Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1891-01-05
COUNTY COURT.
p. L. Harmed Elected Superin.
tendant Of Public Schools.
The Court Refuses to Raise The Salary
of County Superintendent
Matters of More or Less
Interest.

The members Of the County court
began gathering early this morning,
many of them coming in on the ear
ly trains. With the magistrates also
came numerous candidates for Super
intendent of public schools. The in
terest taken in this election was the
only feature out of the regular line.
The county superintendent is elected
by the County court every two years,
the first Monday in January being
the day, under the law, when he
shall be elected. J. U. Tyler, as is
well known, has held this Office two
terms, the second term expiring by
Limitation to-day.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE COURT.
Judge Tyler ca led the court to or
der at 1890 and the first matter Of
importance taken up after the County
Judges report was that of the salary
of county superintendent. Squire
Slaughter, as chairman of the COM
mittee appointed al the last term Of
the court on this question, read the
minority report, which recommend
ed that the salary be placed at $500
per annum, with the promise that
the superintendent fulfill the law
covering the duty of the officer to the
letter, and that he should visit every
school in the county at least one
time during the school term of five
months, and also hold a conference
with the district commissioners on
his rounds. 1t also recommended
that the examination of applicants
for certificates be conducted free OF
charge. This report was signed by
G. II. Slaughter, f. E. F0ust and
Brad Martin. Squire Slaughter
made a strong speech in favor of the
majority report, citing salaries paid
superintendent in other counties and
proving beyond doubt that the
county of Montgomery was not pay
ing the attention to public schools
that it should.
Squire Corban and others spoke in
favor of the report.
Squire Ewing spoke against the
majority report and in favor of the
minority report.
The majority report was then put
to the vote and was lost by over
whelming odds,
The minority report was read as
follows:
We beg leave to submit the follow
ing minority report of your commit
tee on county superintendent sala-
ry:
We do not agree with the MAORI
ty Of the committee for the follow
ing reasons: / 1t will be impOssi-
BILE for the commission 10 comply
with the duties required by the ma
jority report. There are 50 schools
in the county whose average tern
are four months in the year. The
commissioner could not visit all the
schools if he spent a day at each one
in the course Of the school term.
,. We can see no possible coed he
can accomplish by visiting the
schools. He has no power or author
ity to change or alter any system or
method that may be u.ed in the
public schools. Our school law h
put this in the hands of the school
boards of districts. and they alone
have the power Of regulating meth
DDS of teaching,
The only power OftheCOmmissiOner
is to judge of the qualifications o
teachers in common schools. He
could but suggest any needed reform
in the manner schools are conducted,
without the power or authority t.
carry them out.
Therefore we think it unjust to
take 5000 from our school fund for
this purpose when we can see no cor
responding results.
We recommend the salary be fixed
at $500 and his duties remain the
same as heretofore.
FINS Ewing.
c. MINOR.
Squire Corban moved that instead
Of paying the superintendent 5000
they pay him $50. He thought that
5000 was too much TO pay a man
simply to examine teachers, and was
in favor OF paying a good young man
a salary that would make him put
some vim in his work. He thought
hat public schools We're being sadly
neglected. The motion was lost.
Squire Caldwell moved for a CON-
promise at s. o; lost.
The minority report was adopted
and the salary remains at 500.
j. L. Tyler's report as County
superintendent was next read and
received. Considerable time was
consumed in hearing the reports OF
The re'ease committee and commit
ices on public roads, the items being
of minor Importance but taking up
time. A petition from citizens of
Port Royal and vicinity wanting a |
bridge built across Red river at that |
r,;,,f ,,.o. road aud rprorro1 T., a nop, |