The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1874-07-28
INDIANA POLITICS.
THE PLATFORM ONCE MORE.
THE PLYMOUTH DEMOCRAT.

The platform, aside from being too
lengthy, and demanding repeal of the
county school superintendent law,
suits US. The resolution demanding the re-
peal of the Baxter law is just what the
people expected. and the convention could
not, in justice to the sentiments of the
people who sent them, do anything less
than demand the unconditional repeal OF
the Baxter law.
COUNTY SUPERINTENCY.
While the democratic press of the State
indorse the party platform of the conven-
ton with general unaimnity, some papers
cricise It's financial utterances, but still mole
of the leading and progressive journals dis
approve the the thrust at the school system
which seems to have been struggled In by
some one not well aware of the prevailing
sentiment on that subject. The following
extracts indicate the feeling OF intelligent
democratic papers in regard to the
county superintendency of schools:
THE LAPoRTE ARGUS.
We are also opposed TO the resolution
which calls for the abolition of the Office OF
county school superintendent. We be.
lieve the present plan is good one, and ell
that is needed for it to be popular with the
people is time to develop its good qualities
Aside from these two features we give the
platform our hearty indors ement. Platforms
are from necessity made in the spirit OF
compromise and for the purpose of
harmonizing tho minor differences of men
who agree on the majority of important
questions. 1t can not be expected that all
men can be suited on all points at issue, and
perhaps it is better that they should not be.
On the question of the currency we know
that a very large majority OF the convention
fav va
good of the whole the point was compro-
missed.
THE PERU REPUBLICAN mot DEMOCRACY.
The democratic convention certainly blum
dered in declaring in favor OF abolishing the
Office of county superintendent of schools.
All the educators of any prominence or
ability in the State worked for such law,
or at least advocated its passage. Foremost
in the contest for it was the Hon. NJ. b. Hop
kins, the present able and efficient State SUI
perintendent. Prof j. III. Smart, OF Fort
WAYNE, the present democratic candidate,
also favored the law. IL has been in opera
ton only one year, in all those counties
where the incumbent of the Office mas been
capable the wisdom of the law has been
proved and yindicated; to abolish the Office
and repeal the law now, would be a step
backward toward barbarism.
THE JASPER COURIER.
The resolution in regard to the abolition
of the Office ofeounty superintendent We be-
lieve ipjudicious, nothing better is pre-
sented In its stead, and we think a demo-
cratic Legislature will "split" uron that part
of the platform. In this county the super
intendents Office has been productive OF
an advancement of the interests of educa-
ton more than commensurate with his
salary, to say nothing of the actual amount
of money saved to the school fund by his
supervisor of justices and court dockets. If
in some counties they have had an incompe-
tent person Tor superintendent, they had
better try competent officer before asking
for a repeal of the law. This resolution was
put in by representatives from some Of the
northern radical counties, where it was al
most impossible to secure an officer whose
chief aim was not to make the most money
out of the Office, regardless of the interests
of education.
THE NATIONS OPINION.
The New York Nation gives the following
keen summary in regard to the platform:
The Indiana democrats appear on the snr-
face to have given displeasure to many out
side democrats and to have corresponding
ly pleased the infidel and the alien. They
avowed, for instance, that they thought pay
ing the bonds in greenbacks to be no more
than what Justice requires, and thus revived
the Pendletonism of six years ago-a pro-
ceeding which nobody at the East approves,
no matter of what party. But with that
suuint TO leeward which all Western con-
ventions now give when these financial
breakers come in sight, the convention in the
same breath resolved thatit was in favor OF