The Weston Democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1875-current, 1875-01-25

ring every year Of the term.
Again, shcrifs arc allowed but three
per cent for collecting and aisbursing
school money. Some tax.psysr5 have
claimed that they a.s entitled to tho
two and one hFlf per sent deduction
for prompt payment, which is allowed
in other cases. Tho Legislature cor.
taiuly never Intended that shsrias
should collect and disburSe any par. Of
tho taxes for . commission o. one
half per cent, and yet prescr. LAWS
may bear this construction; the mat
tor is ut lesst leil in doubt, The mere
mention ofthis subject will be sufi-
cient to srres. your attention without
any special Recommendation.
The situstiou Of tho Normal Schools
is embarrassing. When tho school
Law was amended and re.enaeted by
the act passed April u, 1873, the
Normal School system was retained /,
and an appropriation made to carry
on the schools for that year, but 70
appropriation mado for tho last fScal
year, / called attention to this fact
in my message to the Legislature at its
adjourned session in October, 1873.
bu. no action Otany kind was taken.
Under these circumstances, the Board
of Regents found themselves charged
with tho duty Of maintaining thoso
schools without means placed ct their
disposal TO Do SC. They conceived IL
to DO thels duty to execute tho law BY
employing tho necessary corps Of
teachers 70 keep The schools in opera
siOn and the result is, that C eonsid-
crablo sum Of money is due tho teach
ers, need hardly faggcst tina. they
need tho money; the contracts With
them were authorized by Law, There
fore recommend that you make the
requisite provision for their payment.
The amount due them for the scaOlast-
10 year, aud also the present yeas you
will find in tho report Ct the Board Of
Regents, which will DO presented to
you.
1t is highly important thu. some tx.
cd, ccst!ed policy be decided upon at
your present session. II you should
think it advisable not TO matc any
provision for their support IN The fq-
iurc, the whole lay upon the subject
ought to DO repealed and tho property
belonging to tho State disposed Of.
On the other hand should it b your
pleasure to continue tho presen. sys.
TEN, you will doubtless make nppro.
priations requisite to make IL elective.
Il was fortunate that tho State in the
lirss instance undertook to establish SC
many OF these schools. but IL will DO
Difficult! now to abolish any Of them
without seeming to discriminate sgairs.
certain localities. Each school has i:s
special friends, and ihcro very natu-
rally will opposo the whole system un-
lees their la5orite school 10 retained.
AS member Of tho Board Of Regents,
| yisitcd during tho summer oil q tie
Normal schools, aud while l ra not
prepared to soy that they arc all Of
equal merit, or That they have bcca
equally successful, yet J can say that
all have dono much good in supplying
teachers for tie common schools. The
weakness Of our school system has
been tho want ofs sufisiGn. number Of
cOmpstcu. teachers, aud tho Normal
schools are gradually meeting this
want by scudlug out annually q corps
Of teachers. l earnestly invite your
attention to this subject with tho hope
thu: you will taEo prompt and dsci.
siyo action, believing the services
which thesc schools orc rendering tho
State will tcsompenSe her for tho cx-
pence incurred,
Tho State Superintendent Of Free
Schools is necessarily better informed
as to tho condition and wants Of our
educational system than any ono else
cen be, aud there arc strong reNScas
why 10 should DO partly entrusted
With tho management Of the Normal
Soaoolr, but the san,O reasons DO not
apply 10 the Governor, Auditor end
Treasurer. l therefore recommend
thas tho competition Of this board, be
60 changed Us to omit tho Governor,
Auditor and Treasurer.
Frcm tho Report Of tho Directors Of
The Hospital for tho Insane, you will
learn that there remained 10 the Hos.
pital, September, 80, 1874, az pa.
tienta, that during tho year preceding
there were 10 deathu; 8 patients xcsS
discharged cured, 8 improved and Q
uninpsOysd and escaped. The very
small number Of patients cured was
owing largely 10 the fact that many
Of them had beCa confined il iails be-.
torO they Tsro admitted 70 tho Hos.
pital ard bad net he'd tho benefit of
medical treatment. tho fact however
must not only excite inquiry among
tho olice:s Of tho in.titu!ion as TO tho
curative means used, but alco bring to
sour consideration tho wisdom Of The
present policy Of keeping in tic Hos
pital SO many patients tina. are hope.
lesslY insane. Ninety persons were
admitted during tho year, and the
number Of deaths aud discharges vas
tweaty.siS Therefore the nc. increase
Of paticatr was birty.four. While
this was an unusual incrsase, as many
Of them were taken from tho jails,
where they have been confined for
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