Henderson daily dispatch. (Henderson, N.C.) 1914-1995, 1936-04-27

Continued from Page One.)
and even more so the honesty and in
tegrity of every county and city ST.
perintendent of schools in the State,
also the chairmeh of the various
boards of education Graham said.
For the first time in my memory a
major State agency is held up before
our people with the hint of scandal
breathed upon it. This man seeks self
advancement and Is ruthless in the
methods he enjoys for his own ends. I
quote DR.. Ralph W. Mcdonald all
State funds will be honestly and eff
ficiently accounted and audited The
State School Commission now spends
more than $2O,O0O,O0O annually and it's
accounts are never Independently au-
dited. These conditions are unwhole
some and should not be allowed to
exist
''The. fact is that. the members of
the school commission do not either
as individuals or as a commission
spend one penny of the school appro-
priation of more than $23,0O0,OOO a
year for the operation of the public
schools. This money is appropriated
by the General Assembly, collected
from taxes and deposited with the
State treasurer. This money is expend-
ed by warrants drawn and signed by
the city and county superintendent
and by the chairmen of the city and
county boards of education. These
warrants, originating in the cities and
counties, are then audited by the
State auditor, the State -. trea-
surer and by the State School Com
mission. The school commission never
handles a penny of State funds, only
alloting the funds to the various cities
and counties, and then auditing it's ex-
penditure in the cities and counties.
"The sole function of the school
commission is to ascertain the needs
of the various school units and then
to allot the funds appropriated by the
General Assembly so that an equal
opportunity for an education shall be
provided for every boy and girl in the
State. The checks for paying the sal
aries of school commission employees
are signed by the State superintendent
of public instruction, since no one
connected with the commission can
sign a check or pay out one penny
of school funds.
"CroOkedness'' Implied.
$50 the implication of crookedness
laid upon the school commission does
not stop there. It reaches out to throw
a cloud of suspicion upon every coun-
ty and city superintendent of schools,
upon the chairmen and members of
every city and county board of edu-
cation. 1t is a blanket charge. The
man who makes it must know it is
not true.
"Dr. Ralph W. Mcdonald was a
member of the House of the 1885 leg
islature which enacted the school ma
chinery act under which the schools
are now operated He was also
member of the House Committee on
Education which wrote this law and
he voted for it's passage. When the bill
was amended by the Senate and sent
to conference, he was one of the con-
ferees appointed by the speaker of the
House, agred to the final report and
voted for the adoption of the report
~ the House,
Declared SANDER.
"He, therefore, knows the facts most
intimately and cannot plead ignor-
ance He must acknowledge himself
a slanderer without cause, one who
by the Sinking method of implication
and inuendo attempts to climb to-
wards the highest office in the gift
of our people upon the trampled re-
putations of trusted and respected
men. If I know North Carolina, he
can't do it,
Mr. Graham, as lieutenant governor,
is sx-officio chairman of the State
School Commission.
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