The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1916-06-16
GOING BACKWARD.

GOlNG bAINWAngs
According to the Lewisburg Tribune
there was recently held largely at
tended mass meeting of the citizens O
Marshall county who nominated can
Glidate for the legislature and adopted
a platform which, if carried into effect
would turn back the wheels of prog
.ress in our neighboring county fol
several years. Among other things
the return of eighteen civil districts
and the increasing of the membership
of the county court from about dozen
to more than three times that mum
Der is demanded. Just why any coun
fty, especially one no larger or more
populous than Marshall, should want
"a county legislative body of thirty-five
spr forty members, would be exceed
ingly difficult to explain Maury coun-
gty has tried the smaller court and
sean testify that it's efficiency, its econ
,omy and its trustworthiness has in
creased just in proportion as its men,
abership has been decreased and the
size of the constituencies increased.
Even more surprising, coming from
"a county of the high order of average
intelligence possessed by the people
of Marshall county, is the demand for
the repeal of the county board of edu-
.cation plan and the return to the dis
ftrict director system. This conven-
rtion would substitute fifty-four direc-
tors for five members of the county
board. No proper school system can
ever be secured under the district
sdirector plan. 1t is as impossible as
1T is to mix oil and water. If the cit
dzens of Marshall county want to
destroy efficient, system and equality
in their schools they are on the right
track, but otherwise they had better
let the county board alone. The coun-
sty system makes 1t possible to equal
dze the school terms, as has been done
in Maury county Formerly the more
,sparsely settled and poorer sections
school, but the more densely populat-
eed and richer sections would have nine
months and then money to spare, This
ds no longer done.
Not satisfied with this blow at the
efficiency of the public schools the
Marshall county folk would still fur
rther cripple them by making no dis
ttinction between the elementary and
high schools or as they call them the
Z primary and secondary schools. Here
we would have confusion worse con-
founded Likewise the Marshall coun-
hy folks want their superintendent to
be elected by direct vote of the peo-
pie, purely political office. This
necessarily carries with it by infer
sence the demand for the repeal of the
law requiring county superintendent
to submit to an examination and
prove their qualifications. Then to
cap the climax the county superinten-
dent, according to the Marshall coun-
gty folks, must be the attendance Off
Ger of the schols Being elected by
popular vote, this means thrust at
the compulsory school law, for the SUI
Iperintendent who had to make cam
Ipaign before all the dear people every
two years would hardly risk his politi-
cal future by rigid enforcement of
the compulsory law.
1t is to be hoped that Marshall coun-
tians will reconsider and think better
upon these matters before they 60 too
fsE The Herald will be disappointed
In its neighbors II they elect candi'
date for the legislature pledged to :
these retrograde movements.