The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-11-16
WANTS SCHOOLS
OUT OF POLITICS
IS. Gordon Cumming Proposes
Amendment to State
onstitution.
ECHO OF RECENT, CAMPAIGN
Candidate Says Governor and
Acknowledgement Should Not
Be on Board.
ECHO OF RECENT, CAMPAIGN

| A proposed amendment 20 the Con-
stitution OF Virginia Is being drawn by
| g. Gordon Cumming, of Hampton, and
Will DO offered ut tho next session OF
/ the General Assembly, eliminating the
| Governor and tho Attorney General rs
cation. Mr.. Cumming was found In tho
Law Library of the Court OF Appeals
yesterday afternoon, deep IN constitu-
tional questions. Tho experience OF tho
recent campaign, In which he took part
| in a three-cornered fight with Attor-
| ney -General-elect John Garland Pollard
| and retiring Attorney @ General Samuel
| w. williams, Mr.. Cumming said. con-
WINGED him OF tho necessity Of tho
| change in order to separate tho public
| school system from politics. Tho prop
| osition for n constitutional amendment
| will be offered by one of Mr. Cumming s
| friends from tho eastern part of Vir-
| glnia as n substitute for tho PROPOSE
| ton of Delegate s. II. Love. of Lunen-
| burg for election of school superinten-
! dents By popular vote.
| People Believe Board Plays Politics.
| However high the motives OF tho
members OF tho state Board of Edu-
cation may be-" said Mr.. Cumming, ut
! cannot be denied that over consider
able part of the State there is belief
| that II has been playing politics in
the election of school superintendents.
| Whether that belief was we'll founded
| or not. IT cannot be denied that IL had
| . considerable effect in the state Dem
| ocratio primary, In which Judge VIII
liams was defeated for reelection By
| Mr.. Pollard. The fact that the Attor-
n
! the State Board of Education was mc1a
an Issue In tho campaign-in fact. Mr..
Pollard said in his opening statement
that his ambition to uerve the schools
OF the State was the determining factor
which put him in the race. The vote in
some counties distinctly showed the
effect OF the election or postponement
Of election OF school uperintendents.
No Place for Politicians.
The campaign convinced me tina,
political officers hav- no place on the
State Board of Education The people
elect tho Superintendent OF Public In
strUcton. who IS the expert school man
for the State, and tho presiding odicer
CT tho board Ny amendment VIII sim
ply serve TO eliminate the Governor and
Attorney General as e1-ofiicio mem
phases ana otherwise leaving the
board constituted as at present"
Tho amendment simply strikes on,
the words Governor" and Attorney
General from Section 1870 OF the State
Constitution, which reads:
The general supervision OF ths
school system shall be vested in &
state Board OF Education. composed O
the Governor. Attorney-Gcneral, Su.
perintendent OF Public Instruc ton ant
three experienced educators to be elect
cd quadrennially by tho Senate, from {
list or eligibles consisting Of one
from each OF the faculties, and nomi-
mated by the respective boards OF visi
tors or trustees Of the University OF
Virginia, tho Virginia Military Insti.
tute, the Virginia Polytechnic Insti.
tute. the State Female Normal Schoo
ut F'armville. tho School for the Deal
and Blind. and alao OF the College Of
William and Mary so long as the
State continue It's annual appropria
ton TO the last named institution The
board thus constituted shall select ant
associate with itself two division su.
perintendents Of schools, one from :
county and the other from n city, who
shall hold office for two years, ant
whose powers and duties shall be
identical with those OF other members
except that they shall not participate
In the appointment OF any public schoo
official
Place for Experienced School Men.
Mr.. Cumming Indicated that lie dit
not believe mere political popularity
in any particular county or city {
sufficient test Of the fitness OF mar
TO hold the Office OF school superin
tendent He would prefer that they
be selected by board made UP OF
educators and experienced school men
who were entirely apart from the pc
litical struggles or the day. Expert
ence had shown, he said. that having
half Of the number OF voting member:
on tho board made up ex-offlcio from
State officers who may be seeking
votes for future Offices does not Civ.
TO tho schools the complete separation
from politics that is Desired
When tho Issue OF membership or
the state Board OF Education wa.
raised during tho attorney general
ship campaign. Mr.. Cumming called at
tenti0n 20 the fact that he had laugh
school Tor years. and had served FOL
some time as principal of the Hainpto,
High School before taking up tho prac
tice OF law.