Omaha daily bee., 1899-05-03

eratlon Of such a system the board would
! be spared the now common spectacle OF raw
| members perpetrating absurd mistakes, ow-
ing to their ignorance OF the rules govern
ing the body to which they belong.
With the administration Of school affairs
by expert and responsible heads goes out the
personal politics which Is the bane and curse
Of he system etill operative, in greater or
lesser degree, in nearly all the large cities
Of America Such change means the con-
| fnement OF the deliberations of the board
to purely legislative work. The business Of
board OF education should be done on the
same system of direct centralized RESPONSE
! blity that obtains in the management OF
! banks, great Industrial organizations and
large private enterprises. These responsible
heads should be men who understand their
duties thoroughly, who know that they are
| to be judged by their records and held ac-
countabe for results.
The propriety OF this better method Of
management through expert and responsible
executive heads is so obvious that 1t would
probably be everywhere adopted but for
certain prejudices. According to Bacon every
tribe" has it's idol, and the tribe Of dem
ocrats is no exception to this rule. The
most besetting idol of democracy is the bug
aboo OF fearing to put too much power in
the hands OF one man, on the ground that he
is likely to abuse 1t. This policy has been
applied in the extreme to the affairs OF
public school management in this country,
and has worked many evils To all intents
and purposes this distrust of what is termed
"one- man power" has operated to strap
handicap and tether the educators holding
positions OF responsibility under the pre-
vailing public school system.
Its continuance means the planning for
Inv placs talpnt mr. Nvbo n
finds himself in an executive position, these
handicaps compel him to give low class
! service. On the other hand, the placing of
power equal to the contingent responsibility
in the hands of an expert opens wide the
door for the exercise of the highest tai
ents and therefore makes such positions at
tractive to those capable of administering
such responsibilities in the most acceptable
manner.
A Political Bogy.
The other bogy that is brought out when
ever the argument for responsible manage
ment Is advanced is that delegating so much
power as the new Chicago school measure
gives to the superintendent and the busi-
ness manager of the school Is undemocratic
and contrary to the spirit OF free insttu-
tions. In reply to this it need only be said
that the power exercised by these two
functionares of the school system Is the
peoples power and is exerted for the benefit
of the people. So long as this power is
used for the people the question Of the de-
mocracy of such a method is one with the
question of it's economy and effectiveness
To this some will make answer that, no
matter how beneficial and superior may be
the results secured by this Capitalization
the method is still undemocratic because the
people have not had finger in the pie. But
oous H.
sion that the line Of procedure which best
makes for the good of the whole people is
truly democratic. On this point it is well to
observe that in the problem of municpal
government in America democracy stands
discounted by the cities of the best countries
in the old world, where the doctrine of con-
centrated power and responsibility is made
more practical than here. All close
students of political conditions are agreed
that democracy has achieved its highest
expression in certain cities across the ocean
Where precisely the principles for which
am contending are made operative To in
sist that these are undemocratic is to give
the awful verdict that democracy Is a fail
ure
A very large body of profound thinkers.
not mainly socialists, believe that the state
should own and operate certain industries.
but their good common sense dictates that
there is nothing inconsistent with their
democracy In the idea of placing such in
dustries in the hands of centralized, re-
sponsible and expert administration The
democracy of these practical, earnest and
progressive students of affairs Is not to be
questioned, and not one of them would
favor state control and management of
single industry If the latter were to be
administered as the public schools of the
nit Of
Quoted for the past twenty five years.
Nebrnska's School Land Law.
Hon. ]. v. Wolfe, commissioner of public
lands and buildings, is distributing printed
copies of the Reynolds act passed by the
last legislature, relating to educational lands
in Nebraska The purposes for which these
lands were so generously donated by the
general government to the school children
OF the state are believed to be more eff
fectively safeguarded and promoted under
this act. Commissioner Wolfe says the old
law is repealed and the new takes its place
1t follows the general features of the old
law, omitting extraneous matter therein 1t
provides for leasing the Unbiased lands
Cabout 100000 acres) at what they are worth
to the lessee; that owners of sale contracts
may pay all or part of their principal and
at the same time settle the interest ac-
count on a basis fair alike to themselves
and the state; provides manner of listing
for taxation in the various counties all of
the educational lands which have been
decided and which may hereafter be decided
which will doubtless result in adding much
land to the tax lists which now escapes
on account of state deeds not being re-
corded; makes more certain the duties of
the commissioner of public lands and build
ings in regard to collecting payments OF
interest and rental within a reasonable time
and simplifies the disposition of improve
ments on forfeited land, which will aid in
more readily releasing such land and will
discourage the practice of allowing rental
to become delinquent; allows holders of ma
turing sale contracts more time on the
same-they may have ten years longer in
| which to pay out; gives the holders of lease
contracts who had expected at some time to
buy the land, but did not do so before the
same was withdrawn from sale, an oppor-
tunity, at the expiration OF said leases to
renew the same without competition, thus
| protecting them in whatever improvements
| have been may be made and keeping
| the patrimony of the school children in
vested in the best possible r1anner-in the