Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1873-05-27
The County superintendent Reply to
Beverley and Others.
Editor Spectator:

beverley anu UtueIS.
Editor Spectator:
I trust I am not afflicted with
the disease known as cacoethes scribendi-an Itch
ing to write-that Unsuitable appetite for news
paper controversy which makes one akin to the
daughters of the horse-leech, alluded to by
Farmer. The election of Supervisors will have
taken place before the next issue of your paper,
and do not write, therefore, with view OF in
fuencing that election. But self defense requires
that should correct the misrepresentation or
misconstructions of my former article which &C.
Cured in all and abounded in some OF the nu-
merous answers to that article.
The charge of official dictation which headed
one of those replies, and was made in all, is DIS
proved by single quotation-"If the majority
or mass of you are opposed to raising county
and district taxes for school purposes, then elect
men of the same opinion, &c" 1t is hardly
necessary to say that disclaim any intention OF
debating to the people how they should vote
My whole object has been to present facts and
arguments to the people, and let them DECIDE
for themselves what course to pursued There is
one view of this question to which gentlemen
close their eyes. Paraphrasing the words OF
Beverley-"The Office of school trusteeis one OF
very great Importance, and there is very great
difficulty in getting men who are competent to
take the Office So far the people have been
quite Fortunate" &ca
The school boards fix the number of schools
in their districts, employ teachers, locate ana
build school houses, manage the financial affairs
of the system, &c. For all these duties, which
require much time and attention, they receive
no pecunlary compensation, but must be the OBJ
ject of complaint because they cannot with
decreasing amount of money supply the increas-
ing demand for more schools, and more pay Tor
teachers, and at the same time must bear the in
situations OF any one who chooses to put on
mask and print, ut is said that it requires forty
per cent first and foremost to pay the office
holders" II there is ground for such suspicion
it should be given; if there is no reason for it,
no one has right to Islander the fair fame OF
| of men who are above suspicion
| Space would fail me to remark fully on all the
mistakes, to mild word, which are found
| in these pieces; SO hurry on. There is school
| now in session on the Middlebrook road and
there would be another If the trustees had funds
enough to build Aouse, and there were children.
enough to fill it.
| The insinuation with which Beverley closes,
recalls the refreshing innocence with which Far
mer, on former occasion, relieved himself from
| the charge Of lndulglng in personalities by
| naively saying that Ais THAT is N.Y. name has
| not even occurred in my articles as If no one
knew who the Superintendent was, and as if that
officer could only eat bread and butter, officially
The demand of Beverley for "a statement
in full of the taxes levied and collected off the
people and of the county, has, fortunately, been
| supplied by "Countryman' and had formerly
been published by myself in the papers, and was
given also IN my official reports, which have
been published. The figures OF Countryman
| are believe. IN the main correct. But a false
| impression Is conveyed by the remark that ''the
| people were first tried and they would not vote
enough, &c On the contrary, at the election
| in 1871, they voted a larger county tax wiz: 81
cents on the $500 than has ever since been CIV
1 en- by the Supervisors-the district tax that year
| being only &c on the 500.
In reply to Farmer L will say in the first
place that did mo- assign as reason for enter
ing ''the arena of politics. that the Legislature
has taken from the people the power to vote a
| tax for school purposes "Dut because it was left
optional with the Supervisors to levy the amount
| Of the school taxes, fully agree with Farmer,
| though for different reason, as to the impropri-
ETY. of the people. voting directly on the subject
of taxation. In the second place l did not as
sign the repeal of the dog lax as reason for on
tering politics, but gave the loss of that tax as
reason for the increase Of other school taxes SO
| as to make up the deficiency. Another reason
[ gave for putting the county and district tax at
| the maximum, succinctiy stated, is this:
| The Constitution requires the Legislature to
put the free school system into full operation as
soon as practicable, and by 1876 at the farthest.
The members of the Legislature sworn to sup
| port the Constitution and coming by very
| large ma ority from Eastern Virginia, whose in
terest it is to have the State tax at the maximum,
| seeing the counties fail TO make necessary pro-
vision for their schools. can do nothing else but
| increase the State taxation for school purposes
Suppose it is raised to the maximum Of 80 cents
| on the $780, then Augusta county will pay $50
| eco into the treasury and get back $4,000. l
cannot but think that there are farmers who will
appreciate the force of such an argument, and
will see that if we mast pay school taxes, it
would be greatly to th9lr Interest 70 pay it all if
| possible in county and district funds, which
would not go out OF the county. And Farmer,
| himself, is man Of too much eense not to I'M
| derstand it. though he is unwilling to admit and
| does not wish others to comprehend 1t.
| In closing, Farmer undertakes to correct bis
own form er calculations as to the cost per month
per pupil enrolled and in average attendance in
the public schools, and even adding in the $500
| of State taxes which does not return to the
county, he fails to make the cost per month, per
| pupil enrolled in the public schools as great as
that per pupil subscribed in private schools by
81 per cent estmatln the latter at ST. IS per mo.
| He also makes the mistake of supposng that the
| $29, 963 rs did not include the whole amount
| supplemented by the patrons of the schools
| But it is manfestly incorrect in estimating the
average cost per pupil in q State system, to take
into consideration only the cost in each county.
| For as you thus increase the average expense in
one county, you diminish it in another. AS well
say that the real salary Of the county judge is
| $500, although he only receives 1890.
| In conclusion, will add that although all
such controversies as this are extremely distaste-
| full to me and especially what Farmer calls my
entrance upon the dusty arena of politics." yet
I am satisfied that any thing which stirs the peo-
| up to think seriously upon matters In which they
| are deeply interested cannot but result in good
| to the cause of truth. In conjunction with the
school tru tees, besides general interest in the
cause of popular education, and besides the OBJ
| legation of our Oaths, which bind us to advance
that cause by all proper means, we feel natural
| pride in the success OF what we have underta-
! ken. We challenge at all times, by every one,
| be he known or nameless, inspection of our of
| fetal conduct, but we deny the right of any one
| under an assumed name, to impugn our motives
| as men good citizens We desire q fair trial
of the free school SYSTEM, and will abide the re-
suit of such test of It's merits.
1t has been wisely said that the way to make a
bad law odious is to enforce it rigidly. As true
is it, that the way to make good law odious is
to enforce it badly. Those who are unwilling to
give the school system fair trial confess all APP
prehension as to the consequences of such an ex-
pertinent J. e. GUY,
County Superintendent Schools.