Evening journal., 1919-11-11
stan Correspondent.

STAFF Correspondent
GEORGETOWN, Del. Nov. ii.-As OUT
lined 10 previous article, the General
Assembly OF 1917 created an educational
commission and ordered it to make a
survey II Delavare's public schools, "to
harmonic, unity and revise the school
laws" TO provide for an improved and
efficient administration Of an free
school matters and 20 report IFS IND
ings and recommendations to the gov
ernor which report shall be trans
miiied by the governor TO the General
Assembly at its session of 1919.
Note first. All this was ordered by the
1917 General Assembly. II was not the
idea of any one man on Of any FOR
pign influence" or Of any group Of ciii-
zens OF Wilmington The school survey
and ihe revision and codiilcation OF the
school laws were ordered by Delaware s
Legislature.
Noie second ID was ordered that this
survey and the revised and codiiled
school laws and any other recon-
mcndaiions be- reported 90 the 1919
General Assembly How demag0gic u r.,
then. for leaders OF The opposition TO
The code 90 get up now and say they
"heard rumors early in The last General
Assembly thai a new school code WIS
being cooked up by somebody There
was no rum0r about 10. There was no
mystery about il There was nothing
unexpected about a. The 1917 Lcgis-
laiure created "a commission and or
lered u 10 make q report 10 lhe 1919
legislature The commission obeyed
orders and every man Of Intelligence
knew months before the 1919 Legisla-
iuro assembled that such report
would be made in accord with the
orders of The 1917 legislature.
Note third The school code Is an
other name for The school laws of Della
ware as thoy were "harmOniled, uni
ned and revised in accordance with
the order Of The 1917 General Assembly
Much Of the school code is a copy word
for word of The old school laws The
school code Is several pages shorter
than the collection Of old school laws.
Those who say the school code Is so
long and SO involved that they cannot
make out what 1t means may be telling
the truth. hut If so, then how could
thew know what The old school laws
meant, for the old laws were much
onger than the new code and much
more involved The Legislature OF 1917
recognized This fact when It ordered the
school Commission to Nharm0nizo and
unity the old laws
The 1919 General Assembly fixed Feb
ruary ~. 1919, as the last day Of the
session upon which new bills could be
Introduced The school code was in
ir0duced February r.. five fun days
earlier than necessary Had there been
any disposition to keep the code secret,
40 keep the people In the dark and 10
rush ihe code through without discus
sion. II would not have been introduced
until the very last minute But 1t was
introduced February i2-slX weeks 10 a
day before the legislature adjourned.
The daily papers Of the state carried
lhc news of its Introduction on the day
4 was introduced.
on the evening of February H. there
was a Lincoln Day banquet at the
luPont Hotel in Wilmington. 10 was
Intended by practically an members Of
ne General Assembly tall were in
siied), by the State Judiciary. by the
soyernOr and an state officials, by the
city officials Of Wilmington and other
Delaware citizens and by many other
prominent Delawareans. Josiah Mar