Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1909-07-01
THURSDAY. JULY l. 1909.
AN UNHAPPY FAMILY.

Inc recent appointment of county and
city superintendent of schools has
raised an awful howl in the Democratic
camp. We told the anti-machine Demo
Gratis some months ago that no one but
machine supporter need apply for anv
OF these appointments, that partisan
machine politics was alive in the De
partment of Education, and that If
would burst into consuming FIRE who,
that body met to make appointments.
Protests have been pouring in from
every quarter over the arbitrary action
OF the Board of Education. The wishes
of the people of many of the counties
and cities as to who shall be their su-
perintendents have been ignored, and. in
a number of instances, entire strangers
to the people of counties and cities have
been appointed. Some of the Demo
cratic newspapers and thousands Of
Democrats assert that the Board has
defied the well settled doctrine of local
self-government; and, the Danville Reg
lister says:
1t was an inexphcable inconsistency
on the part of the Constitutional Con
Vention when it made the State Super-
htenoent elective by the people and yet
took away from the people the choice of
division or local superintendent. whose
work more intimately and CLOSELY af-
1ects the people. If the people are ca
paole of choosing the head of the de-
partment In the State, why are thew
not capable of choosing the subordi-
mates, the division superintendent? In
stead, they must have men foisted upon
them who they do not desire and who
may be entirely unfit
The Register then suggests that a
constitutional amendment "be offered
abolishing the State Beard or reducing
1t to three members elected by the peo-
pie and subject to them, but above all
taking from this small coterie COMPOSED
In large part Of doctrinaires not chosen
by the people the choice of division ST.
perinteudents and vesting that impor1ant
function in the people of each CITY and
county. The present system is utterly
at variance with the Democratic theory
OF local self-government and is destruc-
tive Of such government.
The same kind Of protests and com
plants are heard from all sections of
the State, from Richmond, from the
Valley of Virginia, from Tidewater.
from the Southside, from the Piedmont
Region, from the Fifth District. and
even from the Ninth District.
The State Board claims that in max
ing its appointments it was not infiu-
enced by partisan or machine politics.
out selected men because of their su-
perlor educational and moral qualifca-
tons This is a rather amusing expla-
nation of the arbitrary action of the
Board, and many intelligent citizens
know it is untrue. If that was the
spirit and intention of the Board of Ed
ucation, why did it reappoint as super
intendent for Scott county the notorious
and disreputable W. D. Smith? The
people OF Virginia read an account of
the conduct of this man Smith when he
was witness in the Rhea investigation;
and all the unbiased honest men who
sa" and heard him testify in that case
Kno" that ne left the stand disgraced
and discredited witness. Yet the Board
'f Education, under machine influence.
again puts this man in charge of the I
public schools of Scott county. i