Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-11-25
Criticism of Civil Government
Text Book Used In Sioux
City Schools
ITS fAuLTINEss is ADMITTED
Superintendent Stevens States, How
ever, That He Has Asked Every In
structor In the Subject to Make
Such Corrections and Revislons AS
He Knows Should Be Made.
Special to Times-Republican.

Special to Times Republican
Sioux City, Nov. 25.-ln letter to
the Tribune. C. K. Williams calls at
tention to some fragrant errors in the
civil government text book used by
the public schools of Sioux City. Mr..
Williams communication, which he
entities, What Our Children Are
Learning" follows:
Editor Tribune: Aiding my daughter
in her lessons in civil government"
noted the following teachings from "a
Government Text Book for Iowa
Schools, by Jesse Macy. Revised Edi-
ton, 1897"
"In towns voters choose n recorder,
the assessor is q member Of the coun-
ell. The council elects a town treasur-
err. The mayor and recorder serve one
year."
"Cities of the first class elect on
(Sic) each alternate year civil engi-
neer. an auditor, and a superintendent
Of markets.
I'm incorporated cities and towns an
election is held on the first Monday in
March of each year for the choosing OF
officers of the corporation.
'In the larger cities the board Of
supervisors appoint Judges of election.
Cities containing population Of
80 1000 or more are required to estab-
fish board of public works"
Not one of the above statements, all
in one chapter, is true.
The following is from page 80:
at is now the law in all the states
that the conveyance of title to real
estate must be by writing, and deed
conveying a title to land is not COM
pleted until it is put upon public rec
ord
Not only is the above untrue, but 1t
never has been true, either in Iowa
or in any state whatever.
Whatever the following may mean Is
left to the teacher to explain to Il
year-old youngsters:
zone buying land of a person against
whom there are records Of obligation
in the court, may be compelled to sat
isfy the claims"
The following is pertinent TO q rec
ent discussion:
"who shall own and operate the wa
ter works, the gas and electric light
ing works and the street railways is
question of great Importance. These
are natural monopolies. That is, two
sets of these works are not likely to
operate at the same place at the same
time"
If civic government must be taught
-, ofc hn
wears obsolete or utterly untrue. Yours
etc, C. X Williams.
81 admit" said Superintendent w.
M. Stevens, when asked about the
matter, that the text book ON civil
government that we are using Is faul-
ty. / have found plenty of flaws in
1t. but you must not think we have
been unmindful Of them. l have TAX
en- great pains to speak of the short
comings of the work of Mr.. Macy on
Iowa civil government, and have asked
every instructor in the subject to make
such corrections and revisions as he
knows should be made.
However, / think Mr.. Williams
should have gone further into the mat
ter and not stopped with the mere
mention of the errors. For instance,
in the matter of the establishment Of a
board Of public works, there may be
established In cities Of 10000 inhabi-
tants a board Of public works. We
formerly had one here, but it is not
compulsory as the text book says,
admit.
"As to the legality of the conveyance
Of real estate titles, I suppose the
T. rryS{1 1oN{r
put upon a public record, but 1t Is GER
tainly protection to the purchaser or
prospective purchaser to have the
transfer made a public record, and I
would hardly consider a conveyance
not publicly recorded one to be relied
on.
II will take issue with Mr.. Williams
on the matter of records of obligation
The text is correctly quoted as saying
that person buying land from an
other may be compelled to satisfy
claims represented by records of obli-
CATION I have a fresh recollection of
paying more than $500 to satisfy an
old lien against piece of land bought
near Sioux City several years ago.
The purchaser could of course be pro-
tected against such defects in title, but
as the text says, the purchaser may
be compelled to satisfy these claims.
"There may be a few instructors
who are not we'll posted on civil gov
eminent, but almost without exception
they are thoroughly posted on the Iowa
code. and the amendments which the
general assemblies have adopted. I
think MI. Williams complains of wide
lv isolated cases.
'It may be that we will adopt an
outline study Of civil government
founded on the text, including all the
corrections and amendments which
have been made. We might discard
the present text, but the difficulty is in
finding one which would be any better.
1t is a big job to keep text books which
are at all times up-to-date and which
include all amendments. The outline
system of study has been considered,
and in some ways think it would be
lust as satisfactory as the text
A Sore Arm Graft.
Muscatine, Nov. 25.-With his arm
distorted from shape by the application