins.
tratiOn of tho public school affairs of the
townships. They arc also checks upon
each other; II they have the control Of
small portion Of the public money, 1t Is
always safer 10 bo in the control OF three
than one. One might misappropriate the
money; with three it would be three
times rs safe. Then the ambition of each
Is excited; each Is anxious to sec the
school Of his own district Us good US tho
school Of q neighbOring district; the
school commissioners Of ono township be.
come anxious TO have rs good schools and
conducted as economical as they are in
another township.
II the voters Of one township have
been sensible enough TO elect intelligent
and energetic men for school commits.
sioRors, their works will soon follow and
show what can bG done under tho law,
without burdensOmG taxes and the
commissioners Of the next township will
follow the example of tho last commits.
siOners, and will themselves improve and
improve their schools. We have one
and my men In one county
who arc personally iateTestci,-GaCh one
Of them Is personally interested in the
successful and economical administra.
lion of the public school affairs OF the
whole county,
Does any man think II an injury to u
that so many men, Il large
majority Of whom have had very limited
educational advantages, are educating
themselves while they are doing the
work for the schools No man who
reals the school law and cOmprchends It,
md tries IN 10 governed by 1t, can fail TO
be improved mentally. And II don't
make q man more Ignorant to be trustee
Of school district II don't hurt his In
Lellect TO try to do his duty in office. II
don't make him OF any less value rs u cit.
lien TO be engaged officially In the edu.
CaLional affairs Of his neigh6orho0d. Or,
Is II any disadvantage 10 community to
have good many Of the individuals
have n hand In the management
Of the public businessy Is iLnOt II bene.
IL 10 the community II wOnld be q
disadvantage II II was Gverybody's bust
ness TO attend 10 certain duties, Just as
'tOO many cooks spoil the BROTH" but
when the duty Of each man Is plain and
simple and well defined, It Is n benefit TO
have many OF them engaged and person.
Nlly interested In public business.
We see, then, that the township sys.
tenn Is not cumbersome and expensive ut
MI. II we are to have free schools, taxes
must he levied 10 pay the expense. But
the men who favor the Convention say
they are In favor Of the free schools we
lake them at their word, and suppose
they only make use of the phrase, lex.
penslve township SYSTEM" 10 arouse the
lax payers In favor of the Convention.
They don't mean to abolish the free
'chOol system-perhaps. We prefer not
Ia tFIist them If VIZ rnn helm n