The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1917-03-29
The COUNTY SUPERINTENDENT.
Editor OF the Pilot

Editor OF the Pilot
1t is amusing to read the reasons
given by the Ex.teacher of Reedsville
in your last issue why a change should
be made in the superintendecy of the
schools OF our county. You as an ex-
teacher can we'll recall the Republican
convention controlled by the late Mr..
G. G. Sedgwick who by manipulation
nominated the late Prof. Smith. You
NO doubt may remember his fine ltal-
ian hand in nominating Mrs. Hewitt
for the same Office on the Socialistic
ticket and thereby caused the defeat
= of our friend Mr.. Albert Dassler. You
may also recall that during the two
years of Prof. Smiths superintendency
that the teachers salary was slashed,
the school being auctioned off to the
lowest bidder, and you will remember
the exodus of our best teachers into
other fields. Your memory is still
fresh to recall that the people re-
volted against these tactics and that
since no party dared to mix schools
with political jobbery. You also re.
call that it took many years to repair
this INJURY and to recoup the high
standing of our teachers. No one
since the death of that will-o'-the .wisp
idea has complained that our schools
are in need of change or are suffer-
ing, because tired man remains at
the helm; but on the contrary let us
ask the patrons OF the school, who at
tend the various msetinga, where you
have the product of the farm-the do
mestic work and the manual training
on xhibiton-whether necessity ex-
lists for a change. You find IN pri-
vate corporation, in a banking in
stitution, in mercantile establish
ment, in a well regulated home and
on the farm, that where the necessity
exists and the employee performs his
duty, the employer does not seek for a
change because he knows that a waste
In dollars and cents in charge must
result until such new employee reaches
the efficiency of the other. No one
can contradict that proposition and no
one can deny but that through the ef-
forts OF our superintendent, Mr.. Meis-
nest, our schools are among the Ibest
in the state.
BY ressan of a law passed four years
ago the voters elected five persons that
constituted Board of Education which
two years ago was superseded by three
members chosen by the county board.
The duty of said board is prescribed
by law and we fail to find through the
Board meetings with the superinten-
dent, any suggestion or criticism as to
his work. If that fact be true and the
superintendent fails to do his duty 10
the knowledge of any member of that
board and that member keeps silent
then that member is nonenity and
ipsofacto should resign. But instead
of that where do we find himp We
find him as an ex-teacher with two
other ex-teachers, one of them de.
feated candidate for superintendent of
schools in another county, now study
ing law in the city, the other who is an
x in everything else under the sun
and the three KS meet in one of
the stalls of the Williams House
and there decide that Mr. Meisnest
should be defeated and their candidate
for that position should be Mr.. Vobor-
il. We have no dispute with Mr..
Voboril. He is young man OF good
character and may make good super
intendent; but so was Prof. Smith
good man, highly educated, a man of
large ,experince. In the latter case
the change was brought about by a
representative body though ambushed
and mislead. The former comprising
the KS wants to lead the people
astrsy, and if we might be permitted
to guess, one of the KS gives his
reasons in your last issue. Shall the
schools be ieopardized for the graft
fication Of some imaginary wrong, or
the people hoaxed by the three X's9
Mr.. Meisnest is young man who has
proved by his past record that the
schools are receiving everys pound
that he is capable to give them. Then
why change to please the three X'sS
Is not the school for the benefit of your
children who deserve the tried and
faithful servantp
An Ex-Teacher, Manitowoc City, Wis.
To the Editor of the Pilot:
An ex-teacher from Reedsville took
1t upon himself to answer tine article
regarding the election of county Supt.
OF schools. We are glad that state
ment comes from an ex-teacher and
not teacher. We are sorry to say
that he must have been very narrow
minded man who could read that arti.
Gle, and then use the arguments he did
in answering it.
We know that the teacher of t0dty
can see farther than the eI-teacter from
Reedsville. Nevertheless am willing
to compare the judgeship with the
county superintendency in order to
give him wider view OF things.
We all know that all progress, along
the governmental line, lies at the foot