The Chickasaw messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1880-1900, 1888-06-07

80 H'HtHHHH" ~
their position, when it is affirmed
that "they have decided to carry
out the spirit OF the law" that is
If said circular is in accord with
the action taken by the Board, for
that document not only ignores the
spirit" but also the letter Of the
law
Section ? Of the apporiiOnment
lag reads thus:
Sec. 2. Be it further enacted,
That it shall be the duty Of the re-
spectire presidents Of the colleges,
when said apportionments are
made, to notify the superinten-
dents Of public education Of each
and every county in this State Of
the number OF students to which
his county is entitled under said
aPpOrtionment, and said superin-
tendent shall give thirty days no
tice BY advertising in some news
paperin his county, and ifthere is
nC newspaper, by posting notices
in each supervisors district in his
county, Of the time and place, not
to be later than the lst Monday
in September in each year, when
he will examine all applicants for
appointment to the colleges. He
shall, after due examination, grade
the certificates Of scholarship Of
each applicant and submit the same
to the board Of supervisors Of his
county, and said board shall APP
point from all the applicants, II
there be more than the number ap-
poftiOned to the county, the num-
Der to which the county is entitled,
and the clerk Of the board shall
forwith certify said appointments
with the names of the applicants
10 the president Of the college to
which the students are assigned,
a.. der the seal oftbe board Of su-
pervisors.
Gen. Lee assumes that prefer
ence should be given the boys al.
ready at the institution and re-
quests the superintendents to
designate, who shall be retained
tAsse stud ms, bur h4 ca1j sd
a sentence, word, or syllable in the
apportionment law authOrizingany
such assumption, or eonferring any
such power on that Official. He
announces positively that "only
Hep students need be examined"
but the law says all applicants
must be examined, and the result
oftheir respective examinations
must be fled with the Board Of
Supervisors, "and said Board shall
appoint from all applicants the
number to which the county is EN-
titled"
And right here is the rub, which
the President Of the college evil
IDENTIFY intended to impress on the
Superintendents, for he takes the
precaution TO italiEe his reference
to the Board of Supervisors, who
be admits "might not be inclined
to act" IN accordance with his sug-
gestiOn, in the face Of q plain pro-
vision of the law. And no Board
Of Supervisors should act in any
other way than in conformity with
law, and no superintendent has
any power to designate any stu
dent TO attend the college, and the
suggestion to the later that he
should override the statute to make
matters satisfactory" to the col
lege authorities is "a reflection upon
the official integrity OF the county
school officers, whose principal
duty it is to promote the iHterest
OF the common schools, with which
the fancy institutions of the State
are, and ever will be, in direct
conflict. Why this appeal to the
county superintendents should
have been made, we cannot sur
mise, unless. indeed, these gentle
men being appointees, we're sup
posed to be subservient to the
"machine;" but the Board of Su'
pervisors, being elected by the
people and recognising their re-
sponsibility to the taxpayers
would not do to tamper with, and
hence they are eomplimented by
being in a measure ignored by the
circular. They are only to be "oOn-
ferred" with, in case they "might