The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1897-03-12
AN OPEN LETTER.
SHALL MEN BE ELECTED TO OF
FICE WHO PROPOSE TO NEG
LECT THEIR DUTIES?
An Invited Criticism of the Circular
which Candidate Mcbride is cir
culating.

Corunna, March o, 81.
Mr.. JAS. n. MCBRIDE,
Dear Sir The following letter from
you Will explain what ! have written
below:
My DEAI SHELDON:
l send you the enclosure which rep
resents my candid convictions. Others
may differ from me. but there may be
an honest opinion on both sides. If
you can see your way clear, any COM
ment, either direct or by publication is
invited. The public good is all | care
for, and it seems at present to cut down
office expenses. Very Truly,
j. n. MCBRDE.
shall soon give up school work in
thiscounty aud my only interest in the
MA ssfs lis thai of a small taxpayer;
Thus ] can sympathize with your eX-
pressed desire to keep down taxes. In
the past, too, have believed i'll econo-
my and honesty in office. These say
ings, however, are truisms. The ''en-
closure which you ask me to discuss,
seems to be a campaign document SET
ting forth the reasons why the voter
should put an (X) opposite the name VI
Jas. n. Mcbride for school commission
er." If ! understand you, your reasons
are two. each based upon the suppos-
tiOn that the commissioner law is use
less burden to the taxpayers of the
county. You say, first, that your elec-
tion bya decided vote will practically
decide whether the legislature will en-
act Il law taking away all Importance
! from the Office of commissioner: second.
that. if the legislature does not pass
such bill you will in some way re-
fund to the county part OF what you re-
ceive in salary.
Men may differ as TO the best school
system Perhaps our present law is not
the best. If you want my opinion |
think it is the best the state has thus
far had Nor can understand how any
person who has for two years conscien-
tously done the work of the office, can
assert that there is no chance to do
good. 1t seems to me that if a com
missioner gives his whole time to the
work and tries to do his duty without
fear or favor, good must result. A
farmer does not set his men to work in
the field and leave them without super
vision. | know of no successful Dusi-
ness that is carried on without super
vision. The policy that you seem to
favor is new departure in the history
of Michigan. We have never had a
system since Michigan had free schools
that omitted supervision. To put the
teachers in schools without arranging
for supervision would, in my opinion,
be in many districts as bad as to close
the school houses: and to wait until
there was trouble in the district before
calling in the commissioner would be to
wait until the time OF usefulness was
past. The commissioners work is not
that of settling neighborhood disputes
o. deciding between teachers and dis
satisfied patrons. His work must begin
before this stage is reached. lie must
advise inexperienced teachers and en-
courage them; he must give indolent
teachers to understand that the school
fund is not paid out as public charity
and that incapacity will not he tolerat'
ed i; finally, he must, when necessary
use his authority to prevent weak and
incompetent teachers from continuing
in the profession. If he follows this