Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1882-02-17
Some Scraps from History.

Mr.. Editor In your paper of the 3D. inst,
a writer under the name of Subscriber"
after attributing much praise to Mr.. A. b.
Davis, requested that his past errors and
shortcomings should sleep in the forgotten
past, to which say amen but at the same
time the present position of Mr.. Davis, as
President of the Board of School Commits
sioners, Ito which office he has been exalted
by the Judges of the Circuit Court for this
county, entities him to respectful notice of
his past acts, showing what an abiding in
terest he has ever taken in our public
schools.
Mr.. Davis one of our honorable represent
atives in the Legislature of 1862, and for
him and his history it would be better if
many of his acts in that body during that
season of civil war were beyond the hand of
resurrection, still no chaff is devoid of its
grain of hidden wheat, and knowing how
proud Mr.. Davis is of his disinterested feel
ings, and how hard he has striven to raise
the public schools above the influence of po-
litical slum and party strife, | think it but
right to give him the benefit of his record in
this connection.
The law for the public schools as enacted
had named Leonidas Wilson, Basil b, Craw-
ford, Isaac Young, Robert W. Carter and
VIM III. Farquhar as the Board Of Commits
sioners of public schools Of Montgomery
county, to hold their office for two years
from the LIST Thursday after the LIST Monday
Of March, 1860.
BY this law the Judges of the Orphans
Court were empowered to appoint a new
board upon the expiration Of the term of
two years, so that really no expiration Of the
time of office could have occurred before
March, 1862.
1t 50 happened that the Judges of the Or
phans' Court ,upon whom this duty devolved,
were Messrs. H. b. Cashell Elijah Thomp.
son and DIR. John w. Anderson, three rs
honorable and just men, and as far removed
from party bias and prejudice as any gen
temen in our county at that particular pc
Rod. At the same time the Board of
County Commissioners consisted OF Mcssrs.
N. G. Dickerson, Thomas English, Samuel
Dyson, VIM. II. Spencer and John l.. Du
Flet the difference being that ajorty of
the Orphans Court was Democratic and a
majority Of the County Commissioners was
Republican. Mr.. A. b. Davis was so par
ticular as to have law passed repeating the
existing law by taking away the appoint
ment from Democratic Orphans Court and
giving it to Republican Board Of County
Commissioners.
BY the law as it then stood the Trustees
Of the Poor filled the vacancies occurring in
their own body. A majority of the Trus-
tees of the Poor were Democrats. Mr. A.
B. Davis passed law changing this APP
pointing power and giving it also to the
same Board of County Commissioners, and
atlixing a penalty on the Clerk Robert w.
Carter, ESQ., of ten dollars for every day he
should withhold the papers and books from
his successor.
His poOr-house law went into operation,
and the Democratic Trustees and Clerk were
legislated out Of office his school law proved
"a nullity because the time of appointment
had elapsed before the law was passed.
Under the old school law the patrons who
were able had to pay one dollar per quarter
for each child sent TO school. Mr.. A. b.
Davis changed this and required each child
whose parent was able to pay ttCO d0ltdFs per
quarter instead of one.
AS Mr.. Davis has become so enlightened us
to become the advocate of Mr.. German the
canal and the ring, we trust he has been
convinced that his legislative action of 1862
was the error of immature years, and that
his pretended support of the present system,
with its Democratic rule is not only earnest
but honest | hope the time has come in
Mr.. A. b. Davis history when we can wei
come him into the fold as an earnest sup
porter of the canal, as a true ring man and
an honest Democrat, and my earnest desire
is that his support TO these several causes
may prove more efficient than his manage
ment of the Agricultural College and State
Agricultural Fair. X.