The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1872-01-25
Have we a Board of Education or
City Superintendent Of Schools?

nave we bOuru OF EducatIOn or
City Superintendent Of Schools9
To the Editors Of the TntclllgenCer.
Have we o legally constituted Board of
Education for the School District of
Wheeling? Wei have one now acting,
calling itself tho Board of Education.
But according 10 an Act of the Legislature
OF West Virginia, ii is pretty certain there
is none. This Act to which we refer was
passed March LIST, 1871, and is entitled
IAN Act TO amend and re:enact Sections
one, two, three and eleven of an Act emit.
tied An Act relating 10 the School Dis.
trict OF Wheeling, passed February 23,
1867" and among other things in the
ecOnd section it provides-"There shall
be elected in each township, or part If
township of the School District of Wheel.
ing, one competent person to serve as
School Commissioner for n term Of three
years from the first Monday in July sue.
cceding his election and until his
successor is elected and qualified" &c
BY the first section Of chap. As ofthc Code
School Commissioners are to DO elected
at the annual election of other township
officers; and by the third section OF the
same chapter it is provided: "After the
first election therefor in any township,
whether the same has been heretofore, or
shall be hereafter held, one School Com.
missioner for such township shall be IN.
nually elected, whose term Of office shall
commence on the first day OF January
following"
A portion of the present Board were
elected in October last to fill the places OF
those whose terms expired by Limitation
on the first OF January, 1872.
Now, as section 3 OF chap. As Of the Code
has been repealed by the act of March /,
1871, so FIR US the time OF the commence
ment OF the term is concerned, tits clear
that the present Board organized on tie
list Of January, 1872, is organized without
authority OF law because portion OF the
members now constituting 1t, under
the provisions Of the act passed March l,
1871, do not become members of the
Board until the first Monday in July,
1879. The effect oil this is then to render
nugatory and void all their acts unless
the same are legalized by the Legislature.
This is ON illustration OF hasty and i'm
prudent legislation which jeopardizes the
interests OF communities that partizans
may grow fat, When our present Sheriff
was elected, 1t was determined by certain
parties that, as their favorite did not sue.
coed, they would at least cut of from the
present incumbent some Of the emolu.
ments OF his office by throwing into the
hands Of our city collector the collection
of the school levy within the city which
before had been collected by the incum.
bent OF the sheriflalty. In this action,
be It understood, they were not actuated
by love or favor 10 our present worthy
cityColector (who is a gentleman, permit
me to remark, well fitted for the position
be occupies), but to vent their spite at the
success Of our present excellent Sheriff.
The result was, that in the hurry of their
amendment to the act, they did not even
require of the City Collector, in the
collection Of this school levy, any bond,
US is usual in the case Of public officers.
There is only one good result that l
can perceive flowing from this fauG pas,
and this is, that We now have no legally
constituted Superintendent OF schools in
The city, which Office has always been a
useless and costly appCndage.
The Principals OF the schools, in their
respective schools, are now Superintend-
ents. This is us it should be. II they
are not competent TO I'll their positions
the sooner they are disposed Of the better.
But they are SpECK.