The Cordele dispatch. (Cordele, Ga.) 19??-1971, 1917-08-12
LET PEOPLE ELECT.

less newspaper. IL IheWlSe WISHES
just as heartily not to assume any pc.
sition that will engender strife in the
community. AS long as our differ
ence in public policy can be handled
as friend would deal with friend, it
may be possible to accomplish some
thing by dealing with such public af-
fairs openly and in such way as the
public may see what is going on.
Let's get one or two little things
right in our minds and in the record
before we pass on to other things. 1t
was claimed that Representative Dor
ris refused to introduce bill to abol-
ish the present school board. That
isn't correct. He agreed to introduce
just that bill and took it with the
straight promise to do that very
thing. He had said to number of his
friends early in the summer before
the legislature went into session that
if they showed him the community
wanted to elect the school board by
vote of the people. he would secure
the passage of a measure looking to
that end. He said he favored the prin-
ciple. His friends showed him, all
right. More than four hundred and
forty of the citizens of Cordele asked
him to do it.
Following Representative Doris
promise to introduce the bill which
provided for abolishing the present
board and the election by the people
Of another, his friends hit on the plan
simply to elect four additional mem
bers and let the board remain as it
is This would eliminate all possible
personalities and at the some time
permit the people to control the policy
of our schools. But there was great
CONSERVATION back at home when the
camp of the enemy got word from At
lHnta that four hundred and more citi.
1ens of Cordele were about to get this
Change. They got an idea that if
the people were ever permitted to
eject four more school board mem
bers, they would lose control. What
excitement that thing created! There
were no Neros fiddling while the citv
burned. Every man was at his post
armed to the teeth to defeat this thing
They gave the signal and the clan rode
day and night. The average citizen
pursuing the even tenor of his occu.
patton was astounded at the pressure
brought to bear.
And poor old Doris! They simply
scared him to DEATH He believes now
his promise to permit the people TO
elect that school board was the poIici.
cal mistake of his life. He wanted
the school board elected by the peo.
pie at first. That was his individual
preference. But now,-well, the thing
is simply awful. It's next to nervous
prostration!
whenever we can, the Dispatch is
going to put in word for electing the
school board by the people. That's
better than playing politics with the
board membership in city council
That's better than putting the schools
always in the hands of the faction
that is in control of municipal nolitics
Our schools ought not to be in the
hands of any faction. Now it is easv
for the winning faction in city politics
10 dominate the schools. That means
eternal strife and always ultimately
Y,N,
no goo schools. Talk about keeping the
schools out of politics.! Who can helm
laughing?
Register us as favoring the making
OF a school board that is answerable
to the people. They are public ofici.
ais The Office is one of vast imnor.
worthy the attention of our
best men. Wooden-legged politics can
never make our schools.