Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1874-11-18

portion Of our country. Ifsever great
struggle becomes necessary ON this issue
some malign intriguers will wish they
had never been born. VIGILANCE.
The school superintendent Salary.
EDITORS APPEAL--M Many people in this
city are rejoiced to see the school cues
ton agitated. There has long been q
strong undercufrent of dissatisfaction
on the part OF taxpayers at the manage
ment of our school affairs, and often
the desire is expressed to have the city
scnool charter wiped out Of existence,
and the city schools put under the State
law regulating such schools. These
taxpayers are not opposed to the free
school system, as projected by the State,
but are opposed to the burdensome and,
as they believe, extravagant city sys-
tenn. At this time, when taxpayers
have TO strain every nerve to
make both ends meet, and are forced
themselves TO live on greatly reduced
incomes, Il is but natural they should
grumble at the very liberal, not TO say
large, salaries paid by the school board
to some OF the school officials. Instance
the superintendents l have been in
formed (if incorrectly the mistake can be
easily corFected), that the present super
hundred dollars, by personal friends in
the board. AS understand, all former
superintendent have served for $1,000.
The friends who elected the present in
cCmbent at once raised the salary to
$1,000. Ifthese figures are incorrect, let
US have the exact sum. OF course il
can't be expected that members of the
school board should not have a good
deal Of human nature in them like other
men, and men with the average
amount of human nature can
hardly resist the temptation Of !
serving a friend, when it does not cost
them much to do so. And the tax-pay- |
ers can't help being dissatisfied when |
they see, or fancy they see, their money |
used to secure personal interests or per
sonal feeling. 1t is boldly asserted that |
the raising of the present superintend-
ent's pay to three thousand dollars was
poor piece Of friendship on the part of
the board, that he, or some other equal.
" as able, could have Teen procured at |
fifteen hundred dollars. 1t is also COM
monty talked OF that this well-paid su-
perintendent continues to receive his sal
airy, whether sick sOr well, and in the
summer months, also, while the
comparatively poorly paid teachers, who
only get fifty or eighty dollars per month,
are locked rigidly for every days sick
ness and if by any accident they are
ten, or even five minutes too late at
school, they are locked half day for
those five minutes. And these teachers
pay stops entirely during the summer
months. Now, these strict regulations
may be necessary in regard to teachers.
We are not complaining of them. But
our people are a democratic peO-
pie, and the idea that origin
ated free schools is essentially
democratic, and opposed to anything
like priviledged classes or positions. To
make one place soft and downy and an
other hard and thorny, is q remnant of
sristocratical influence that people grum-
bic at being forced TO pay taxes to main
tain. A superintendent attachments
are no higher than teachers; his work |
not halt so hard. People see no reason
why so great a difference should be
made in pay and rules as to docking.
This is written in no csrping spirit, but /
school boards should never forget they |
are expanding public money, and the /
strictest impartiality should be observed,
and not even q shOU Of fdUOritisn1 in
dulged in. TAXPAYER.
The appeal Endorsed.
EDITORS APPEAL-Since the public /
has been notified, through the columns
of the APPEAL, of the danger to the
public schools-that the enemies to
public education are plying their
schemes to the certain destruction of
our public schools-it is useless for me
to tell you that the announcement has
caused much discussion on the subject,
and that IL meets with universal con-
domination. We know of no reasonable
excuse why the school-fuDd is not suffi-
Gent to keep the schools open, but hope
the "eternal vigilance" manifested by
the APPEAL on this subject, as it has
ever been on all matters affecting the
public welfare, will "make Rome
howl" somewhere until the school ques-
ton has been placed far beyond the
possibility of their being closed. The
APPEALS course upon this subject
meets with the hesrtiest approval, as
far as l have heard it discussed, and
the hope is expressed that it will con-
tinue It's efforts in the good cause until
the public schools are secured to us-at
least let the people know who are at
the bottom OF scheme so disastrous
to the coming generation as would be
the demolishing of our public school
buildings. POOR MAN.