The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-07-07

supervision of our rural schools should require So much argument.
 If skilled direction in our educational system was an utter innovation, if effi- cient county supervision had not been successfully accomplished in many other states, as I have shown, one would be better able to understand the indifference of some and the opposition of others to the admirable bill providing such and now pending In each branch of the legsla- ture.
 But this Is neither an innovation or an experiment. For many years, as your State Superintendent of Education H. C. Gunnels has repeatedly asserted, the city schools of Alabama have been progress ing under the leadership of trained school men and are practical object lessons of the results, good or evil, of professional supervision.
 While similar oversight of county schools has been so successfully accom- plished elsewhere that 1t can be consid- cred no longer an experiment, but a pre- cedent which we would be wise to follow.
 Many, however, while agreeing that qualifications for county superintendents are necessary, oppose the other features of the bill.
 The argument is frequently made that it's "appointiVe" feature Is objectionable; that the people are thereby robbed of the right to select county superntendents and that in place of removing the office from politics 1t will involve 1t even more deeply
 We reply that selection by the people has been given a fair and adequate trial. County superintendents have been thus chosen for many years and the results are written plain and clear for all who will to read. Had this same right been exercised wisely and well there would be no need for the passage of this or any other supervision measure. It has been tried and found lacking. Now what?
 Furthermore. it Is rather a dangerous experiment to leave the direction of any business which requires skill and training to supervise to popular vote, for the pub lie is rarely informed as to the skill requisite and usually not in a position to acquire such indispensable knowledge.
 You have wisely safe-guarded the health of your state in a similar manner.
 The health of the counties and the state of Alabama is now In the sole charge of the state and county medical boards and the members of every one of them are physicians. Neither is your state health officer or are your county health officers elected by the people, yet we have heard no vehement protest in regard to ''class legislation" or "robbing the people of their rights in this connection. why such an outcry over the one and no ques tion over the other?
 And that an "appointive' office will convert our educational system into po- litieal machine seems a fear hardly jus tified.
 Careful and painstaking inquiry of the dozen other states whose laws have a similar provision have revealed in no one of them any approach to a political or ganization.
 On the contrary their people are so fully convinced of the wisdom of this feature of their supervision laws that they strenu- ously resent any suggestion regarding it's change or elimination, asserting that they have thereby been removed from the de- moralizing influence of politics. Should not practical experience be safer guide than prophecy?
 Again 'tis rather a political error is ii not. to allow the selection of a man upon the sole test of efficiency? To en- able a county board to appoint man of ability outside of their county If they deem 1t wise. who has neither votes nor influence to repay such election? Or to put 1t concisely, to allow the office to seek the man, not as now, the man the of- fee?
 While a by no means slight argument in it's favor is that the office of county superintendent, if appointive, would be accepted by men of attainments who have neither time nor inclination to enter the scramble of politics to secure 1t. Concident with the objections already presented is an apparent misunderstand- ing of the purpose of supervision. To many the Idea of supervision con-