He said that he would not do the
members of the committee the injustice to suppose that they could
seriously favor the passage of a bill which would deprive the
intelligent average voter of one of his dearest privileges; but that he
desired to put himself on record as thinking it a fortunate
circumstance, on the whole, that the well-intentioned promoters of the
bill had brought this matter to the attention of the legislature, and
had an opportunity to express their views. He believed that the hearing
would be productive of benefit to both parties, in that on the one hand
it would tend to make the voters more careful as to whom they selected
for the important duties of the school board, and on the other
would--he, as a lover of democratic institutions, hoped--serve to
convince the friends of the bill that they had exaggerated the evils of
the situation, and that they were engaged in a false and hopeless
undertaking in seeking to confine by hard and fast lines the spontaneous
yearnings of the American people to control the education of their
children. "We say to these critics," he continued, "some of whom are
enrolled under the solemn name of reformers, that we welcome their zeal
and offer co-operation in a resolute purpose to exercise unswerving
vigilance in the selection of candidates for the high office of
guardians of our public schools.
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