Albuquerque morning journal., 1907-03-16
Measure Carries Strong Edu-
CationaI Qualification fot
County School Superintend-
entS Obtained After Hot Fight
DISTINCT VICTORY FOR
NEW MEXICO EDUCATORS
Bill ReviSeS the School Laws
and Regulates Entire Public
School System - Believed
That Council Will Concur,
The Morning Journal Bureau.
Santa Fe. y. NJ, March Is, /.


Santa Fe, n. NJ, March 10,
The house today. after hot de-
hoto on sa,,a,.,I % e.. nro,,i,iors
passed the general educalloll OIL
drawn by the educators of New Mex
leo, and especially by Hon. Hiram
Hadley, former superintendent of pub
lie instruction, with the assistance and
advice of Mr. Clark. the present SUI
rerintendent, the members of the ter
ritorial board of education and MEM
bers of the council and educational
association of the territory.
The bill passed by the house Is not
the original bill drawn by the educa-
tors, several of the sections having
been amended and changed but aside
from the provision providing for the
appointment of county school superiu-
tendentS, 1t is practically the same
measure and is strong bill, revising
the educational laws of the territory
remodeling and modernizing the edu-
cational system, and being i'm general
la long step forward in the territory's
educational work.
And even upon the provision con-
cerning the county school superinten-
dents distinct gain has been made
fmeuces brought to bear against the
appointment of the superintendents
made it impossible to get that pfovis-
ion through the house, the bill passed
with strong educational qualifica-
ton fer county school superinteudentS
which will immeasureably raise The
Gtandard of that office in the territory.
This qualification provides, briefly,
that county school superintendent
10 be eligible, must be of good moral
character; that he must be the holder
OF an uneXpired first grade certificate
emitting hi INTO teach in the territory
of New Mexico. and that he must have
had actual experience in teaching un-
der such certificate In case there is
no such person eligible in the county
the county commissioners are author
lied to fill vacancies. The bill fixes
the salary of the county supernten-
dent at from $500 in first class
counties down to $500 in the smaller
and more thinly populated counties.
Generally the bill revises the school
laws and remodes and mOdernizes
the general educational system of the
territory. 1t has been carefully
drawn. and. if concurred in by the
council II is believed that 1t is a meas
ure which will prove of enormous
benefit to this territory.
The educational qualification was
not secured in the bill until after Il
bitter fight, led i'm behalf of the OPP
position by Mr. Biernbaum, and In be-
half of the qualification by Mr.. Alb
bott of Santa Fe. Mr.. Abbott has stood
from the beginning of the session Tor
this bill as drawn by the educators OF
the territory. He has introduced pc
tition after petition in its behalf ann
has made strong and able hgnt 10
secure a good school law. His defense
of the educational qualification today
was strong and sensible, Mr.. Biern-
baum moved to amend the biz When
the section relating to the superih"
tendents was reached, by striking out
the educational qualification. Mr..
Biernbaum opposed the educational
qualification, or qualification OF any
kind. He said that II the people
wanted to elect burro. or words to
that effect, that it was the peoples
business, and that the legislature had
no business doing anything about 1t.
This was the tone of his argument
throughout although he endeavored
to make it on the ground of home
rule. Mr.. Abbott opposed the amend
ment, saying that 1t would merely
make a political jackpot out of the ed
ucational system. To adopt the
amendment, he said. would throw the
schools even more directly and deeply
into politics than they are at present,
Mr.. Hudspeth said that If the amend
ment was adopted, the rest of the bill
a.