The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-07-18

her Of the State board of education.
and Of the action of the State board
Of education itself.
A fixed rule OF the superintendent
of public instruction. backed and sup
ported by the state board of educa-
ton, Is that every division supertn-
tondent of schools shall he required to
visit his schools regularly. You are
admittedly physical nable TO CO
ply with this requh * This alone
rendered your ell t.~-. impossible at
the hands of the b. Tic public
mind of his State is very each in
terested on the subject of prevent
ing the spread nf the dread disease OF
tuberculosis, and If you were able to
y sit your schools the board did not
think 1t right to expose the people,
the patrons. the teachers and the pu-
pills OF Amherst county to the posi-
hility Of contaHion from the visits Of
a superintendent suffering from tu-
~bcrculosis, This fact also, rendered
your election impossible at the hands
of h board. 1t was you misfor-
tune, and not my fault, or the fault
of the board, that you were o re-
elected.
AS to bringing the schools into poll
ties, ! do not care to do more than
TO deny most emphaticaliy that in
this case, or in any other case. /, as
Fl member OF the State board of edu-
cation, was actuated by political con-
s~iderations in selecting any school SUI
p~eriniendent, or in doing any other
act as a member Of the State board,
hut / always. acted. according. to. my
Lest judgment fer the best Interests
OF the schools; and in this come
ton ] beg 10 say that whilst a great
deal has been said about not bring
Ing the schools into politics, or poll
tics into the schools, yet 1t seems that
a great many of the disappointed as
pirants, and their friends. are very
willing tn rush into politics TO visit
their disappointment upon the only
member of the state board who is
now n candidate for reelection in the
State primary,
Your letter having been published
In the Richmond Times-Dispatch, /
am sending a cop OF this letter to
each Of the papers published in the
city of Richmond.
Hoping that / have fully answered
your Inquiries, / am,
Very truly yours.
SAMUEL w. WILLIAMS.
A Political Fight"
In giving OUT his original letter 10
the attorney general to a Richmond
paper, Mr. Fletcher accompanied 1t
with o further statement. the charges
OF playing politics" being embodied
in the following paragraphs;
THAT local politicians from many
counties brought all the pressure in
their Pc to bear on the board Of
education, all admit. That this pres
sure from some source was Sery po-
tent with a least one membe of the
board. many freely state. In Am
herst county it is fully believed that
the choise of a school Superintendent
was a political fight hat the
editor of the New Era. in "A recent
editorial gave the lineup" More
than two years ag5 notice was served
on the then superintendent of schools
that unless he supported MI. Bland
Massie against Mr.. Aubrey Strobe for
State senator, he would in all prob
ability not be reappointed. He be-
lieved that the school machinery
should not be used for political pur-
poses and acted in accordance with
his convictions, His prolonged i'll
ness furnished Mr.. Massie with a CON
venlent and effective weapon, and
would doubtless have left little room
for criticism had not MIR. Massie been
too eager. Two or three months be-
fore the time for the APPOINTMENT,
there were persistent rumors that the
attorney-general had promised the
State senator to vote for. the latter's
candidate for the school superinten-
dent of Amherst county.
las the date for the meeting Of
the State board of education APP
preached. those who have always ap-
peared to be able to forecast the
action of certain officials openly tated
how Judge Williams would vote. The
day prior to the appointment. n
gentleman came to me with the state
ment that he had talked with Judge
Williams, and assured him that his
support Of the State senator's candi-
date wonld not he popular in Am
herst, and that to this the attorney
general had replied, Why didn't you
boys tell me that n mont go?'"
Mr.. ~Blankenship Denies.
Publication by the opponents in
+Garnpr~f county -ef~Attarnay.Generai
Williams of a letter declaring that he