Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1873-03-12

have. Mr. Speaker, suchsis not my view of
public duty, / shall attempt now, and
hereafter to rise above such little contract
ed ideas as lead men to oppose whatever
they can not father. God forbid that L
should run the risk of endangering free
schools in every neghborhood, simply be-
cause L fail to have my peculiar notions
embodied in the law by which they are to
be established,
But, Mr.. Speaker, let us examine the
supposed objections to the bill before us,
and the system it creates.
First, it provides for a State superin-
tendent! When did anything, or any
body succeed without a head? A State
superintendent is as necessary, in order
to plant the free system of education in
the several counties and remote corners
of the State, as the head is essential to the
direction and management of the human
body!
There must be some controlling power
to every system, whether it be of church
or State. Nothing can succeed by chance.
What can be accomplished by leap in the
dark? Or to use more practical illustration,
what would be the resulto that machinery
which should be set agoing, without some
central head by which its motion could be
governed? In plain phrase, how are you
to establish schools where they are not,
and impress their utility and blessing upon
those unfamiliar with the working, and
who know but little of their effects, unless
there is managing spirit, directing in
fluence, or governing, or controlling power
to carry into OBJECT the means employed
for their diffusion among the great mass of
of the people, where they are so much in
demand?
To talk about State system of common
schools, without having superintendent,
| would be about equal to suggesting State
without Governor, or court without
Judge? All, but we are told that the man.
ner of appointing the Superintendent is
Objectionable. He is to be nominated by
| the Governor and confirmed by the Senate,
and, therefore, some oppose the whole bill,
as | suspect, for the reason that the Gov
ernor will fail to make satisfactory nomi-
| nations. Well, would not obtrude poll
tics into this discussion for anything. No
! sir Be it far from my purpose. But, l
| will say, that If 1 were GOVerhoi-which
/ can't be for some two years to come, and
the distinguished gentleman from Shelby
| (Mr. Kerr reminds me that, being some
what older than myself, Though a bache-
| lori he shall claim the race-if were Coy
ernor, would, perhaps, nominated Super
intendent of my own political faith, though
certainly not an active politician, but |
| should confer it upon no one who was in
competent or unworthy. So, while L do
not agree with the present Governor, yet /
feel certain he will be guided in his selec-
|
| pose to be accomplished. Has it come to
this? Are we to be denied the great boon
! of common schools Just because, forsoOth,
a Democrat is likely to pick up public
crumb? What would you say? Nay, what
do you say, when you hear Democrat OPP
posing this or that because some Republic
can is likely to receive n benefit from it q?
Are we to have no schools except by pleas
ing our party pride? May God forbid that
| party should ever rise up to drive me from
| doing my duty towards the unfortunate
children of the State. My bill, already al
luded to, did not provide as does this one,
| in reference to the manner of the appoint
ment of the State Superintendent. L de-
sired then and now that the two Houses of
the General Assembly should elect, believ-
| ing it would be bringing the matter
nearer home to the people. But / yield
that as L do everything else for the one
great object of committing the State to the
policy inaugurated by, this bill, when
passed. Again it is objected that three
thousand dollars is too much salary. My
objection to the salary is that is not large
enough. My word for it, Mr.. Speaker,
three thousand dollars is none too much,
indeed it will not pay any man WHO'S COM
petent?
Where is the man with suitable qualifica-
lions who can not make as much and with
less labor? / wish to give expression
here to the sentiments of my heart and
the conviction of my mind, that one of
the worst curses with which the country
has been afflicted, is the little-minded pol
icy which has prescribed inadequate COM
pensation to our public officers. The
burthens now weighing us down grew, in
a large measure, out of the incompetency
of those in office, by virtue of the niggard-
ly policy of refusing just compensation. II
! had it in my power / would increase the
salary of every officer in the State. i
would pay for the first order of talents
and then everything would move on in
the proper channel. But objection is made
that the County Superintendent is to be
appointed by the County Court
This is necessity under the new Con-
} stitution That instrument provides that
: all county offices created by the General
Assembly shall be filled by the County
Courts or the people. The County Court
2 can be reached and action had much soon.
er than by the people, and as schools should
+ be established at once, it was thought best
to refer the matter to the County Courts
t And the manner of the distribution of the
= school fund, as well as the source from
e which it is to be derived, is worthy of 6
= remark. That feature which levies anC
collects one mill on the dollar, to be eX
z pended in the county where collected i:
!. altogether Objectionable 1t is contrary Il
l the whole theory of free schools. 1t is in.
t consistent with, though l do not assert re
70 pugnant to the State and National Const
e buttons, The idea involved in the phrase
common" certainly implies that all the
: people are to have an equal participation
ia h. "A. -. l. 4