The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-08-21

natural desire to do all within their power to
at ;uil speed ahead. 1t receives the support
also of those who. processing to love the people,
have such poor opinion OF them as to believe
that they will swallow any and all doses Of
hattery and will reward the fatterer with politi.
cal preferment
But II is not only the idealist and the demar
gogue who advocate popular elections Of super
intendents 1t is not only those WHO wish for
the establishment OF pure democracy In their
day and the suave individual DESTROYS OF rid
Ing to power what he mistakenly believes
to be popular policy. who favor this system.
There Is the man who, after giving thought
has come to the conclusion that the people are
better judges of the qualifications of candidates
for this Office than the State board OF education,
as now constituted, or than any other board,
however II may be constituted
1t is not with the ideaiist that one need argue,
for he deals not with facts and figures. Nor is
It the part OF wisdom to waste time with the
demaFogue. for he is actuated. not by reason, but
by seIishness. 1t Is with the honest belief that
the people can choose their superintendent bet
ter than any body OF men to whom authority
may be delegated that we must reason.
superintendent OF public instruction is, or
should be- a man of technical training. He
should be an educator of experience. preferably
teacher: he should be especially trained
In the science OF modern education; he should
be man with ideas and of observation The
average man does not know whether a candidate
for the position Of school superintendent Is quail
fed In this respect or not The average voter does
not know which OF those asking for the position OF
superintendent OF his county schools Is the best
man for the place. He himself knows compare
lively little Of the duties of the Office to be
filled and for that Is not best qualified
to select one TO fill II.
| It will be said that there other qualifica'
lions than those OF scientific training and theo-
retical knowledge. II will be said that a man
should be of high character, OF clean life. OF
honest desire for the public good and of some
Judgment and that the people capable of
Judging of these qualities in a man. 1t is true,
and 1t is this very truth which argues strongly
for the election of superintendent by board
or commission selected for that purpose by
the people. These qualities are necessary for
the making of the best superintendent. and the
people are Judges and the best Judges thereof
but the qualities are necessary to those
who constitute the board which selects super.
ntendents. The voters, possessing the ability
to Judge In these matters. should select. in the
way deemed best. the men possessing the ability
to Judge as to the other qualifications of super.
intendents The people are not best qualified to
chose superintendent, but they are good judges
of the qualities needed by those who can best Sc
lect them. The average knows little of the
conduct of schools, but schoomen do and can
therefore. make the better selection The aver
age does know however of the honesty
and disinterestedness of various candidates for
the school board. SO he should select the board
and the board the superintendent
The Viroinian believes in democracy and In
the rule of the people. 1t believes the ideal
democratic government Ia that government which
the people want rather than the government
some people think they should want For thi,
reason The ytrginian believes that II the people
OF Virginia wish to elect their superintendent
they should and will select them. but The Vir
gintan does not believe that such method woult
give us better superintendent. and sincerely
urges the people Of the State to give the mat
ter careful consideration before deciding tc
change the present system for one of election
by popular vote
/ The Vir0inian has devoted considerable space
to this subject here because the question has
been agitated in several quarters in the State
recently by the advocates of popular elections
of superintendents. They have spoken much Of
the right of the people to elect and have crit
cised some Of the selections made by the State
board Of education in effort to discredit the
present system OF election. Nowhere however
have they touched the bottom of the matter
which is the best way OF selecting the best
officials The Virgfnian has taken pains to point
out this fact and to differentiate between the
selection by the people OF those officials whose
qualifications for office are easily dlscernible
by the people and the selection OF those of whose
qualifications the people as a whole are not
| the best Judges