Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-05-25

Hlore-it Is : question to be decided by the peo-
pie Of the distTict-it IL optional Our present
system does not tolerate Withholding the public
school fund from any child in the state for any
eanse whatever. Any parent IN the state hss
school; how long it is practical to send is mat
ter of parental indgment-it is optional.
Such il the ontline, the spirit, the quality OF
our present system It is system under which
we have made most gratifying educational pro-
gress and the constitution Of '76 SdoTds ample
grander Development. The school legislation
reached the neighborhSOd Of its limit. And yet
my honorable competitor is urging most radical
changes-chznges that would shake the conau-
tuition to Its very foundation. To this trust
you are opposed. To this believe the thought
full, rejecting and more conservative citizens
throughout the state win be opposed. To this I
am emphaticSlly opposed. Iplant myself upon
the constitution as it is, and upon this broad
and solid platform shall win success or suffer
defeat.
stated that the policy of my competitor is
undemocr2tic. OF this there is not doubt. All
the discretionary local authority lodged by the
constitution and the Lam with the people OF
couaties, districts, towns and the like, is Demo-
cratic. The people IN those local sub divisions
of the state are free, under the law to manage
their school affairs in their own way. 1t il nom
compulsory, optional iTee: II is Democratic Ii;
abridgments Of local authority rightly conferred
IL uHdsmocr&tic. It follows Of necessity that
Professor Cooper is directly and fagraGtly un-
democratic both in fact and principle. He may
be q Democrat, but his school policy is grossly
undenocrEuc, designed and calculated to de-
stroy local school authority. The most radically
Democratic feature OF the government OF ths
state. Besides this, it distrusts the people,
is grossly disTespectfui, il not in
sultinE to the people and to subordinate
officials. Give voice to his system Of com
pulsory. taxation and its Language would be
something like this: Not Professor C., but his
system.) "You people here don't know what
is good for you and your children. You are too
ipr1n IT m u71dp and 4
know. you are too psrEimonious snd stingy to
do it. But know, and am determined you
shall do it. will invoke the strong arm OF the
law and compel you.'
To the oficsrs and people OF the, county. the
system would say: You claim the right to
manage your educational affairs. Now, you
are not competent to do it. You call yourselves
the people, the source OF all political poweri
and yet you can't even manage the school at
fairs Of your county. You are unfit to be trusted
with local authority. 1t mnst be taken out OF
your hands. You must have county superin-
tsndent hold institutes and do everything just as
I direct. know what you ought TO do, and l
shall compel you to do it. -
To examining boards the language of his
policy is about this: you have been Rp-
pointed to examine teachers for your county
and to grade their school-room qualifications,
but you are not competent to do it. You do not
even know whist questions to ask. do. am
state superintendent and have the right to die
tate to my sUbordinstes. You shall use my
questions"
About this is the language to teachers: ''You
are very poorly qualified for teaching, and you
are not trying to improve. Men in other occu-
Pations are prompted by their interest to do
you won't do it. will have . law passed, and
II you don't attend institute and obey my or
deEI shall REVOKE your certificate. -,
The language Of compulsory education would
run about thus: eve have provided 4 school
fund. and school houses, and teachers and sll
that, and yet you keep your children at home
much fthe time. You pretend that you must
live, that you must have something to eat and
drink and wear, and that most OF you need the
year to procure these necessary things. But
this Is all boEh. am state superintendent, and
! don't care what you want or need or think:
Your children must go TO school: will compel
you by law TO send them under heavy penalty,
whether you want them TO go or not:
NOW, submit to you whStheI TINS y not
Cooper's compulsory policy, And / appeal to
you whether it Is not supercilious and dicta-
spect for subordinate officials and to the peo-
pie. Is not it An insult to their intelligence,
manhood and fidelity to dutyf
Thus we find Professor Cooper's policy TO be
ial and dsrsspsctfui to the people. His system is
also eItraTsgant and Wasteful Onpage 10 of his
reports he demands the enactment OF q law to
compel teachers to attend county institutes, and
and summer normals, and that they be allowed
the Same pay for tina days they attend IS they |
receive for teaching. According to L. L. Foster,
tics and history, there are IL, 900 teachers in |
Texas but assuming that there are only l0, 900, |
day, then tho cost Of ons institute day would |
amount to SIS, 900. Thus q compulsory institute,
summer normsls, with compulsory attendance |
of seventeen days would amount to the enormous |
sum OF SE25. 600 per Rnaum. This is extravaganza
amounting to recklessness. Then the raising |
OF money by compulsory local tA1 alton in dis |
cannot probably use it, and not yet prepared |
for it, to employ and pay county superintend- |
ent would amount up to other hundreds of thou
sands; and these are only few OF the measures |
of extravaganza and waste Of the peoples sub
stance, which his system demandS- am not |
criticising the objects OF these proposed outlaws
gance and waste it involves. There are other /
and better ways and by far more economical.
The people have o right to economical ad-
miniStratior Of every department OF the govern
ment. The educational department affords no !
exception. There is hardly any other feature OF
goverum entail administration more worthy of
popular condemnation than extravaganza and
waste.
Mr.. Coopsr's policy is Yankeeistic and anti
reason why he urgea compulsory LEGAL taxation
that ratio OF local taxes levied in the United
Stat to the stats ,aPpoEti9nnent !; about
is direct appeal to Yankee policy. Because
Northern states raise most Of their school reVe-
me by compulsory local tax, Texas ought to do
school policy Yankee states may adopt There
is = wide difference between Texas and Northern
states. Has New York or Pennsylvanis or any
othern Northern, or any other country in the
civilized world such magnificent educational
endowment as Texasf Not one. AL history
affords no parallel. Why then place Texas in
the sRms public school category with those
poorly endowed states? II this is not q weak and
blind and slsTish attempt to follow Yankee
precedent do not understand 1t, In fact, 1t is
easy for any ons at all familiar with YSsSee
school literature to seq that his whole admins
trGtion and all his ofnciAl utterRnc1s are deeply
tinged and imbued with Yankee school thought.
Instead Of studying the condition and wants Of
Texas and conforming his school policy to Texas
peculiarities, he is COPYING Yankee systems and
endeaToring to fasten them upon Texas
Instead OF adapting his system to Texas
be IL trying 70 shape Texas to ft . Yankee
system. He is trying to cast the school system
OF Texas into Yankee mould. Yankee systems |
are out of their latitude in Texas. A proper and
healthy school system il = natural oUtgroWth OF
the inteli Eenoe, character aud condition of its |
people. A such 1t viii conform to the condition |
snd character Of It's people. David could not
hight the giant In SAul'E amor; neither can |
Texas tight the giant of juvenile ignorance clad
IN New York school system. Mr.. Draper Is |
good superintendent in New York, but in Texas |
be would be an inglcrious failure. Let me say, |
fellow citizens, with El possible emphasis, that
the school system is made for the people, and
not the people for the system. The people
should shsps and dominate the system and |
TEN should never, through legal and constitu-
EionGl powers to domfneer over the people and |
al the interests Of the people. The education |
Of the people in vitality important, aad should be
pushed forward As rapidly Is the condition Of |
The people viii allow, but II should not be made |
n AAron's rod to swallow mp every other in
l