Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1886-04-24
Gbe Eatlfaster 1iitelliucufe..
LANCAsTER. APRIL "a. 1855.
The superintendepts Reply.

The SuperintendeDts Reply.
The superintendent of the soldiers or
phans schools writes to the governor what
must be conceded TO be good letter. lie
starts out with the declaration of the per-
tinent fact that the governor has not here
tofore, during their official connection,
intimated to him any difference of
opinion upon the policy of conducting
the schools, which difference the COVER
nor now makes the occasion of asking his
resignation.
He says that the governor has made his
investigation of the condition of the
schools, without inviting his participation
in the inquiry and has made his charges
against him and has condemned him, out
of hand, without allowing him an oppoI-
tunity to know and meet the accusations
before they were given their fruit.
He suggests that as the governor admits
that he had no power to remove him, it
follows that he had no right to demand
his resignation, which would thus be a
compulsory resignation equivalent to dis
missal. He considers that the law has
been vindicated in its failure to give this
power over his office to the governor by
the arbitrary manner in which Governor
Pattison has shown that he would use it.
He demands an inquiry into his conduct
to be dismissed if condemned by it. He says
that the retention of his Chief Clerk
Paul thought the year 1885 was at the sug
gestiOn of the governor, with whom he
could not agree as to his successor, his own
desire TO promote his second clerk TO be
chief clerk being opposed by Governor Pat
tison because his appointment would be a
slap in the mouth of Senator Stewart He
meets number of the accusations of the
governor concerning the manner of keep
ing the accounts Of the schools with an ex-
planation showing their groundlessness in
some cases and their triviality in others
and he concludes with declaration that
the schools are in better condition than
they were when he took office, and that il
they are not institutions worthy of the
state it is the fault of those who established
them in the poor quarters which they
occupy.
So far as this reply of the superintendent
accuses the governor of Condemning him
without giving him the opportunity of
meeting the accusations against him, it is
undeniably just. IL was all right for the
governor TO make his inquiry independent
ly Of the superintendent, whose action it
challenged, but when he had found what
he considered TO be derelictions of duty
upon the part of that official, it was his
duty to advice him thereof and to invite
his answer to the charges and the evidence
before condemiDg him. IL is also true that
when the governor had not the power to
dismiss the superintendent, il would have
been in better order to report the result of
his inquiry into his conduct to the legisla-
ture, than to demand of him that he should
resign.
As to the matters of fact in which the
governor and superintendent are at issue,
the superintendent's answer will acquit
him in some cases il the evidence stops
where he leaves it. The retention of Paul
in the chief clerkship he certainly
ohOoiuNAo oh ehO bofVihol, IL llo
is correct about which, however, we will
be likely to have further advices, and
especially need them to know wherefore
the governor desired to take care of John
Stewart.
Superintendent Higbee passes over with
briefest reference the most important
charge against him, that of permitting the
schools to he in bad condition. His an
swer is a denial, without facts.
The governor, alleging facts, prevails
against him here. The simple question
seems to be just what degree of care the
children should have bad, for it is undeni-
able that what they had was not first-class.
Such care does not accompany itch, and
dirty sheets and towels, and ill-ventilated
rooms, poor bathing facilities, frozen feet,
and commissary stores. 1t is, however, q
fact that the soldiers orphan children have
a good deal better care than their soldier
fathers had on the tented field, and it may
be that they have no right to demand any
thing better. What do the people say?