The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1872-11-27
THE GOVERNORS MESSAGE.

The GOvernore message "h'0h Woo
read before the Legislature last Thurs
day, reached us by mail last night and
we surrender large portion OF our
space to its publication this morning
Its length. and the lateness of the hour
at which it was received, preclude the
possibility Of giving it the careful editor
ial review which its Importance
demands and which the readers OF q
newspaper usually expect. From the
has,y perusal we have been able to give
it, we find in it nothing that strikes us
as particularly worthy Of comment ex'
cept it's recommendations with regard 10
the system Of free schools.
Our system OF public instruction 10 at
present the most important concern
Of the State. 1t involves the collection
and expenditure OF as much money
an ia consumed in all the other depart
ments of the State government COM
bined, and its influence upon the future
nrosperity OF the Commonwealth Is
bevopd calculation. 1t deserves not
only the fostering care Of the Legls!a-
ture, but it's importance demands that
whatever acton is had affecting 1t
should be the result of the most
va,cbful dellberation, and that the
ptmost caution should be observed to
prevent any detrimental conclusion.
The people Of the State generally realize
that the free school system Is the mos
important public concern, and are more
sensitive to any dangers that may threa''
en- it than concerning any other OF
the ordinary subjects OF legislation. We
are not, therefore, prepared to endorse
the Governors recommendations touch
ing free schools, and trust that
the Legislature will hesitate long be
fore giving them effect AS a general
rule the County Court will be consti :
tuted of men chosen for other purposes
than for the direction OF school affairs.
They will have enough to do in caring
for the government of the county I'D
other respects, and unless the schools
are to occupy a secondary position and
receive only such meagre attention a.
will be bestowed upon them by magls-
trates whose minds are full of other
things, separate and entirely distinct
set o. officers must be chosen having nc
other duties than those imposed by tie
school law.
We believe that the Legislature at
its present session will act mos! wisely
hit re enacts the preent school law with
only such changes as are absolutely
necessary in order to make 1t conform
to the new Constitution. The abolition
of the township system OF county or
ganizaton need not destroy the sub-dl-
vision of the counties into school DIS
trlcts, nor was such change contem-
plated when the new Constitution was
framed. The intention was to permit
the present system in all its details to
remain in full force subject only to such
notifications as the Legislature NIGH
see fit to adopt, just as though no Con-
siitutional alteration bad been made
We trust that it will be the pleasure OF
the Legislature to carry ont that inten-
ton. The Governor recommendations
upon this subject, if complied with, can
scarcely fail to intlict serious de,riment
upon the interest which the people Of
the State have most at heart.
There ave other portions OF the mes
sage that deserve comment, and what
we conceive to be its errors in relation
to the school system demand more care
full examination than we have vet been
able to give them. We will deter
until some future tire any further ex
psession OF opinion in relation thereto
We recommend the document to peru
L. L. .,oo,l, Nc tho Statp