Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-02-19

people will be our stage censor ANY
other kind" it adds. would be hate
full to American instincts and Ameri-
can ideals
The Creston American says the pub
lie is at last awakening to the fact
that General Weaver is one of the
great men of this nation. He has
been reviled. maligned and abused by
| the faWning licksplittles of predatory
wealth for many years" the American
continues, but there is a national
awakening that Is causing the people
to estimate men more and more at
| their true worth"
School Legislation For the Farmers.
bill before the. Legislature of Iowa
which proposes a radical change in
our school system is now under con-
sideration by that body and should be
understood by those most Interested
before it is too late to encourage it if
desirable, or protest if Objectionable.
That the present school system is
faulty is admitted. that the proposed
questioned, and that it is not accept
Fable to the farmers-who alone would
be directly affected-will be demon
strated with emphasis If the sentiment
of this community is an index to that
of the state. the same afternoon the
first copy of the proposed law was re-
ceived here a protest was signed by
some 200 citizens
There is no other branch OF the
state government about which the peo-
pie are SO sensitive as that affecting
our public schools; we say our schools,
not state schools, and we want them to
remain our schools; we vote by smah
local districts, such tax as we think
best for UT: we engage such teacher
as we wish, and look after the school
with an intimate knowledge of the
needs, desires, even prejudices and
foibles of every patron. The proposed
change would revolutionize all this:
under it We would wpo longer levy the
tax we considered necessary to run
our school: the state would levy the
tax that would meet the judgment of
salaried officials; we would no longer
be able to change the boundaries of
our districts to suit those most inter-
ested: the state officials would district
as as their superior judgment saw
best; we would no longer select our
own teacher, the officials would gra-
ciously send us teachers without con-
sulting US, and those officials would
be so far removed from us that they
would have no occasion to fear the eff
feet of our occasional displeasure, or
even wrath.
The proposed change would abolish
our present school districts, directors
secretaries and treasurers would be
things OF the past and forgotten. our
young farmers would no longer be
schooled in parliamentary law and
methods Of transacting public business
in our district and board meets, we
would have no need for parliamentary
law outside Of the county seat and
larger towns and as to learning how to
transact public business, the officials
would take care of that. In the new
regime board of three serving would
regime board of three serving with
out pay would, under the guidance of
the county superintendent, levy our
taxes hire our teachers, regulate their
wages, arrange our school districts,
build our school houses and all we
would be expected to do about 1T would
be to pay such taxes as they would
levy and gratefully accept the gracious
favors from our superiors, who so
kindly provide for the needs of our
without even troubling us for
our advice or wishes about anything.
Such a system Is not new, it prevails
in every empire and
that has a school system, 1t
is suited to the monarcmal idea in
which all authority Is supposed to
come from the crown down to the peo-
pie. and where everything is to be re-
ceived as matter of grace from his
supreme majesty. Such a system may
be suited to Germany, but Iowa won't
have it; it may be ideally correct
like the laws of Scion, but 1t can only
fail because it fails to adapt itself to
the sentiments, training and prejudices
of the people Of this state VINO are
good citizens, but would not make sub
missive subjects. 1t savers of official
dom taking care Of its own; 1T would
greatly enlarge the influence of the
power. of the state and is
suitably arranged to become the main
wheel in a political machine that the
people would same day have to de-
stroy.
Why should county board of three
manage the schools Of the county with
out pay? Because qualified men could
not be found to accept such PROPOSE
ton, and puppets could be secured for
the apparent honor of it, and they
could only sanction whatever the sup
proposed, the superintend-
ent would be the most important dig
nitary in the county, and he would be
subject to the state board Of educa-
ton, so the machine would be COM
plete. j. S. SUMTER.
Booze and the Villages.