The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1911-09-19
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 1911
In NEARLY every school in the State the

In NEARLY every school In the State the
pupils are given instruction upon loyalty
to their country and In the exercises there
is place where they salute the flag. In
Perth Amboy, recently two children re-
fused to pay their respects to the stars and
stripes, and said they acted under instruc-
tions from their father who is an English
man and who has never become natura-
liked citizen OF the United States. The
children were sent home and were told to
remain there until they could obey the
rules of the school. In this action the
Board OF Education was sustained by the
State Board of Education who decided
that II a school had adopted rules consist
ent with the laws of the State the pupils
must obey them. The father has carried
the matter to the British Consul and his
opinion is being waited for The question
opened Is one that Is being discussed quite
freely In many quarters but there appears
to be but one answer to the proposition
and that Is that If child Is being educated
by this State and Is being protected by the
flag that makes 1t possible for such free
education, the least that the beneficiary
can do Is to pay some respect to the en-
blem and to the rules of the school. OF
course the children cannot be blamed if
they are acting under the instructions of
their father, and he is the person who
should be given lesson that would instil
little common sense into his system.
--<
FIRST steps to consider the proposition
to reduce the number of members of the
Board of Freeholders have been taken and
the necessary petition has been filed with
the County Clerk, which ensures the mat
ter being placed upon the election tickets.
1t VIII then be up to the people to decide
what Is to be done. There was much
interest manifested In the subject when
petitions were presented and there was no
trouble to secure more than the number
of names required by law. Seven hun
dred would have been sufficient but over
q thousand were secured. More could
have been got had the petitions been cir
culated In every township. but that was
not considered necessary as 1t took time
and some little work to see the voters, so
the papers were sent to the larger town
ships where people could easily be seen.
From all sections is heard the opinion that
the time has come to make change In
our form OF county government. While
there are many who consider it an expert.
ment all seem agreed that the experiment
Is worth trial. On one point we do not
agree with those who enter that sort of
argument. 1t may be an experiment In
burlington county but the system has
proved beneficial In every other munich
pality where 1t has been instituted and
letters from the various counties now
operating under q smaller Board are
unanimous In saying that, under no con-
sideration. would the old system be re-
turned to. Essex and Mercer counties will
both put the proposition to their voters
In November. In Mercer county the petit
ton asking to have the question put upon
the tickets contained over two thousand
names. The only objection to having
smaller Board is that all townships will
not have representation. This is of small
moment when there Is a thorough sitting
of the objection. Take a township like
Florence. For years the people have been
trying to get good road from that place
to Bordentown, and If there ever was q
locality that needed good road that
particular section Is the place. A glance
at the abstract of ratables to taxation will
show what Florence is doing In the way
OF supporting the county, yet what does
the f'personal representation" amount to I
Florence has had good members of the
Board and they have diligently worked to
get the good road, but when the other
members from districts that.thought they
wanted roads more than Florence did, got
together they pulled enough strength to
set Florence aside and let them wait for
some other day. We believe that with
five good commissioners. business men
without desire to play for the influence
of any particular locality, would look at
things in different light from what they
have been, and fayoritism In many mat
tiers would be thing of the past. ITO wn-
ship representation" is good thing but
1t Is not worth a picayune when some
body has the power TO band majority of
body to go against the one locality
There cannot be any worse condition by
reducing the number of members Of the
Board of Freeholders and there is every
reason, taking the situation in other
counties into consideration. to think that
the change will be beneficial It is worth
trying.