Year: 1867


i Iregret- that the failure of the officers
of many of the counties to forward the
reports required by law, has prevented
the School Commissioner from compile
ting his own report. at this time. Other
officers of State have also called atten-
ton to the discrepancies in the various
laws requiring the report. of facts and
satisfies by 'teWrs ship and COZ II y off
GERS, and. TO the difficulties, amounting
practically toana impossibility Of en-
forcing the existing requirement. in the
manner now provided. The great need
ola thorough revision in this respect is
urgently presented by ther.Auditor and
Secretary of. State : and / am informed
by the School Commissioner that, with
out it, it is entirely out of the question
for himto lay before the Assembly at
the beggining of the session the facts
which are necessary as a basis oflegis-
lation upon the great educational in
terests of the community.


j believe that a great majority of the
most active and intelligent friends of
our common school system have become
convinced that the administration of
school affairs should be separated from
the ordinary township and county off
GERS, and that county superintendents of
schools are necessary to give the great
est vitality to the system, not only by
guiding the general instruction, and dis
cipline of the several schools, but in per-
sonally attending to the collection of
those reports of facts upon which govern
mental action is based | have endeav-
ored, during the past season, to obtain
information on the subject both from
competent persons in our State, and
from those States in which the system of
county superintendency exists. have
no hesitation in saying that | believe its
Introduction would be decidedly benefc-
ial, and accordingly recommend it. ~
AMENDMENT TO THE CONSTITUTION OF THE


UNITED STATES.


The Secretary of State of the United
States has, since your adjournment trans
mitted to me a, copy ofan amendment of
the Constitution Of the United States,
proposed by Congress, and now await
ing the ratification of the Legislature of
the several States. 1t consists of several
sections containing provisions which in
the wisdom of the National Legislature
are necessary to secure permanent peace
throughout the country, and to correct
the most palpable evils remaining in
those Stateswhich were lately in rebellion:
evils, which, without such correction
would endanger the National safety, and
be a lasting source of irritation and strife.


In examining the proposed amendment
its extreme moderation is, under all the
circumstances of the country and the
time, most remarkable. 1t contains four
provisions, of which three would become
irrepealable and Interchangeable except by
new amendment of the Constitution but
the other could be suspended or annulled
by act of Congress. -7.'H s'''s'ss'l'
r. The three former consist, first, of the
grant of power to the National Govern
ment to protect the citizens of the whole
country in their legal privileges and i'm
munities, should any State attempt to op-
press classes of individuals, or deprive
them of the eqnal protection of the laws;
second, of the equitable equalization of
representation by forbidding any State
or district to increase the number of it's
Representatives in Congress by enumera-
ting in the electoral basis, classes of
United States citizens who are still de-
MED the elective franchise; and third, of
the affirmation of the inviolabilty of the
faith pledged to the payment of the ex-.
isting public debt of the United States,
coupled with the denial of power to the
National or State Governments to as
sumo or pay any debt incurred in aid Of
the late rebellion. .--


"A simple statement of these PROPOSE
tions is their complete justification, The
first was proven necessary long before
the war, when it was notorious that any
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