New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-02-14

Being $4,000 per annum less than they were
before the present board assumed control
of the schools. Should the salary of the
superintendent of the division of New Or
leans be subtracted from the State ex-
penses, and added to those of the city, it
would reduce the expenses of the State
work to $l5,500 per annum, and increase
those of the city to $4,000, still less by
$500 than it cost under that regime of
which our "reformers' seem so fond; and
that, too, with larger number of schools,
more pupils, and an increased extent of ter
ritory. To reasonable men this answer is
sufficient. There are others to whom no
answer would be satisfactory that should
fail to place themselves in office; such | do
not expect to convince The contingent
funds of the division superintendent $500
each) are not included III the above, as they
are for expenses an account of which must
be rendered at each meeting of the Legis-
lature The assertion of "Observer" that
the New Orleans Board of School Directors
in December last ''created the additional
office of assistant secretary III violation of
law is simply false. They did no such
thing. What they did was to authorize the
custodian of the depository to TACT as as
sistant to the secretary" without any in
crease of salary, precisely as the rules of
the old (Democratic) board had required
! that the same officer should act as the as
| sstant to the superintendent.
| The second letter of this sapient "O6ser-
| yer" is an attack on the management of
| our public school SYSTEM and here our
| Youthful censor earliest advice is directed
| TO the General ASSEMBLY whom he kindly
| counsels to amend section one of the school
| act" 1t does noe meet his vieWs--the terms
! OF service two years. for parish school di-
| rectors is too long and should be curtailed
| to a single year. This sage advice is the
more remarkable from its being presented
as an antdote to the inexperience of those
officers. 1t is usually supposed that expe-
rience teaches; indeed. believe there is a
Latin proverb to that effect but our young
! friend has evidently reached an opposite
| conclusion. and after these unschOoied di-
rectors have, by years experience in the
work, become acquainted with its duties.
| and some what efficient in their performance,
| he would have them vacate their positions.
| 1t is also supposed by ordinary men that a
| lengthy tenure of Office encourages an indie
pendent exercise of its functions; yet sob
server while professedly desiring this,
| dependent on the satisfaction they render
to Mr.. Conway. 1t is just to observer" to
| say that he sustains his advice to the Leg
islature by these assertions
|. Because many of our presen. parish di
rectors are utterly incompetent. That some
of them do not reach to the intellectual aitl-
tude of observer" might be admitted, 1Or
all birds are not eagles yet as these direct
| Ors, in nearly every instance, are men re.
commended or approved for their positions
by the Representatives or Senators from
their parishes, such testimony to their com,
! petence may be safely set against the unsus
| tanned charge CT "Observer."
2. He charges that the provision that
when practicable" the directors shall be
| selected from different portions OF the parish
is often ignored" BY what right this
sharp-sighted youth claims to determine III
what cases such selection is practicable
he fails to inform us. The section was pur
posely passed in its present form to allow
the deviation of which he. complains, and the
| action of the State board in such appoint
ments has never been assailed till the swOrC
of the bold Observer" was unsheathed.
g. Most serious charge of all: "The ap
| poin tments have been almost entirely one
sided r If, by this, he intends that non,
have been appointed of spirit kindred to hi
| own, the accusation must be ADMITTED a.
true but of this the public will not b,
likely to complain. If he means that the,
have been, in the main, of the Republican
party, the statement is correct, though, il
some instances, liberal Democrats willing t.
act in honestly carrying cut our school laws
| have been appointed.
Let 1t be remembered that the refusal o
the cold citizens to act with the school a,l
thorities compelled the State board t,
make its selections largely from oar recent
| ~ entranchised citizens. OF their hearth
ness in the work no doubt was felt
| and it was believed that the very disadvan
tages under which some of them had la
bored-the cruel denial of all the benefit
Of learuing-woulG make them the more
Jealous in seeing that their children were
not condemned to the deprivations whici
had weighed them down. In most IN
stances this has been the case. and wherS
men, from any cause, have proved incompe
tent, they have been removed, TO lneel
this very point, the Slate board proVidee
for ''ad interim" appoiD tments TO be mant
by the State Superintendent, WHICH, uh'l
confirmed by the board, had nearly tn'
force of nominations, and were sub
iect to changes by the Superlntend
eut, It. met the very polnt Ignor
antly aimed at by "Observer,' the pre-
vention of permanent appointments OF in
I competent men: and the action of Mr
Conway, which has awakened his specia
| ire. was taken in accordance with tn,
above named authority. But, says sob
server" Every one OF the directors re
moved were removed solely because the,
we're believed to be opposed to Governo
Warmoth's administration and to be il
favor of reform" Now, whether observer
obtained this important bit of information
through the condolences of the State Su
perintendent, or whether he "evo!yed i
from the depths Of his own consciousness,
he does not say, but as the latte