The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1872-03-28

perform no act as Board, or as members of
the Board without his presence. All of them
can make no appointment without the con-
currence of the Senate. And in addition to
this exact balance of powers, there is anoth-
er feature in the Board, as 1t is at present or
ganized, that seems to be fortunate If not
providential; and that is, it is composed OF
one colored man, one northern man and
one southern man, typifying IL not repre-
senting the united elements OF which the
State, and the party in power u and ought
70 be composed. What then would be the
effect of an act (to say nothing OF its un-
constitutionality, that should seek, as this
bill does, to destroy this equilibrium in the
mode of obtaining the county Superinten-
dents, and while pretending to make them
elective, give any one of these three the
power to practically veto an election by the
people?
But this bill strikes deeper in its designs
upon the Peoples liberties than all this. 1t
makes every county Superintendent's Pay,
as we'll as his eligibility, dependent on the
aoiH Of the State Superintendent. 1t does SO
by this means. The State Superintendent
| is required 70 make an annual Report on
the first of every April OF the number of
scholastic population in each county, and on
that "report" the amount of the county
Superintendent's salary in EACH county shall
in all cases be estimated and paid. See sec
ton six of the bill.
But worse still. The county superinten-
dents being thus independent of the State
Board, but entirely dependent on the State
Superintendent, they are required by the sth
section of this Bill to faithfully execute all
regulations and instructions from the Board
of Education, or the State Superintendent"
They are not required TO execute the instruc-
tons Of both these authorities II there be any
difference. They shall execute one cor" the
other. Suppose our colored fellow citizen,
Mr.. Lynch, who happens to hold a seat in
that Board, should happen TO know that
there is some secret abuse or imposition
upon some colored school or some colored
teacher, and should desire and obtain an
instruction TO the county superintendent to
correct 1t. This instruction can be vetoed
by the State superintendent with as much
readiness as under another section, an cleo
ton can. But the county superintendent is
required ID execute all instructions by one
cor" the other; and there is no chance under
this law and while human nature-remains
| what IL IL, that he shall ever obey any in
struction OF the State Board. If che State
Superintendent shall ''instruct" to the con-
trary.
And all the county superintendent being
thus dependent on the State Superintendent
for their eligibility, and also for the amount
of their salaries, and being thus required to
obey the Board 'Nor' the State Superinten-
dent, they are required, by sec. 8, TO appoint
from among the patrons of the schools, six
individuals in each supervisors. district,
making 80 in each county, to constitute
"Advisory Boards" to give information and
advice and make estimates "for the purpose
of fixing the amount OF taxes to be levied by
the Boards of Supervisors, for all the build
ing, repairing, furnishing, teaching and con-
Quoting the schools, &c. These Advisory
4 Boards are TO be constituted by the county
supcrintendent's appointment, without the
advice or consent of any body, except that he
shall in this, as well as in all respects, "exe-
cute all instructions from the State Board
or the State Superintendent"
And although the Bill proposes to be very
. particular, as we have seen, as to the char
acter and qualifications of the person TO be
elected by the people as county superinten'
dent, it shows no concern whatever about
the character of the 80 persons whom ne Is 70
appoint to be his Advisory Board. The
peoples election of one man, may be vetoed
but not so when county superintendent
shall elect thirty. The peoples man mus
have an irreproachable moral character
and diploma, or the State Superintendent
may refuse him the office; but here are 2l0C
! persons for the whole State, being six fol
each supervisors district, or thirty for eacf
county, none of them elective, but to be al
appointed, none of whom are required tC
. possess any character or any education
whatever. They are not required TO know
, one letter of the alphabet from another, MOI
to be citizens of the county, male or female
infant or adult. All the qualifications pro-
posed is that they shall be "patrons of the
schools" And it will be admitted that 8
patron of a free school may be as neal
nobody as may be the patron of free lunch
. or q free fight But the, Bill does not even
indicate in what manner these POO APP
pointees of the new county superintendent
shall patronize the free schools-whether by
sending their own or some other persons
children, or by going themselves, or by
| plundering the school houses or the school
. fund, or by paying taxes, or by some Other
indefinite mode. These are not required tc
give any bond or security, or to take any
oath. In this age of many oaths, certainly
one of these cheap qualifications for Office
might have been allowed to this new army
OF functionaries. But not so. There is, SC
far as they Are concerned, no obligation and
no penalty.
Il is not required, in so many words, thai
the Boards of Supervisors shall be compelled
to levy the taxes which these gangs of ire
sponsible Advisors shall estimate for the
support of schools, and their estimates" fol-
which, they shall lay before the Supervis.
ors. 1t is only said (see section I'D thai
these estimates shall be "for that purpose
But this is enough to indicate what is In
| tended, and the mode of its accomplish
ment-
These extraordinary appliances 1t viii b
seen are exactly adapted TO fully establish
the absolute power and dominion of thu
, State Superintendent over the county super
intendents, over the Advisory Boards
and thereby over all the teachers, anC
through them over the children, the schoo
houses, the school-house furniture, books
states, apparatus, &C., and, II the design o
the Bill "for that purpose" shall succeed
over the current taxes and school revenues
. of every county in the State
And now L ask attention 70 some othe
larger wheels In the machine which thi
. Bill proposes. and which like those we have
noticed, are all to be subject to his absoluts
, and unqualified personal will It viii b
remembered that S9O04 of the Revised Code
, allows to the State Superintendent doe cent.