The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1907-01-11

ed to be demanded, every item of legis-
lation asked for by the Association has
proved its value by its practical opera
tion in other states in the union. In
stead of asking for the enactment of un-
tried theories into law, the Association
recommended the adoption by this
state of such features of the school leg
islation as have proved of value in other
states.
Before accusing the Association of
working on theories instead of facts, it
might be we'll to investigate the working,
of these proposed laws in other states.
Take for example the proposal to ap-
point the county superintendent by
county board. Such method is now
and has been in use for several years in
Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland,
North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Ten
nessss: No one can question the politi
cal activity in the state of Pennsylvania
yet Nathan Shaeffer, state superinten-
dent of that state, asserts that the oper-
alton of the law has put the Office upon
professional basis, entirely eliminating
the political element from the Office.
The state superintendents of other
states mentioned above testify to
the uniform success of the oper-
alton of similar laws in their states
These are facts not theories.
The facts are all against the present
system of choosing the county superin-
tendent in this state. It has proved un-
satisfactory wherever tried. 1t makes
the tenure of Office uncertain, it reqnires
the superintendent to neglect his work
to conduct two campaigns every two
years, the administration of his office to
political pressure at all times, it releases
the superintendent at time of year
when it is almost impossible to secure
an educational position and because of
the expense and annoyance connected
with election campaigns, it deters many
well equipped educators from entering
the work.
In spite of the fact that the present
system is unsatisfactory wherever it is
in operation and that the proposed sys-
tenn is marked success where it is in
use you stigmatize the resolutions as the
theoetical vagaries of an impractical
band of itinerants. I'VE believe that
the most absurd law ever recommended
1ov tho nd,,oo%or, ,f %b;e ekoA, :, -.
tue of Solomon compared with the law
requiring all public printing to be done
in this state,-passed through the news
paper infuence.)
The two acts that you selected as
hideous examples of the visionary ma
ture of the legislation already enacted
I, at the request of the Association do not
add much strength to your position.
Your criticism of the s45 minimum
wage law shows that you have not fa-
miliarized yourself with the: provisions
of the law as it does not fix any wage
for the "girl eighteen years old, who is
barely able to get a third-grade certifi-
cate," but applies only to teachers
holding second or higher grade of
certificate. You do not discuss the re-
suits of the operation of the law but
calmly pronounce it unconstitutional. A
similar law has been on the statute
books of Indina and several other states
for some years, and has stood the tests
of the courts. Again the act requiring
a teacher to have three years of exper-
ience in the state before he can be
eligible to the Office of county superin-
tendent in no way shows the visionary
character of the work of the Association
inasmuch as such an act was never ask
ed for by the Association nor is it ap-
proved by any considerable portion of
the teaching body of the state.
End. Your charge that the teachers
are itinerants does not apply to the
school men who framed the resolutions
you have criticised. The resolutions
were framed in accordance with recon-
mendations Of Supt. Stockwell by
committee headed by Supt. Schmidt of
jamestown and Prof. Jos. Kennedy of
the State University, all of whom have
been actively engaged in educational
work in this state for nearly twenty
years. Surely the recommendations of
such men are entitled to careful con-
sideration on their merits.
II we accept your dictum that the
things which ought to be,never will be
because they never have been, we must
turn our back on progress and, with,
our eyes glued on the past, degenerate
into mummified adherents Of Confucian-
ism. Respectfully,
F. N. SHERARTS.