AFTERNOON SESSION.
The amendment was rejected.
Mr. RYAN moved to amend Section 142 by striking out the words, "five per cent. damages." He said: After the purchaser of the land has paid the interest and cost after the land has been taken from him, he did not see any reason why he should be further punished by the payment of 5 per cent. damages. The man has already suffered enough by losing his land without paying this penalty.
Mr. WALZ was opposed to striking out. He referred to a case in his own Township where a man purchased such school land on credit, cut off the timber, and made over $1,000 from the proceeds of the timber and gave the land back. He thought a 5 per cent. a small damage in case the owner surrenders the land to the school fund.
Mr. KENNER--I am afraid these many amendments are going to destroy the effect of this school bill. If a man buys land, and without paying for it removes the timber, if he does that there ought to be a penalty imposed.
The amendment was rejected.
Mr. RYAN moved to amend Section 143 by inserting the words "together with 2 per cent. damages on the principal sum." He said: It occurs to me this matter of damages ought to be stricken out, and would be benefited by it. The principal, interest and cost is recovered; the State has recovered its own, and why is it incumbent upon the purchaser to pay this damage?
The amendment was adopted.
On motion by Mr. COTTON, the vote laying his amendment on the table yesterday was reconsidered. It seeks to amend by inserting in Line 1, after the word "Townships," the following: "The Presidents of the Board of School Trustees of incorporated towns."
Mr.FLOYD--County Superintendents are elected by the Trustees, and these City and Town Boards have no voice in the matter. He is forced upon them, and they have no voice in his election. It does seem to me that in the natural order of things it would make the relations of the Superintendent a great deal more congenial and pleasant in going into cities and towns, to hold examinations, if he were elected with their assistance, as well as the Township Trustees. Since the country schools are represented in his election through their Trustee it is but fair and right that the towns and cities should be represented in his selection by the Chairman of their Boards.
Mr. BUSKIRK moved to amend the amendment by inserting at the close thereof the words, "Having a separate school organization." He said: The original amendment ought not to prevail, because the people of the towns and cities are fully represented in the selection of the Trustee, and through him have a voice in selecting the County Superintendent. They often dictate who the Trustee shall be. Often he comes from the country, but most frequently from towns. If the amendment prevails, they will have a double representation in saying who shall be the Superintendent; but if the idea imbedded in my amendment prevails, then I want to exclude towns which have not a separate school organization, because in such a case the principal burden of maintaining the schools is on the Township, and the towns are mere beneficaries to a large extent to the Townships, and certainly ought not to have a double voice in the selection of the principal school officers of the County. My amendment to the amendment will prevent this effect.
Mr. COTTON--This amendment merely provides that cities and towns shall have one vote in the selection of the County Superintendents, that is all there is in it.
Mr. HAM--The School Board of incorporated towns have their Representative through the Township Trustee as they help to elect him. Cities and towns help to elect the Trustee the same as though they were not incorporated, and to give them the privilege proposed by this amendment, would be giving them a double representation.
The amendment to the amendment was adopted.
The amendment was also adopted--yeas, 48; nays, 34.
Mr. KENNER moved to reconsider the vote by which the amendment offered by the gentleman from Lake County [Mr. Fancher] relative to paying teachers for attending Township Institutes, was laid on the table yesterday.
The motion was agreed to-yeas, 46; nays, 30.
Mr. KENNER said: Township Institutes must be held. The poorest teachers in the Township who attend these Institutes in a short time are as good as the best instructors. Some say it educates teachers, therefore they should not be paid. That is rather a selfish motive. The children get the benefit of instruction. By bringing the teachers together in these Institutes they absorb ideas from one another, systems and modes of conducting class work, such as they could not accumulate otherwise, and in a few years they are the very best of teachers. That is what the school money is for--to educate the teacher as well as the children.
Mr. FLOYD--Public money is for the purpose of paying teachers for teaching, and not to educate teachers. If it is the object of the school fund to educate teachers, then we ought to pay them to go to College. It is certainly not the object of this public fund to pay teachers to prepare themselves, I claim that these men who are preparing themselves to teach ought to do so at their own expense.
Mr. ROBINSON--I think this amendment ought to be adopted. There is no similarity between the teacher's preparation and that of other professional men. These teachers have gone to the expense of preparing themselves to teach. If it is right to compel them to attend these Institutes or require them to forfeit a day's wages by not attending them, I say it is no more than right and just that that that they should be paid for the time they are compelled to lose. Teachers, as a general thing, are not overpaid for the work they do. This Legislature is not in the habit of compelling its members to do something without pay. We have no right to compel a teacher to spend a day without remunerating him for it.
The bill finally passed--yeas, 55; nays, 26.
Then the House adjourned.
