Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1909-10-21
COY. SWANSON
IN A FOG
makes Statements Which Facts aud Figures
Do HOt Vehb-BoId Attempt to MisIead
Voters Of State by Making Erroneous
Claims in Interest Of The Demo
cratic Machine.

ed praise from Democratic machine or
game. For the passing moment. the
speech would doubtless catch the ear:
but when put in'o 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
yesTs 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 a wretched condition, and the
great system of education on the verge
of breaking down.
How the Governor made such a blum
der as that contained in the foregoing
paragraph, perhaps he can explain.
Certainly no one else can make salts
factory explanation of so grave an err
ror. 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
eminent. 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, 2491
Number of pupils enrolled, los, 074
Number of pupils in attendance, 65,77l
Months taught, 538
State school funds for year, $2S6, 1854 90
Cost of system for year, $40, 1888 25
Debt to teachers at close of
year, 1914, 1l6. 80
Let the vigorous and repeated pro-
tests of the Democratic superintendent
explain why ''the great system of edu-
cation was OF the verge of breaking
down" under Democratic administra-
ton, as the foregoing figures show, In
his official repor he said:
THE exhibit for the past year il mel
anchOly enough-owing to the loss OF
funds. The annual and in
cre&sing diversion of the school funds is
so plain Il violation of the constitution
and law of the State, and SO destructive
of the school system, that deem it my
duty 10 ask the serious attention of the
legislature to it . iaasmuch as the
shrinkaGe will he continued in proper
tion 10 the loss Of revenue it may be
well 20 note the rate nf destruction as
it progresses. This damage
came ia various forms, but particularly
in the Increase ofindebtedness to teach
ers, which amounts to something like
$3.50, OOO."
in another report the superintendent
saii: The diversion of school funds
complained of in my last report has in
creased. Previously we had lost at the
rate II about $50. OOJ ann Ialiy, but last
year over $3.50 900 of school money was
used f'r other purposes, or ah"ut one
halt tn 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 so gloomy that there must
be an immediate and very large eurtail-
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, 000 children, who last year were in
echool, must this year be excluded from
the schools. - q" 1t would be within
the mark TO say that 1.-THE exclusion of
100, 600 children this year from the
schools, who have heretofore attended,
would occasion a loss to the State of
$1,000, 600 Invested in the education of
those children"
The superintendent also declared that,
'Last winter Qs7s) in a series of con-
stitutioual amendments, reported by the
committee, was embodied 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
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND SCHOOLS
81 Following the defeat OF the Demo-
cratic party, the Superintendent of Pub
lie Instruction, in his official report,
said: