The Saint Paul globe., 1905-04-06
A PARTIAL RELIEF

to relieve the educational interests of
the state from the surveillance of the
board Of control. They are to be al
lowed to manage their own affairs,
saving only in the construction of new
buildings, the purchase of fuel and the
ly business affairs, not related in any
way to the work of education, and may
very well be left to the supervision Of
state authorities. At the same time,
these expenditures should be made by
the board of control only under legisla-
tive requirement of absolute publicity
and on contracts let to the lowest
bidder.
Our only criticism upon the Perley
bill, which has passed both houses, has
been and is that its scope is too mar
row. The state university and the nor
NAL schools ought, indeed, to be freed
from the obnoxious fetters placed upon
them by men who were too anxious to
build up machine under the name of
the board OF control to care what in
jury it might involve. They have suf-
fered and now they are free. There are
other sufferers to whom no relief has
as yet come.
In certain respects it is even more
Objectionable to have the institutions
at Faribault subject in their internal
management to this fifth wheel called
the board Of control. Everybody knows
at least little about methods proper to
ordinary educational work, but only
the expert can understand the best
methods for aiding the development OF
the deaf and dumb, the blind and the
mentally defective. If it is injudicious
to keep the university and the normal
schools in leading strings to ignorance.
1t Is criminal to leave these other help
less creatures in similar plight.
We hope sincerely that both sound
public opinion and ordinary gratitude
will impel the friends of education in
this state at a laoer day to give to the
other public institutions the relief to
which they are fairly entitled. 1t should
have been granted at this time. There
is no reason in the world why the other
institutions should not have been in
cluded in this bill. Our hope is that
two years Of experience under the new
regime, with it's lessening of friction
and its increase of efficiency every
where, will fix in the public mind the
only functions proper for a board of
control. Our hope is that the alumni
and other friends of the university and
the graduates of the normal schools.
having secured the object dearest to
their hearts. will unite in a spirit of
fairness and of patriotic devotion to
the public interest to bestow upon the
other state institutions that measure
of self-government which they will
now enjoy.
None would object to the exercise by
the board of control of the same func-
tons with relation to all state institu-
tions that are retained for it in the
Perley bill. Let it be constituted the
state purchasing agent. Let 1t build
buildings, purchase supplies under
requisitions issued by local boards.
place insurance and discharge the de-
tails Of business management common
to all large concerns. Let 1t audit bills
and check up accounts. A central au-
thority for these purposes might well
advance economy and aid good man
agement. Beyond this it should not go.
The domestic affairs of each fnstitu-
ton should be absolutely under the
control Of Its head, aided and advised
by its own board of management SUI
pervised by the state. Regarded as
beginning. the Perley bill is a hopeful
augury for the ultimate retrieving of
the terrible blunder made when the
board of control was constituted with
universal improper and mischieyous
powers.