The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1894-09-26
Making Campaign CnpItaI.

~eb NeeAAP'ehbU O"FAee%h
In the absence of an issue the Demo
Gratis arc trying to make capital out of the
passage Of the Township School law. In
the country districts there is more or less
dissatisfaction with the new order of
things brought about by the new school
law, and the Democrats are helping it
along all they can through the columns
of their newspapers and their local work.
ers. The law is charged up against the
Republican Legislature, and it is describ-
ed as Republican measure, and in some
of the counties where the Republicans
were slowly making gains, it has been
made to stand responsible for all the
troubles CT the farmer, even the recent
drouth.
The Township School law, 10 begin
with, Is not political measure. 1t orig
mated with the State Board of Education
and is the same system now in vogue in
Vermont, Massachusetts and Connecticut,
and is about TO be adopted in the West.
State Superintendent A. B. Poland, under
the supervision of the Committee of the
State Board of Education, drafted the
bill. A majority of the State Board Of
Education and the State Superintendent
are Democrats. 1t was passed by the re-
cent legislature by votes almost equally
divided between the two parties. The
change made by the Law is in the interest
Of good schools. Before its passage New
Jersey had the old district school system.
The schools, in charge Of three district
school trustees elected, had an election
that nobody ever attended, and IN conse-
quence, three fourths Of the school trus-
tees were incompetent men, many OF them
unable to read and write, who as a rule,
were more interested in seeing how
cheap they could run schools than in see-
ing how good they could make them.
School buildings were maintained that
have bad sanitation and bad light. The
competency OF the teacher was never con-
sidered. 1t was only to discover how
trict system became about as bad as ii
could possible be in New Jersey. In the
suburban villages occupied by commu.
tore, the borough governments were es-
tablished so as to get their school build
ings out OF the hands Of the trustees and
put them in the borough government, so
that all that was necessary to make the
child comfortable and secure for him good
teachers, could be controlled.
The Township law wipes out the dis
trict lines and makes nine men responsi.
BILE for all the schools in the township.
1t makes the taxation equal aud all con
tribute alike to the support of schools, so
that all in the township will be entitled
to the best that can be procured. The
elections that were held demonstrated in
the beginning that the law was a good
one, because OF the general character OF
the new trustees selected. Three .fourths
OF The trustees elected were professional
men, intelligent and aggressive, INTEREST
ed in the education OF their children aud
willing to devote their time TO the proper
m1nagemement of the schools, 80 that
their children secure all the necessary
comforts OF the very latest methods.
The politics that has been injected into
the law comes from the turning out OF the
old district trustees, some having been in
office beyond the memory Of man, and
the electing of new officers. The old
trustees were naturally dspleased at being
forced out OF office, out of what they re-
garded as hereditary. They also claim
that schools now will be more expensive
and the tax rate will necessarily be high
er, because the townships are now obliged
to supply the text books. The Demo
Gratis have magnified features of this law
for the purpose OF political capital, aud
there are lots of farmers who declare that
it is against their interest and is a move
mcnt to give the pupils of the towns and
villages better education at the expense
of the farmer and the taxpayer.
In Warren county in several townships,
the Democratic agitators have work
ed the farmer into very ugly mood ln
Hunterdon county the farmers have been
induced to hold indignation meetings and
denounce the law, and several candidates
In other counties who voted for il are now
threatened and are kept busy making ex-
plantations. The fact Of the matter is
that the free text book law Is not part
Vi tue township law, uut hu inucpCHucut
measure introduced and passed in con-
nection with the flag law, advocated by
the Junior Order OF American Mechanics.
State Superintendent Poland says he is
not surprised at the objections that are
made in rural communities against the
law for II certainly does set up new or
der OF things, but it is folly to attempt to
make it political scheme, because poll
tics was not considered. 1t would have
been as readily passed by Democratic
Legislature as by Republican. 1t is only
a step Decessitated by the general change
in school methods, and IL is only matter
of few years when all the States will
have adopted the township system. He
predicts that in anather year all that are
now complaining and denouncing the
law will be its most enthusiastic support
er in spite of the agitation OF the small
politicians. Gazette.