The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1898-10-19

been, as an inevitable consequence,
chaos in the administration of this, the
most important department Of State
affairs, and there would have been a
frittering away, in endless change, of
the immense expenditure Of money for
public education.
Happily for the State, large major
ity of the members Of previous Legis-
latures has taken the right view of this
matter; the clamor Of rival aspirants to
the Office of superintent of education
has gone unheeded, and the welfare of
the State, in the matter which lies at
the very foundation of successful gov
eminent by the people, has been wisely
safeguarded. No doubt the present
Legislature will follow the good ex-
ample of its predecessors in this case,
as well as in all others that will claim
its attention.
The chief judge of the Supreme
Court, and the assistant judges, for rea-
sons it is wholly unnecessary to state or
elaborate, are successfully reelected to
the judicial office. Public or individual
or partizan clamor has not often availed
to effect change in the membership
of the bench. Every interest of the
people, the cause of enduring justice
itself, is opposed to frequent change in
the administrators of the law. So in
many States the judges are chosen for
life, or during good behavior, or for
long fixed terms of Office; or, as is the
case in Vermont, where the system of
periodic elections has been adopted,
the wisdom of permanence in tenure of
the Office of judge is recognized, and
secured by successive reflections. The
General Assembly will to morrow, like
its predecessors, recognize the force of
the considerations that make for wise
permanency in the tenure of non.
political offices by again re-electing
the present judges of the Supreme
bench.
The Office of superintendent of edu-
cation, like the office of judge, is non
political and non-partizan office. The
main question, in connection with the
choice of this officer should be, Is he
competent to perform the duties of the
office? And when that question has
been decided in favor of one man,
when the time of election comes round
again the main consideration should
be, Has the incumbent performed his
duties faithfully and with reasonable
efficiency? If he has, he is entitled to
a reelection, provided he will continue
to serve the State. The question, uD-
der these circumstances, is not whether
some other person may be equally COM
petent. There are many lawyers in
the State who would make entirely
competent judges, possibly more COM
petent than those now on the bench; but
the Legislature will not on this account
change the membership of the Supreme
Court. Experience, as we'll as abil.
tiles, counts for much. So it has been,
and ought still to be, in the case of the
chief educational officer of the State
Very likely there are others who are
equally, and possibly better, qualified
for the chief supervision of the public
school affairs of the State than the
present incumbent of that office, but
he has indicated the wisdom of his Sc
lection originally, and has administer.
ed the school laws, discharged all the
duties and performed all the work di
rectly or indirectly attached to the Of
fee, with increasing efficiency, with
untiring zeal and industry, and by ev.
cry principle of right and justice, by
every precept that controls in general
business affairs, and which wise men
practice in the management of their
business concerns, Mr.. Stone is entitled
to a reelection; and the State of Yer.
mont, having a wise regard for its own
vital interest in efficient school admin.
istration, ought to re-elect him to the
Office of superintendent of education.
The State has given Mr.. Stone six
years tuition in the Office he has held
Does the Legislature now propose tc
turn him out, to begin all over again
to throw away this mans acquired ex
perience which has cost 80 much, and
begin on breaking in new superinten
dent? Or will it practice the same
wise policy it has adopted and adhered
to in keeping on the Supreme Cour1
bench men originally selected for theil
fitness for the Office of judge, and con
tinued from term to term in the service
of the State by reason of the incremen
Of ability and usefulness derived from
experienced There is as strong reason
in the one case as in the other for