The progressive farmer and southern farm gazette. (Starkville, Miss.) 1910-1920, 1910-06-25
WHAT THE SOUTH CAN LEARN FROM NEW ENGLAND.
CT A rem CE POE.

where all the useful sciences should be
taught My proposition had, for further
object, to impart to these wards those por-
lions of sef-government for which they are
best qualified, by confdng to them the care
of their poor, their roads, police elections,
the nomination of jurors, administration of
justice in small cases, elementary exercises
of militia in short, to have them little re-
publics, with a warden at the head of each,
for all those concerns which, being under
their eye, they would better manage than
the larger republics of the county or State"
On another OCCASION Jefferson declared that
there were two measures which he proposed to
fight for as long he had breath in his body
general education to enable every man to judge
for himself what will secure and endanger his
freedom"-and secondly. this ward or township
method of government. These two measures he
regarded absolutely indispensable to the de-
velopment Of pure democracy In the South.
Largely because of the sparseness of population of
the Southern States, however and partly because
Of the aristocratic spirit which prevented the
slave-holding element from meeting the non-slave
holders equal terms, Jefferson's great idea has
never been worked out in the Cotton States And
without his scheme democratic government is
forever incomplete.
1t something of coincidence that went
almost directly from MOntlCeIlO, Wner0 visited
Jeferson's home. leaving with this thought of his
township government in my mind, on to Massa-
chusetts where found the system in practical op-
Grafton.
And this township system of government in
the last hundred years has only justified increas-
ingly the tribute paid it by Jefferson in 1916 when
he declared 1t to be "the wisest invention ever de-
vised by the wit Of for the perfect exercise of
self-government and for its preservation" In
the South have had, unfortunately, active
vital system OF government below the county
almost said below the State for the counties have
done little besides administer justice and collec
taxes. How much further advanced whole
Southland would be IL we had had township meet
ings at least year, gathering all the people
together to discuss roads and schools and taxes
and health matters and public Improvements, etc.
etc, and everything looking to public progress!
and the public welfare. This is what New Eng
land has done for generations, and her materia
progress is largely due to 1t; this is what thu
South has not done, and our backwardness is part
y due to our not having done It,
Once year there is the regular annual "towl
meeting in each rural township or civil distric
in Massachusetts: that is to say, all the voters o
the town civil district meet together and al
the business Of the township or district Is ar
ranged for. The township school committee Il
elected selectmen (whose duties for the town
ship correspond to those Of county commissioner
for the county, are chosen: they transact all tn
general legislative business fer the township
Assessors are named Certain other citizens ar
named as overseers Of the poor. Other men ar
named as road commissioners. Other men com
pose the board Of health. or the duties of thi
board may be left to the selectmen. Registrar
are elected by the same meeting Numerous 9th
smaller positions filled that some ma
OF the township is designated for nearly ever
public duty: for instance, man is named a
fence viewer" and instead of two farmers havin
an expensive lawsuit about line fence, thi