The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1871-07-27

OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS;


OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS;
BITEERLETEERERoMMR JILLsoN:
The Powers of the State superinten-
dent-CoulEHe Steal If He Wouldf
The Columbia Union prints the following let
ter:
COLUMBIA, 8. c., July Oath, 1871,
To the Editor of the DAILY Union:
DEAR SIR have, for some time past, been
the insignificant object OF whose unlucky head
divers ponderous missiles, sometimes called
newspaper articles, have been. leVelled, in
which articles my character as an officer and
as an individual has been assailed. To the
charges of incompetency and inefhciency L
shall deign to make no answer. My reply to
ready to compare records on that score with
any and all of my accusers: Some persons
really know nothing, while others refuse to
know anything.
Now, with which division do those casting
the imputation of dishonesty prefer TO be
classed? ANY person having the least con-
verse with public affairs knows that do not
have the handling of dollar of the "peoples
money" the sssshool funds" frankly con-
fess that am not sharp enough, were In
clined 80 to do, to getaway With that which
never comes; into my hands. The most
abusive, bitter and malicious Of my assailants
Is creature bearing the outward form and
semblance of very sorry specimen Of the
genus homo, q creature who affects eccentrl.
city, and who signs his name as "a. Sumner
It is O melancholy fact well.known to many OF
your readers, that this Individual has been for
q long time afflicted with q complaint known
as Cdcottes Scribends, a malady similar IN
nature TO chronic diarrhGa, only Infinitely
more troublesome and disgusting. The one
Indicates constitutional physical weakness,
the other 6etrays constitutional mental de-
'bility.. am bold enough to presume that
know the cause Of his unhappy spleen against
me- shall take no further notice OF Mr.
Summers abuse, because consider the source
from which 1t comes, as the man said when
the big rabbit with the COWS tail klcKea nim
The principal object Of this communication
Is to present a few statements concerning
THE MANDAMUs CASE
between the Charleston city board of school
commissioners and the State superintendent
of education. My construction of the intent
of section l3 of IAN act to establish and main
tain system of free common schools for the
State OF. South Carolina" approved February
10th, 1870, was: (: That the maximum length OF
the school year was fixed by said section at
nine nnonthS, and must fall within the period
commencing on the first Monday 10 Uctoner,
and ending on the last Friday in June, but That
any county school commissioner had au.
thority, under the provisions OF said secton, to
limit or, IN other words, to shorten the school
wear in his county according to the amount OF
school funds apporti0ued to such county
Here let me observe that am IN possessloa
of an official communication from Attorney
otn i,v vuhi ho QHr
soundness of my Interpretation Of the construc'
ton Of the seclfon aforesaid. On or about the
18th of June, 1870, there was Issued from this
office, to each Of the several county school
commissioners, circular containing lnstruc-
tions to close all the public schools on or be-
fore Friday, June oath, 1870.
An the school officers In the State complied
with said instructions, save those OF the City
and County Of Charleston. The county school
commissioner of Charleston County, and the
Charleston City board of school commission
ers. OF which board the said county school
commissioner was &c o1scio chairman, saw
at, In their wisdom, TO disregard said lnstruc-
tions, and to continue the public SCHOOLS un-
der their supervision. during the vacation
months of July, August and September, 1870.
The General Assembly, at Its last session,
passed a "Free School Deficiency Approprla-
ton of $40, ,000,n the same to be applied TO the
payment OF teachers claims up to date OF Jan.
uary lst, 1871. The Charleston city board OF
school commissioners presented to this ONCE,
for services rendered from July lst, 1870, to
January lst, 1871, amounting to $751; l4s 20,
and demanded OF me to give them an order on
said deficiency fund for that amount. Clsims
OF teachers for services rendered In Charleston
County for the time already mentioned, and
amounting to s7467 were also presented.
There we're, however, belonging TO tne coun:
lad
$l97S o6; therefore, the deficiency claimed for,
the county teachers amounted to- only
S5493 81. l gave an order on the fund afore-
said for $3.50, the sum required to pay the
Charleston city teachers for the months of Oc-
tober, November and December, 1871, ana
also gave an order on the same fund for
81, ,780 "A, the sum required to pay up, IN ilii,
did refuse to draw an order on said def-
cheney fund for $8998 ~, the amount needed
TO pay the Charleston city teachers tor the va
cation months of July; August and September,
1870, and did also decline to draw an order on
the same fund for $373s so, the sum required
to ply the county teachers for the vacation
months Aforesaid.
MY reasons tor 80 doing were:
lst.sI held that the teachers IN GnarlesCon
City; and County were not entitled to pay dur
Ing the vacation months, any more than were
teachers in any other section OF the State.
2d. I did not desipe-in the face Of the fact
that the school officers of Charleston City and
County utterly disregarded instructions issued
rom this Office, while elsewhere said tnstruc-
ions were complied with--to assume the re-
of committing what deemed 10
be- an act OF injustice, OF making an un)ust
In favor of Charleston City and
County, and prejudtcial TO the educational In
teress of the oLher counties.
Sd. Il desired to test the question. as 10
whether this Office Is entitled to exercise any
Jurisdiction or supervision over tne common
school affairs OF the State.
The Charleston City board OF school com
missioners then peti5ioned Judge willard 70
grant writ OF mapdamas to compel me 10 .
draw an order on tho deficiency fund for
s8998 20 the sum stated by them as required 10
nav their teachers for the vacation months,
which prayer was granted, and nave Deen
compelled by judicial decree to issue SAID OF
der. have also issued an order on the same
fund for s3733 so, the sum needed to pay
the Charleston County teachers for the Vaca-
tlen months aforesaid.
Charleston City has received from the def
cheney fund:
ant December 1S70....... ...........S lSo w
For III three vacation months.......... s,sss ~
Total ,,.,.........s slS,l4s 20
Charleston County has received from tne
For the months Of October. November
'oA ami Decrmber. 1870. SLIGO A
For the three vacation months ....... 3,733 20
Total. ............ s5,iea 81