Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1879-07-23
SHAM WlCKERSHAM.

SHAM IVlCkERSHAN.
One ofthc public shams of this Com
monweaith, is tho one who bears the
poetical name OF Wickersham-an cd.
ucational humbug, who has been farm
ing the Department OF Common Schools
of this State for over a dozen years in
a manner TO bring heavy return of
sheclels to his own private fortune,
and for the benefit of pets and favor
ties. lie has been in the School De
partment too long by ten years. His
time has been freely taken, while the
State pays him salary, with getting
out books of his own, which by means
Of the position he occupies, he can foist
upon educators and the schools Of this
State, and mako a good thing of it.
He manages to have the School Journal,
another pet of his, to be foisted upon
the teachers and school boards of the
State, making In immense and profta-
bic circulation for this monthly school
magazine, and in addition, has cperat-
cd so as to make il the only offlcia
source in the State for the laws, deci
sions, &C., of the School Department
thus securing an additional supply ol
sheckes for his purse, notwithstand
ing there are other educational journals
in the State as deserving as his, but
his position as State Superintendent
gives him advantages for the further
ance Of his own private interests. W.
will say nothing Of the divies that on,
occupying the.posltion of Superntend
ent of Common Schools has in pros
pect from book publishers, for recon
mending their books and publication,
and thus securing those parties larg,
and profitable sales, while the people
are pestered with the expense in change
OF books and so on. Thus Sham Wick
ersham and his favorites are having
sugar all the time. He has even come
down to recommending a little job Of
printing township school reports for o
pet in Monongahela City, Hazard &
Son, which, while it is trihe to any
local printing office, isstill more trihine
for the great Mogul Of the school sys
tenn of Pennsylvania to engage in
and build up monopoly for this pet
This statement for single job, would
be worth s2.75 to So yearly, intelli-
gently itemized for a township. But
Hazard sets up a form once, leaves
that set, Sham Wickersham sends out
ont to all the school boards in the State
his endorsement of his pets scheme
and thus secures for him monopoly
of that printing from perhaps one
thousand school boards at SIPS fol
thirty slips. Now any office on tn,
same plan would find it profitable tC
print those slips at seventy cents
for thirty copies, and if only the
boards OF one county wanted them FOL
less than one dollar for thirty slips
Hero il will be seen what handsome
piece of farming Sham Wickersbam
can do for a favorite-and that favor.
ite, undoubtedly has an arrangement,
by which he and Sham Wickershan
may play the game of addition, di
vision and silence" ala Bill Kemble
These statements thus furnished ar,
not in their itemigation what the spiri
fof the law intends. 1t is absurd L
think that the items can bo uniform
one school district like another, or on,
year like all other years, because th,
work done varies, and the consequenc,
is that with Sham Wickersham's pet'i
stereotype slip arrangement, a hundred
items can be hidden behind the un
limited fold of the "&c." And thu
Sham Wickersham imposes his pet
upon unsuspecting schools boards
throughout the State. We mislaid {
r-cord OF elipm wirh-rsii.ssu's > prulita
BILE farming of the School Department
which sets all we say above in the
shade, and would startle tho most un
concerned taxpayer,-we will print il
as soon as we get hold of IL again
We tell the people that our State
school machine is run with great
deal Of sham under the cloak of love
for education, and that as much cor
ruption can be unearthed there as per
haps in any other department OF th,
State government.-Centre Reporter.