The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-09-05
NORMAL SCHOOL TRUSTEES.
Gov. Terrell Asked to Further Ex-
plain His First District Appoint

Gov. Terrell Asked to Further Ex-
plain His First District Appoint
ment.
Editor Morning News.-Will Gov.
Terrell rise up and explain to the peo-
pie of the First Congressional District
why, in his appointments of the Nor
NAL School trustees, he has seen fit to
ignore them by going outside of the
district and appointing a man who is
not now and has never been a resident
of the district, and who probably does
not know a dozen men it in?
The new law requires clearly that the
appointees shall be residents of the
districts which they represent. The
Governor is quoted as saying that he
did not know the appointee from the
First District was not a resident of the
district. This ignorance shows scant
care or consideration for our truly rep
reSentatiVe men. or for the welfare of
the important interests of our State
Normal School
The writer does not wish to call in
question the personality of the APP
pOintee, nor does he desire to critiCise
the judgment of the Governor in APP
pointing one so young and ineXper-
fenced, to direct such an important
public interest as that involved in the
management and policy of the State
Normal School The young gentleman
has been recently elected to the posi-
ton of assistant in the Savannah High
School. He will begin his work Oct. 8,
and doubtless he will succeed. These
are matters that need not now be con-
Sidered.
The Governor says he wished to put
one or two teachers on the board.
Then why go out of the district to get
teacher, when there are so many
good ones in it, and men, too, who
have long been identified with the best
educational work, not only of the dis
trict, but of the state? Savannah alone
has more men among her teachers
than all the other large cities of the
state combined. Many of these are
men of long experience, sound judg-
ment and safe counsel. and all of them
are residents of the district. Are all
of them incompetent?
What are we to think of such action
on the part of the Governor? 1t can
scarcely be interpreted as less than an
affront to the people of this part of
the stat Consciously or unconscious
ly, the Governors act Is aimed at the
civic pride of noble and public
cause of education has always been
foremost in the state. The Governors
appointment is contrary to both the
spirit and the letter of the law, and
hence illegal.
1t is not the desire of the writer at
this time to call in question the wis
dom or the propriety of any of the
other appointments on the Normal
School Commission, but to one who is
familiar with the educational and the
political factors in our state, to say
nothing of the earmarks of certain
well known forces in the book world,
the situation is well worth studying,
and ] will say watching-by the peo-
pie of Georgia.
Our people have always been fore
most in the educational welfare of the
state. We take great pride in our edu-
cational institutions. and we feel at
least that there might be found one
among US who would be a fit repre-
sentative on the Normal School Board.
This act of ignoring or sighting the
| representative rights of the people of
the First Congressional district
touches the civic pride of every citi-
zen in it, 1t cannot be allowed to
pass unnoticed, and, 1 will add, it will
not be forgotten. Citizen.