New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-12-19
rur WRONG WAY TO UNITY.

Tho Commission appointed 10 devise pan
&c un,fv,ne the present dual system OF puuh.
schoo, administration in this state mas repoi .Vu
q scbore TO which the Governor has gwen lis
,n,,ediote approval. II is to be hoped 'h"t 'iio
Ion,,,o+,,ro IN which the scheme will ultlihatei!
- a,,,,r,itted IN the form Of bill. will be more
cautious and deliberate.
Tho Commission has made one excellent sue-
restion, namely, that the Department "a u'no
instruction and the State University should oe
consolidated into Department Oh
With the University as It's legislative head ana le
Chancellor of the University as It's executive
subsidiary provision creating various bureaus
Of administration is perhaps. In the nn"in nV
omen 10 serious objection, though "'u'u
bovo been better to leave all such detiills u NC
gradually worked out and applied ny the pou'
cborced with the management OF the euuc"
+,onal establishment. IT, for example mat WISE
rostroint Ind been exercised by the COMMISSION
nobody else would probably nave .housH' -
,o,,,no . "Rureou of Law" to undertake nj
largo cost the work which has heretofore oeen
efficiently done for almost nothing
Rnt ~ the Commission has made some com
mendahle suggestions there is one feature VI i''
scheme which threatens to do more harli' 'i''n
the existing system, imperfect as IL Is HIS ",
done or is ever likely to do 10 keep 'he S'"o0''
ont of politics has been universally deciareu :"
lie the one essential thing. Everybody VINO las
Ind ANYTHING TO say on the subject mas pr"
fessed adherence to that principle. Inc Coin-
mission was appointed more for the sake OF set
ting that principle firmly embodied IN III" 'nan
for snv other reason, and to all appearance 1t
fully acknowledged the obligation Yet tiie
nlain fact IS that the Commission has repor'eu
In favor Of stufiing the administration OF the
SCHOOLS full OF politics. Not In terms or course
but in reality, If experience goes for ahythihg'
Il is not known, and certainly should not De as
srmed that the Commission was geared IN al
vance 70 turn out piece Of work which In us
most important part should differ radically from
rho nsttern which X was expected to follow, but
that Is precisely what it has done, In total dis
regard of virtually all the advice which 1t has
received by solicitation or otherwise. Ihis II
has done by recommending that the Chancellor,
tho nroposed executive head OF the whole school
system. with an eight years term, should be APP
no;nted IN the first instance by the Governor
and confirmed by the Senate. Thereafter ac-
cordlnC 10 the original scheme, he would be
chosen by the Regents; but Is there any good
reason for supposing that the original schelne
would last eight years? 1t is far easier TO be-
stow authority than TO recover IT. and II the
mower 10 appoint the Chancellor, with the con-
sent of the Senate were given to the Governor
at the outset It Is pretty safe TO assume that the
politicians would never let 1t be put beyond their
reach In all probability the office would become
forthwith a political implement and there Is
still less doubt that, having had that character
impaired TO 1t in the beginning, 1t would retain
the same indefinitely.
Let 1t be granted that Governor Roosevelt
would earnestly desire TO secure for Chancellor
the best equipped man in the country. What
guarantee is there that the Senate would let
him have his wayl Consider the present situa-
ton. He wants to appoint new Superin-
tendent Of the Insurance Department, but,
though the courage OF those on the one hand
who hate the Governor and Of those on the other
hand who are beginning to suspect that they
will hate him before long seems to be oozing
away it is still very doubtful II he will succeed
In persua1ing an extremely slender and pre-
carious majority OF Senators 10 confirm any
wholly desirable man as Mr.. Payn's successor
Truly this Is a queer time tn select for giving
the control OF the educational establishment TO
the Governor and Senate az a means OF keeping
II out of politics.
If the Legislature, with somewhat unexpected
wisdom and public spirit, should see fit to unity
the schools by making the University the head
of consolidated educational system, and the
Chancellor, appointed by the Regents, its ad
minstrator all would be accomplished that the
circumstances demand. If it should simply
empower the Regents to appoint the Superin
tendent OF Public Instruction, and let every
thing else alone, 1t would meet the chief re
Qurement Of the situation in n fairly satisfac
tory manner. If 1t is unwilling to do that, the
next best thing is TO hold on to the appointment
itself and leave things as they are. Even that
is better than making the SUPPLEMENTARY OF
Schools the subject of negotiation with the
machine and dependent on mutually satisfac
tory arrangements between the Senate, the Gov
ernor and the machine, as the Superintendency
/ If ic