Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1918-02-22
Tell The People.

best endeayorS to hire some man, un-
der the guise of paying his campaign
expenses, to be their candidate for
state superintendent of schools. The
price is said to have ranged from $1,000
for the ordinary variety up to $4,000 or
$4,000 for the hand picked. They found
nobody to accept their offer. The peo-
| pie of the state last spring elected
state superintendent of schools by
most extraordinary yote.-in many
counties, according TO the report in
the Office of the Secretary Of State,
not single protesting vote was cast,
and about as many people voted as
had voted for beth candidates for
state superintendent of schools III the
previous election, when there was q
merger of politicians of all parties to
defeat the candidate for reelection.
I am under the impression that the
people thought that they were voting
last spring for a man to represent them
and to superyis the public schools Of
the state. His title at any rate is state
superintendent Of public instruction.
There were some of the politicians,
| however, who were far from content
with the action of the people. In part
it was the same group that two years
Eearlier made an attempt to secure by
| legislation q commissioner of educa-
tion to be chosen by board appointed
by the Governor, while still retaining
the constitutional officer known as
State Superintendent Of Public In
struction. Some of the politicians were
quoted as saying last spring that the
people might elect state superinten-
dent of schools if they wished to do
so, but that the legislature would take
away his powers, and leave him moth
ing to do. One at least was quoted as
saying near the close Of the last legis-
lature that'they were not thru yet
and that they had made only begin
ming. These politicians would like to
make it appear that they are aiming
at the state superintendent of schools
In language of the hour, this is simp-
| ~ camoufage. What they are attempt
| ing to do is to take away from the
people the right to elect astate super
intendent OF schools, and they have
| neither the nerve nor the patience to
go thru the regular constitutional pro-
cess of getting this right away from
the people. Hardly one person in five
thousand in the state of Wisconion
knew what was happening, much less
asked to have it happen.
Do the people know that we have
today two state superiDtendents Of
schools, if not three? In addition to
State Department of Education with
state superintendent (who is a con-
stitutional officer elected by the peo-
ple) at it's head, we have two state
boards Of education, each costing the
state to begin with about $4,000.
total of $50, 900 year, one employing
a head man at 81 5000 year, and the
other head man at $4,000 year, bs-.
sides Office help in botll cases. Is this
complicated, conflicting, and expen-
siye kind of organization what the peo-
pie really want?
There are politicians today talking
and planning to secure at the next req
ular session of the legislature COM
missioner of education, TO BE Sc
LECTED BY A STATE BOARD.
If they wish to present such matter
to the legislature and to the public In
! the usual method of a constitutions
amendment, their procedure will be
dignified and proper, and it will give
the people of the state chance to
discuss it and to determine by their
ballots what their wishes are. But.
that is not the plan in the minds OF
these politicians at the present mo-.
ment. It would seem they wish to
wriggle the matter thru the legisla-
ture, if possible, and let the people
find out about it afterWard by read
ing the newspapers. judge this to be
true from the extremely quiet man.
ner in which the campaign is at pres
ent carried on.
Perhaps it might not be amiss to
elect members of the legislature next
fall on the issue of turning over the
office of state superintendent of schools
to the politicians who have always
wanted to control it, and who would
like now to control it, and beyond a
peradyenture would control it if they
selected the superintendent and fixed
his salary. At least, this matter, like
the rat hole Lincoln tells about, will
bear looking into. Tell the people a.
bout it SO they may talk it over.
C.P. CARY.