The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-12-11
SUCCESSOR FOR
 LATE CHANCELLOR Samuel Whitman, lrq to Ell
 Nc6aSkiII'S Place PLANS TO AID SCHOOLS Superintendent of Education Powers is Touring the State in the ln-
 terest of Better Schools
 and Better Teachers.
 
PLANS TO AID SCHOOLS

Jackson, Miss December s10-(Special) Governor Noel has appointed Samuel Whitman, Jr., of Bay Springs, Jasper county, as chancellor of the Second dis trict to succeed the late James l.. Me GaslSill and he has already entered upon the discharge of his duties at Decatur, Newton county.
 It was thought from the first that the governor would appoint Mr. Whitman. He had already selected and commits stoned him as special chancellor to hold the Newton county court on account of the illness of Judge McCaskill, and be- ing very friendly, there was every req son to believe the governor would name him for the succession. Judge Whit man married Miss May Stanley at Lex ington, the home of the governor, in December, 1895, and they have eight chil- dreh, the youngest, born last January, being named Noel in honor of the gover- nor.
 Samuel Whitman. Jr., was born at En- terprise in 1S66 and is therefore 42 years of age. He graduated at the Southern university, Greensboro, Ala, in 1891, and afterwards read law under Judge Stone Deayours at Paulding, being admitted to the bar the following year. In 1907 he was elected to the state senate as the representative of the Third district prov ing a faithful and careful, member of that body.
 This appointment was made on Sunday morning, being a case of where the OK was in the ditch, and something had to ha passed away at his home in Brandon the night before, and there being a va cancy, it had to be filled, Mr. Whitman then holding a commission as special chancellor
 It is not generally known, but it is said to be a fact that Governor Noel offered the place to former State Sena- tor c. c. Dunn of Meridian, who was in Jackson Sunday morning, but MT. Dunn declined for the reason that the financial sacrifice would be more than he could afford to make.
 State Superintendent of Education Pow CTS has returned from a tour in Frank lin county in behalf of longer school terms better houses and more competent teachers. He found that county one of the very best in the state, from an edu- cationa standpoint, and speaks in the highest terms of the taxpayers and lead CTS in the school movement there. The tax rate in Franklin county is IS mills on the dollar, 2 mills of which is for school purposes, and the public schools of the county are operated eight months in the year.
 
 The schoolhouse at Centerville is one of the best in Mississippi, says Mr. Powers, costing about $l2,O0O, and is the pride of the little town.
 On December F MT. Powers goes to Ashland, Benton county, and on ,Decem- Der IS and 19 will be in Amte county.
 In the meantime, and between trips to the interior, the state superintendent is working on the apportionment for the dis tribution of the school fund in January the sum to be apportioned between the several counties being $SSS,333.
 President J. c. Hardy of the Agricul- tural and Mechanical college at Starkville has written to the newspapers of xlis sec ton of the state asking that prominence be given to the "Boll Weevil Special''t that is to leave Jackson next Monday morn- ing going south over the Illinois Cen tral, and during the balance of the week taking in every important town to the south and west of Jackson. This train is furnished free by the Illinois Central railroad, and will carry several of the most prominent boil weevil extermnation experts in the employ of the United States government, and who have seen great deal of hard service in Texas and Louisiana during the past several years. The special train will stop half hour or so at each station, and the experts will tell the farmers who are expected to be in attendance as to the best methods of battling with the pests, the crops to raise when to plant cotton, the variety, cultivation. etc President Hardy, Com missioner of Agriculture Blakeslee and other prominent Mississippians will also be on board the special train.
 Members of the Farmers union all over