Milford chronicle., 1919-11-21
CITIZENS OF SUSSEX AND
KENT HEAR ABOUT CODE
lconcIuded from frst pagel

N0OMEAuuN4 IL u.s. fN6~f
that the Code would be jammed
through. He said a friend Of Govern
or Townsend warned him it would be
inadvisable to pass the Code until the
people had ben consulted, but the
Governor replied that il wouldn't do
10 wait because IF the people learn
too much about it they never will pass
it," He said "the Governor then got
busy as a bee in his sanctum, and the
Secretary of State got busy in the
lobby, buttOnhOling members of the
legislature to pass the Code and even
praying with them. Some of the leg
islators agreed to vote for it as joy
fully as a hog looks forward TO hog
killing day"
Taking up the Code, he charged it
lacked democracy. He said the State
Commissioner of Education is elected
in 81 States Of the Union; he is ap-
pointed by the Governor in seven
others, and he is appointed by the
State Board Of Education in only seven
States. The whole theory of the School
Code is to get as far away as possible
from the people. He said wherever,
here and there, In the Code it made a
pretense of comforting power on the
people, on the next page il took ii all
away again. He denied the County
Board of Education had any power
He said although they were elcted,
they were servants of the County Su-
perintendent, that they could do moth
ing without the County Superintendent
recommended it,
He criticized the minimum salary of
the county superintendents-$2. 700
under the new Code and said in Mary
land their minimum salary was only
$500. He charged the code was
written to favor Superintendent Har-
desty of Sussex county He also said /
the Code made OF a superintendent a
Car whom teachers all feared. He /
said teachers today were afraid to ex-
press their opinions of the Code be-
cause of the power of the county su-
perintendent to punish them.
He reiterated his arguments made
at Georgetown and priAted in detail
in The Milford Chronicles report of
that meeting, regarding the fallacy of
rich districts helping the poor ones in
the building program, again citing
Bridgeville, Selbyville and Stockley,
homes of the three Sussex county COM
misioners as examples of getting
by influence"
He again scored the county unit
system of government, and said that
part of the Code which assigned the
duties of the local school trustees re-
minded him of the old Jingle: :
Mother, may l go out to swim?
Yes. my darling daughter
Hang your clothes on a hickory limb
But don't go near the water"
He said the Code said the local
school trustees should be leaders of
in their districts but took
vi power from them and treated them
With contempt. Yet, he said, "in the
of 1920 a lot of school Code .
dvOcates who defend this opinion of I
he local school trustee is about right. :
rill become candidates for office and :
'ant your vote. Then they will sing
mother song. They will tell you how
lg and important you are, but l have
cen defending you all the the time.
make my living Off of you. / mingle :
nth you. l know you. l would be N
shamed not to defend you now when III
ou need defending" II
wo dangers. One Of these dan III
TO dangers. One of therse dan III
ers" he said was the cry. Give ii III
rial" Beware of that He said he III
new some bank directors in George III
OWN. They squeeze a dollar until III
ne eagle screams. They were against III
le School Code until the recent State
ankers' Association convention at III
ehoboth. Somebody at that meeting III
assed the word along and these fel- III
)ws were whipped into line. They HI
II came home singing, Give it a trial. III
i've it trial" That is a dangerous III
ry. Look out The other danger is III
he cry which soon is to be raised. II
Let it be amended by its friends"
he School Code advocates begin to III
ealize it must be amended. but they III
ont want to let anyone else do ii. III
they amend it they probably amend iii
like the Republicans revised the III
will amend it upward. III
Mr.. Layton closed with an appeal I'LL
n a return to the old system of edu- iii
alton in which pupils were taught iii
lie elementary things they should III
now, and teachers were fearless and w
Ill