Year: 1879

II, Politics In the school Election.


It would be regretted if the electit L
f,r mem oers of the Board Of Public
/. ncation should degenerate into a
political contest. If there is anything
IN the world which should be free from
politic biz it is the school election. So
far as the public schools are concerned
they are for the benefit Of the people,
to which their children 60, regardless
of political bias, and there is no more
need of politics in the selection Of MEM
bers of the Board, than there is of poll
tics anon, s. the teachers, and those
VIII, are making an effort to elect this
man because he is Republican or that
man because he is Democrat, care
very little for the success of education.
Some of the best members Of the pres
ent Board are Democrats, and some Of
the worst are Republicans, or reversing
it some of the best are Republicans and
rome of the worst are Democrats. The
education of children should be as dear
to one party as the other, and all the
requirements in the qualifications of
candidate for member of the Board
should be to have proper knowledge
Of how schools should be conducted,
with a smart sprinkling of the knowl


edge Of human nature. The Board is
happily relieved from all anxiety, of
raising money, and all that they have
to do is to judiciously expend the $685.
900 paid over to them by the City
Council in monthly instalments. They
have charge Of the schools, it is true,
the appointment of teachers, the selec-
tion of books and such like, but it is
hard to see why the person who has
this duty to perform must be Repub-
lean or that he must be a Democrat.
It is real pleasure to have one de-
partmcnt in the city arrangements
where politics can bs ignored, and
where all can see and act alike so far
as the carrying on of the schools are
concerned. Until We saw it intimated
in that irresponsible sheet, the every
Evening"" We were not aware that pol


itics had lifted up its hydra head in
the approaching school election, and
just such articles as that paper has
been publishing about the nomination
election for member of the Board from
the Fifth Ward are the ones that are
calculated to stir up political feeling.
While it spends one line in praise Of
Mr.. H. C. Conrad. the nominee of Set
yrday night, it spend two or mere
ues in showing the partisan character
OF the meeting that nominated him. It
seems very determined to keep that
part particularly before the public, and
it looks to us for ne other purpose than
that somebody else may enter the field
and defeat him. We were not present
at the Fifth Ward meeting, but we full
ly understood that it was to be citizens
meeting, and We were glad that such
pabe and responsible gentleman had
be II nominated to represent tie Wand
in the Board land we were in hopes that
there would be no opposition to Mr.


Conrai's election. Had Mr.. Speakman
consented to the use of his name for re-
election, it is quite plobable that there
would have been no opposition to h IN,
for he was one of the most efficient and
capable members of the Board, but as
lie had p4remptorily declined renom-
IN ''l0n tAe'e is no good reason why
Mr. Conrad should not lie elected to
succe-d him. As there are quite
uunler of the Ward4 that have made
NO selection Of candid.tas yet for the
Board Of Education, we would slagest
the ealing of citizens meetings in the
respective Wards, and that candidates
be selected at these meetings who have
the tine and the aiiljty to attend to
the respon ible duties of mem Der, no
1n4t.pr whether such person be a Re-
publican or . Democrat. Let politics
be entirely excluded from the school
elections and from everything that has
anything to do with TIE schools, and
those W no are so anxious to 90 in for a
polite f. h. let them wait until the
munic pa ell ctjOu ia Sep emler next,
when here will Ie Il & ty TIeasWer, a
President Of h" City Council and half
of the City Council to elect.


THE "Gaz 4tte' Is very murh opposed
to duelling if such men as Senators
Bayard and Salisbury, had to 20 out to
be shot a, hut in favor of it if there