Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1909-10-14
COY. SWANSON
IN A FOG.
Makes Statements Which Facts and Figures
Do Not Yerify-BOld Attempt to MisIead
Voters of State by Making Erroneous
Claims in Interest of The Demo-
cratic Machine.

CldllC Mdenlne,
AS a matter of course, Governor
SwaDson's speech has received unstint-
ed praise from Democratic machine or
gans. For the passing moment, the
speech would doubtless catch the ear;
but when put into cold type, and strip
ped Of its fertility in mere assertion.
the weakness of his cause stands out in
bold relief.
The Governors recital of conditions
existing when the Democratic party
came back into power some twenty-five
years ago was no doubt applauded by
his auditors, especially by the young
men who know little or nothing of the
events of that period; but, unfortunate
ly for the Governor, his catchy asser-
tons do not accord with the records of
authentic history. For example, he
said:
In 1884 when the Democratic party
took control of the schools of Virginia.
education was in a wretched condition;
the school funds were in arrears; the
terms were short; the teachers had to
discount their warrants in order to OBJ
tain their salaries; the school houses
were in wretched condition, and the
great system of education on the verge
of breaking down."
How the Governor made such blum
der as that contained in the foregoing
paragraph, perhaps he can explain.
Certainly no one else can make q salts
factory explanation Of so grave an err
TOR. AS the conditions described actual
ly prevailed under Democratic admins
trations, it is possible that the Cover
nor made an error in his dates. His
sketch is, however, wholly inadequate
to depict conditions existing under Dem
ocratic administrations Immediately pre-
ceding the Readjuster-R Republican gov
ernment. Let the figures from the re-
port of the Democratic superintendent
of public instruction, DR.. Ruffner, for
the year 1879, tell the sad story, in part
at least, of the Democratic party's hos
tility to the schools:
Number of schools in operation, 249l
Number of pupils enrolled, 10S, ,O74
Number of pupils in attendance, 65, III
Months taught, 5 SO
State school funds for year, 1886, ,264. 90
Cost of system for year, $40, ,38S 25
Debt to teachers at close of
year, 194, 62
Let the vigorous and repeated pro-
tests of the Democratic superintendent
explain why ''the great system of edu-
cation was on the verge of breaking
down" under Democratic administra-
ton, as the foregoing figures show. In
his official reports he said:
''The exhibit for the past year is mel
ancholy enough-owing to the loss of
funds. The annual and in
creasing diversion of the school funds is
30 plain violation of the constitution
and law of the State, and so destructive
of the school system, that deem it my
duty to ask the serious attention of the
legislature to it . inasmuch as the
shrinkage will be continued in proper
ton to the loss of revenue it may be
well to note the rate Of destruction as
it progresses. This damage
In the increase of Indebtedness to teach
ers, which amounts to something like
$3.50, ,000."
In another report the superintendent
said: ''The diversion of school funds
complained Of in my last report has in
creased. Previously we had lost at the
rate of about $50, 900 annually, but last
year over $3.50, go of school money was
used for other purposes, or about one
half the proceeds Of taxation for school
purposes. The result, of course, is a
breaking down Of the usefulness of the
school system. The financial
prospect is 80 gloomy that there must
be an immediate and very large curtail-
ment in our school operations. We have
no right to expect that more than one
half as many schools will be opened this
year as last, and if so, something like
100, 900 children, who last year were in
school, must this year be excluded from
the schools. ''' It would be within
the mark to say that ''the exclusion of
100000 children this year from the
schools, who have heretofore attended,
would occasion Q loss to the State Of
81, ,000, 600 invested in the education OF
those children"
The superintendent also declared that,
Last winter (l87S) in a series of con-
stitutional amendments, reported by the
committee, was embodied a scheme for
destroying our present school system,
and substituting for it county system
which might amount to nothing"
So much for the Democratic guardian
ship Of the school system at the most
critical period in its history!
READJUsTER-REPUBIIc AND SCHOOLS
Following the defeat Of the Demo