The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1884-02-02
SENATE SCHOOL BILL.
Csmmendatiou aud Criticism from q
Competent Source.
Its strsng and Its Weak roints Care
fslly ladicated.
The Bill Weighed Ia the Balances,

DALLAS. geb, H. Editor lEEALp,l -
Since writing my article OF yesterday on
the school bill AS passed by the senate,
after n oursory examination OF the docu-
ment, IL Is pleasing to say that In many
respects 1t seems to be moro OF system,
with better machinery than any We have
yet had. Al the same time an amendment
was thrust in--An alteration rather than an
amend with the remain.
der of It's organizing features. IL provides
for the election, by the people, OF n state
superintendent, although, by the amend
ment OF the senator from Dallas he Is out
lawed from airy other state posi-
ton for siI years after his cleo
ton. His election, however, Is
right. The people should hold he reins
In the selection OF the officer or officers who
are to control the education Of their chill
dren. The bill, az passed by the senate,
also provides for the election by tho people
OF school trustees IN each school dlstflct
into which each county Is TO be divided,
which IL eminchtly proper aud viii 20 lar
give satisfaction. But here comes IN the
inconpruity. The bill, as reported and
printed Tor consideration in its twenty.
! ninth section, provided for the election OF
! the county superintendent, u salaried ON
| Ger, by the people; nut by the concurrent
action of Senator Buchanan and the soma
tor from Dallas, thus right vas stricken
/ from the people and conferred on
the county commissioners court, subject to
approval ny the state board and the state SUI
| pefintendent. Why 20 II ~ difficult TO
Imagine, unless those senators wished TO
borrow something from the iar.lamed sys-
tenn of the Davis reconstruction government
enacted In 1871. Let MS bring II home and
see iis beauties and It's great respect Tor
public intelligence This responsible officer
is 10 have direct si"eryisory control and
great power over every ~ hool and teacher
in the county II the people can elect the
governor, judges, all state. district aud
county officers, why should they be denied
the right of elecling this local dignltary, 80
directly affecting their dearest and most
delicate afiairt' Why delegate the power
OF selection to five men elected Tor alto
gethor different duties. and not necessarily
more intelligent on such matters than aver
age men OF the community Ana even tnoy
have only the power OF nomination. Red
tape comes IN and requires the state
board tirst and the state superintendent
secondly, at Austin, land in the present
case not one OF them resident in this whole
senatorial DISTRICT TO approve or disap.
prove of the nomination. The man who
exercises this power over the forty thousand
people in Dallas, to be thus chosen, IS
enough TO erect lust and powerful discon-
tent with n measure which, TO say the least,
contains much TO give satisfaction and
place our school system on good basis.
In the states where public education has
been most endeafed TO the great body OF
the people, oil such officials have been
elected by tho people OF the Localities
where the duties were TO be performed
But Il seems that Dallas has been peculiar
in this respect. Our city schoo! officers
are held as appendages of the city council,
the people having no voice. Aud hereto
lore whereas the people OF the city elected
the city engineer the city attorney and the
city treasurer, change, understood
to have been drawn by our
present senator while he was
city attorney, was made in the charter-the
election OF those officers taken from tho peo-
ple and conferred on the council. If the
house of representatives passes the oil
with this ds'r incbising clause in 1t, the peo.
pie acquiescing, 1t is fair to presume the
next session will go farther in abridging
popular rights. II 1t is right for our SUI
perintendent TO be appointed in this mode
OF red tape circumlocution, needing the fiat
of men who can know nothing of our loca.
ton and conditions, why not go a step fur.
ther and la the Davis administration, let
the state board and the state supeIinten-
dent sppoint our county Judge and com.
missioners, and finally relieve the people oil
7 the election OF all their county officers.
There Is about as much propriety in 1t as
there 10 in this side thrust ut popular In
, telligence. | venture the assertion conf.
, IDENTIFY that IL tho question were submitted
+ TO our county Judge and four county COM
missioners they would be unanimous In
! opposition to this species OF ostracism and
vote for election by the people; and 80 II
J would be with the commissioners courts
throughout the state.