superintendent is to be made within thirty
days after the commencement of the session,
and with the limitation of the session the
legislature would have but about sixty days
to consider it. This amendment requires
that all reports subsequent to the first shall
be made within ten days after the commence-
ment of the session, so that they should have
time to consider them.
Mr. CUSHING, Then the superintendent
would be required every year to report a uni-
form system of free public school education
to the legislature.
Mr. DAVIS, of Charles. I understand that
is required by this section.
Mr. CUSHING. He is only required to re-
port at the first session. After that his duties
are to he fixed by the legislature.
Mr. DAVIS, of Charles. Then I will with-
draw my amendment.
No further amendment was offered to the
first section,
Section two was then read as follows :
"There shall be an assistant superintendent
of public school instruction in each
county and the city of Baltimore, who shall
be appointed by the State's superintendent
of public instruction, shall hold office for
four years, receive such compensation and
perform such duties as the general assembly
may prescribe,"
Mr. DANIEL. I do not know that I have
any objection to this section. But I think
there may be raised to this whole article the
objection that it is going too much into the
details of legislation about this matter. I
recollect when in 1858 a bill was up before
the legislature providing a general system of
public education for the State, there was
great controversy whether or not there should
be an assistant superintendent in each coun-
ty, or whether the board of public school
commissioners were not sufficient, without a
county superintendent. In the city of Balti-
more we have only a board of school commis-
sioners. My objection to this section is that
it is perhaps going too much into details,
and fixing what the legislature may want to
alter. I think that upon the whole the best
way would be to appoint a State superinten-
dent to report a system to the legislature, and
then leave the legislature to prescribe what-
ever may be necessary.
Mr, EDELEN. I move to strike out this
second section. I think that section for pro-
viding five school commissioners in each
county amply covers the matter. Those com-
missioners are to perform such duties as the
general assembly may prescribe. I do nut
know what duties these assistant superinten-
dents are to perform which are not performed
by the board of school commissioners. I think
that at this time, on the score of expense,
we ought to make as few officers as possible.
This assistant superintendent is to be a sala-
ried officer. To receive such compensation |
and perform such duties as the general assembly
may', prescribe.
The question was upon striking out section
two.
Upon this question, Mr. EDELEN called for
the yeas and nays, and they were ordered.
Mr. PETER. Before the clerk proceeds to
call the roll, I would like to inquire of the
chairman of the committee (Mr, Cushing)
what was the object of putting this section in
the report.
Mr. CUSHING. The object was to secure
throughout the whole system a uniformity
which could only be gained by miking the
subordinate workers in the counties men
known to the general State superintendent,
men whose capacities were known to him,
whom he would appoint, and for whose ap-
pointment he would be responsible to the
legislature and to the people. There must be
in every county some officer who, either
under such regulations as the legislature may
prescribe, or under the control of the school
commissioners, shall do the really active
work of travelling through the county, and to
see at the time the State superintendent is not
there, that the work is being properly done,
and to report to him. The county commis-
sioners are reduced to five for each county,
to be selected without any regard to districts,
to be appointed by the State board of educa-
tion, in the hope that they will be taken
from among those who will be competent
to examine teachers. I much question if the
great bulk of school commissioners in the
State of Maryland to-day are capable of ex-
amining the teachers of our public schools.
You will find that the work is always done,
if done at all, by two or three among them.
In many cases the examination is a mere
farce, without the slightest attention being
paid to the qualifications of the person ap-
pointed, The object of this provision is to se-
cure a uniformity to run through the whole
system. The legislature is to prescribe the
duties of these assistant superintendents, and
to fix their compensation as they may think
proper, if the duties are light the compen-
sation will be light also.
Mr, DANIEL. I shall favor the striking out
of this section, aswell as the third and fourth
sections. Then I am prepared to vote for the
remainder of the report. These three sections,
it seems to me. come properly within the
sphere of the duties prescribed to the State
superintendent. He is the man to prepare a
system and report it to the legislature.
Mr. CUSHING. It is to be in conformity
with the provisions of this constitution.
Mr. DANIEL, He may find that it is not
proper to conform to these provisions. If
you go too much into details, when be comes
to prepare his system, he may find that some
things you have done here are contrary to
what he wants to do. You appoint this man
to do this very business, the details of which |
