Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1875-10-28
To the Voters of Grant County

EDITOR HERALD: In justice to
those who, in 1873, unsolicited by me,
nominated and elected me to the
office Of County Superintendent of
Schools, and have again unsolicited
renominated me for that office, no less
than to myself, | beg leave to state
the following facts, lest, perchance,
some might believe there was little
truth in the statements lately publish
ed in the Advocate concerning my
official conduct:
The statement made substantially
that 81 said | would devote one-third
of my time to the duties of the Office
of County Superintendent and the
remainder to something else to make
money" is not true, and has not the
merit of being founded on fact. Nor
is the statement true that | am or
have been receiving salary as insur-
ance agent since entering upon the
duties of County Superintendent
Grant county has alone paid me a
salary and Grant county alone has
had my services during all reasonable
hours, to the absolute exclusion of all
other business My agency is merely
nominal and consists simply in revis
ing the work of those who do what
was formerly done by myself My
labors speak for themselves and brand
as false all statements that insurance,
private or other business have ever
received one hours attention one
moment's-to the neglect of public
duties Education is progressive,
and it marches with equal step, yes,
with a quicker step, than common
wealth population, and the duties Of
the superintendent office are rapid
ly increasing. The records show and
the fact is that / have visited more
schools and made more examinations
Of applicants for teachers than any
Superintendent ever did in this county
in the same length of time. Six hun
bred applicants for teachers certif-
Gates have been examined by me dur
ing the year. Nearly every school
in the county has been visited; few
| have passed by when they were not
in session. The visits had necessari-
ly to be flying, because there are
about twice as many schools in the
county as the average of days in
which schools are taught. | have
attended every County Superintend-
ent's meeting, every teachers insti-
tute, every State teachers association
and have examined and passed upon
the examination of papers of every
applicant for a teachers certificate, al
though it has not been possible for
me in every case to hand the ques-
ton papers to the applicant myself in
person. Yet it is said that public
duties have been neglected in the in.
terest Of insurance companies. In
snrance companies, indeed The
man does not live and never did who
can truthfully say that | have at any
time solicited business for an insur-
ance company since January 1874, or
have received any salary from any
source whatever since that date, ex-
cept from Grant county, or attended
to private or other business to the
neglect Of my official duties. II is
left to a generous public to say how
earnestly / have endeavored to do
my whole duty, and how much sue
cess has attended that effort. The
friends of progress and of education
L
have my sincere thanks for their ex'
pressions of confidence and esteem !;
bnt should we not be permitted in
the future to press on the good work
in our own way, | beg that they will
not withdraw to their tents and leave
it to others to fight the great battles
of the age with the weapons of ignor-
ance and superstition.
GEO. Nj. GUERNSEY.