Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1910-07-28

his claim that the constitution provided
that three experienced educators from
certain State institutions were to be
made members of the State Board OF
Education, and that this provision slone
would take the public free schools out
of politics. He did not state, however,
that those three experienced educa-
tors were to be selected from a list of
eligibles, to be nominated by the re-
spective boards of visitors or trustees
of the University of Virginia, the Poly
technic Institute, the State Female
Normal School at Farmville, the School
for the Deaf and Dumb and Blind and
the College of William and Mary, and
to be elected by the State Senate. The
boards of all these institutions are fill
ed with partisan politicians, and it is
not likely that they would forget poll
tics in selecting the eligibles from their
respective institutions. Will Mr.. Stu
art deny that this is true?
The State Board of Education is in
vested with authority to divide the State
into appropriate school divisions, and to
appoint, for each of such divisions, one
superintendent of schools. subject to
confirmation by the State Senate.
Will Mr.. Stuart have the temerity to
say that the State Board of Education
and the State Senate have exercised
this authority in a non-partisan and
non-political manner? Is it not a fact
that all the superintendent of schools
who were appointed are Democrats and
as nearly as possible belong to the Ma
chine faction?
Does not MIR. Stuart recall the fact
that these superintendent were called
together at ~Farmville a few DAYS be-
fore the Democratic primary was held
last year and were sent back home full
OF zeal for the Machine candidates?
Does this look like the public free
schools have been taken out of partisan
politics?
That fractional politics have fig
ured in the adoption of books for the
public schools is also very much in evil
dence. We recall the fact that after
the first adoption Of books under the
new constitution, at the session of the
Legislature in 1906, a committee was
appointed by the General Assembly to
investigate the said adoption; and il
made report to the General Assembly
at the session of 1908, which report re-
Elected very severely upon the work OF
the State Board Of Education. It was
charged that the adoption had been
made SO carelessly that IN four years
the patrons of the free schools had been
robbed of two hundred and fifty thous-
and dollars by excessive prices charged
for books. The State Board that was
so severely criticised was composed
chiefly of anti-machine Democrats. and
the Legislative committee was made uu
of Machine Democrats, with Richard F.
Byrd as chairman.
There is strong belief in the public
mind that the school book question has
been made one of political jobbery.
The Democrats made it conspicuous in
their last primary and recent develop.
ments in the adoption of text books for
the schools have created q suspicion
that political pulls still figure in the
book matter. The following is taken
from the Richmond Journal of the 22nd
instant, and is very significant:
"After having adopted Walkers
Caesar" for the high school course at
the April meeting of the State Board of
Education, reconsidered at the June
meeting and placed Gunnison & Har-
ley's book in place of the Walker publ
cation, the State Board of Education
reconsidered again last night and split
the award, giving the Walker book to
the counties and the Gunnison & Harley
book for the cities.
The board directed that the cost
price of all books to be supplied to the
pupils in the public schools of the State
shall be stamped on the back of the
books before they are offered for sale.
I'm connection with the selection of
the Latin textbook for the high schools
Walkers was on the book list last year.
as was also the Gunnison & Haley book.
This latter book is published by Silver.
Burdette & Co., one of the biggest con-
Germs in the country. 1t is being whis-
Eok