Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-02-10
IS ACANDIDATE
To SUCCEED
HIMSELF
GLENN ANNOUNCES THAT He DE-
sIREs TO BE. REELECTED AS
STATE SCHOOL CON-
MISSIONER.

state School Commissioner G. r. Glenn
announced himself Thursday a candidate
for reelection. The announcement OF
Mr.. Glenn is a very strong document and
goes into the details of the public school
system in such a way that many people
who are not acquainted with. the work.
ing of the school system can gather much
Information.
The following is the announcement Of
Mr.. Glenn:
ITO the People OF Georgiai
Through the kindness of your suffrage
expressed at the ballot box, / have been
twice called to administer the office OF
state school commissioner. I would be
recreant to the sentiment of gratitude did
not say that your repeated expressions
of confidence have been an incentive to
the faithful discharge of the important
duties involved in the administration or
the public school system of your state.
''Recognizing that a public office is a
public trust I have made annual reports
of my official acts to your chosen repre-
sentatives and endeavored to so execute
vour laws and administer the. AFFAIRS OF
the ofice as to merit their favor and your
approval.
lin again soliciting your support 1t VIII
not be amiss for me to hastily review
the history of your public school system,
SO that the principles of democratic gov
eminent. upon which your present system
Is based, may be more firmly implanted IN
the hearts and minds of the young man.
hood of our grand old state, Georgia, the
true empire state of the south IN educa-
tfonaI as we'll as material resources.
1.-THE state constitution of 1867, adopted
nv the Republican convention, provided
as folIows:
The general assembly shall have the
power to appropriate money for the pro-
motion of learning and science, and to pro-
vide for the education Of the people.
Under the provision of this constitu-
ton the Republican legislature OF 1870
passed an act authorizing the beginning OF
the nresent school systen. This act CEN
tralized in the state board of education
power to direct with absolute authority
the entire management OF the system.
Under this act the county authorities had
practically no voice in the control OF the
schools. In the matter Of text books, the
act provides; s.,,~
shall prescribe from time to time what
text books and books of reference SHAH
be used in the common schools or the
state
This provision was entirely in keeping
with the Republican theory and the gem
elal principles of Capitalization and pa
ternahsm that characterized the Repunh-
can party at that time.
en- 1872 the state passed from the con-
troll of the Republican party into the
hands of the Democratic party. ore OF
the first acts of the Democratic legisla-
ture was to repeal the Republican CEN
traIizing features of the public school sys-
tenn and substitute therefor the great JEFF
fersonian Democratic doctrine or nome
rule and enlightenment. The very nrst
section of the Democratic act reads as
THAT the word state In the FIRST and
fourth lines Of the fifth section OF said
act be stricken therefrom and the word
county substituted in place thereof.
(Act 1922
That is to say the authority the Repub-
leans vested in the state board Of edu-
cation was taken away from the state
board and vested in the county board
of education.
The incubus of Republican centraliza-
ton and paternallsm. bys this act OF
Democratic legislature having been re-
moved from your system Its control ana
management $50 far as the adoption OF
textbooks and local management was
concerned) was placed in the hands OF
five representative citizens In each coun-
ty chosen by twenty-three upright and in
telligent citizens thereof. Your public
school system took on a new growth and
has continued to grow, as II ever VIII
under. the fostering care of home rule and
state pride.
Repeated efforts have been made I'M
der the guise of uniformity of textbooks
to wrest from the people of each county
the control of their local school affairs.
But your Democratic legislatures have
been true to the Democratic theory en-
trusted to them by such statesmen as
Senator A. o. Bacon, Rev. w. d. An
derson, Hon. ]. II. McWhorter, Judge w.
NJ. Reese. Judge James r. Brown, Hon.
Milton Gambler, Hon.. NJ. V. Estes, Judge
George Hillyer, Hon. Columbus Heard,
Judge C. c. Kibbe. Congressman X. T.
Lester. Chief Justice I. J.. Simmons, Hon.
w. p. Mathews Hon. joseph B. Cum
ming and many others of equal distinc-
ton. These gentlemen were members OF
the legislature Of 1872. Every effort to
induce the Georgia legislature to adopt
the old Republican theory has been signal
ly defeated. At the session of the legis-
lature of 1901 efforts were renewed to en-
graft the Republican doctrine on the
school law The bill embodying the
scheme was killed in the committee on
education by a decisive vote of twenty-five
to five
"Georgians, / would not be true to you
nor just to myself did not declare my
conviction that my persistent efforts to
faithfully execute this democratic trust
of local control in school affairs and pre-
my successor have provoked nine-tenths
Of any adverse criticism that may have
been uttered against my administration.
1.-THE democratic school system began
under Dr. Orr with an enrolment Of
1851 At the close of his administration
in 1885 the enrolment was 309 594. Judge
Hook followed DR.. Orr. and at the close
of his administration the school enroll
ment was 342, 496. Captain Bradwell follow
ed Judge Hook, and at the close Of his
administration the school enrolment was
1851. The last official figures of my adj
ministration are for 1900 when the school
enrolment was 4292 75. The school popula-
ton the first year of DIR. Orr's adminlstra-
ton was $3.50, 1888. The school population for
1895 was $50 $40. The school fund at the
beginning of DIR. Orr's administration was
$3.50, 900. At the close of his administration
1t was sS12.292 At the close of Judge
Hooks administration 1t was $6SS,656 At
the close of Captain Bradwelfs admins
ation il was S937, ST.. The school fund for
the present year is 81, 53S, $50. These statisti-
cal figures show how the school system
has steadily grown under the democratic
administration of the Jeffersonian theory.
1.-The school commissioner can make no
laws. He can only enforce such laws as
are passed by the general assembly. He
can spend only such money as the general
assembly provides for the maintenance of
the school. For the last seven years have
endeavored to honestly, intelligently and
fearlessly carry out the Jaw. The record l
have made in executing the law is the
only platform l can have. The success or
the failure of the general system cannot
be ascribed to any one man.