Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1918-04-23
-----------7
EFFICIENT LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Judicial Charge that Goes to the
Heart of Civil Prooress.


A striking charge was recently de-
livered to the grand jury OF York
county by Circuit Judge George f.
Prince OF Anderson who instead OF de-
livering orotund platitudes as is done
in some charges. discussed county
government at some length. The bench
can do a great deal TO educate the peo-
pie as to what sort OF administration
of their business they should have.
What Judge Prince said illustrates
this fact.
From The Yorkville Enquirer It is
learned that his honor said that "the
supervisor should be a good business
man. a man who understands roads
and bridge building and 4 man who
knows how to get the best values for
money expended" He said that
supervisors should be better paid
than they commonly are: that, II they
are worth anything at all, they are
worth enough 10 justify their giving
all of their time to their duties AMI
even at that could not give as much
time as Is necessary. As general
thing. supervisors are not efficient"
Judge Prince takes cognizance OF the
fact that. generally speaking, county
government is the weakest. most ire
sponsible and most inefficient in Amer
ica. Well governed counties are In the
minority. There is marked and
growing tendency In South Carolina.
however, to establish business admins
tration OF counties, as numerous coun-
~ government acts passed by the gen.
eral assembly In recent years attest.
Slowly the people are coming to the
point where they will require that pub
lie business be administered u.s. econ
omically and efficiently as private
business. a good supervisor should
unuurstionably he paid a good salary:
his work is worth II. and II he IL i'll
paid, he will find {; more profitable oc-
cupation.
The office of the superintendent OF
education, he declared. is the most
important In the county, and the super
intendent OF education should be the
best paid officer. This officer should
be professional educator. thoroughly
imbued with the Importance OF general
enlightenment and with an energy and
enthusiasm that would keep him ever
lastingly at his work" This state
ment is in accord with q recent de-
claration OF the State Teachers Asso-
citation.
The office OF county superintendent must
be exalted in every way-by increasing the
salary and the honor. by removing the posi-
ton from politics. by requiring professional
qualifications. and by extending the range OF
selection. In a wGrd this position must be
one TO which the ablest educator In the coun-
ty will aspire and toward which, as . goal
the most ambitious young teacher will strive"
The education OF the people Is now
the most important business OF the
state. II follows that the men who
direct that endeavor should be the
best available trained men and that
souid be e-adrQuHtry cUlhDsRs9t.
ed. The ablest educator who can be
secured should fill the position. He
should not have to be good politician
10 get the place. The best educators
are of the opinion that the office
should be removed from the primary
and that II should be filled by com
petent school board elected by the
people. This would eliminate the poll
tician who camoufiages az nm educator
and seeks to 'politicate' his way to-
ward this position and the vote OF the
ignorant and prejudiced may determine
who shall be the county's educational
director. Some candidates for the Of
fee have been obviously and notorious
ly unfit. Education and politics should
be kept entirely separate. The office
Of county superintendent Of education
should be appointive and not ~slective.
-tireenvillc News.