The Canal Commission.

These maps when completed will embrace the entire canal system, including the canals, reservoirs, basins, wide-waters, feeders, raceways, water-powers, hydraulics, dams, slack-waters, locks, aqueducts, bridges, culverts, bulk-heads, waste-weirs, and in fact nearly every thing pertaining to the public works of the State.

In addition to these, plats have been made of all the swamp lands in the northwestern part of the State. This was necessary in order to determine the indemnity due the state, from the United States, for swamp lands, and the commission has filed claims for swamp land indemnity aggregating $121,601.66, which claims are pending for hearing before the secretary of the interior.

The net results to the State from the work of the commission in lands recovered, and lands leased and sold, is approximately $1,000,000.00, and this will be substantially increased if pending litigation results in favor of the State.

The fixed policy of the commission has been to lease the State lands rather than to sell them in order that the State may derive a steady income from the same.

The following is a list of the different canal commissioners who have served on that board from time to time. The date of each commission being some day in the latter part of April.

The membership of the commission was reduced from three to two members in 1892.

H

ON. LEWIS D. BONEBRAKE, the present state commissioner of common schools is a product of the Ohio public school system and for twenty years has been actively engaged in educational work. He was born in Westerville, Franklin Co., O., August 23, 1859. His father Rev. Daniel Bonebrake was born in Preble county, O., and is still living at the age of 72 years. A great-grandfather served in the Revolutionary war and with his brothers served under Washington in and around Philadelphia. Two of his great-uncles were scouts under General Harrison in the war of 1812. Mr. Bonebrake's mother-Hester Ann-was the youngest daughter of Captain John Bishop who with his family came to Franklin county in 1818 from Duchess county, New York. Her father served in the war of 1812 and five of his father's family were soldiers in the war of the Revolution. Mr. Bonebrake attended a district school until 14 years of age when he entered the Westerville high school and completed its course. In the fall of 1876 he entered Otterbein University, Westerville, and by teaching during the winters put himself through college, graduating in the class of 1882. He at once entered upon his life work as a teacher and very successfully superintended the schools at Sparta, Elmore, Athens, and Mt. Vernon.

The Commissioner of Common Schools.

During his ninth year at the latter city he was nominated by the Republican state convention of 1897 at Toledo for the office of state commissioner of common schools. His popularity among the teachers of the. state was such that he was given one of the highest pluralities on the ticket, receiving 26,549 over Myron E. Hard, his Democratic opponent. He entered upon the duties of his office on the second Monday of July, 1898, and during his first term visited and delivered educational addresses in every county of the state.

In 1900 he was re-nominated by acclamation and re-elected by a plurality of 68,302 over Joshua D, Simkins, his Democratic opponent. On the second Monday of July, 1901, he entered upon his second term of three years which will expire on a like date in 1904.

During his educational career Mr. Bonebrake has served as school examiner on city, county and state boards, successively, and holds a life certificate from the latter granted in the summer of 1885. Prior to his election his services as an institute lecturer were in great demand and he had done institute work not only in one-third of the counties of Ohio but in Indiana, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania. It is a part of his official duties to visit teachers institutes and it is an interesting fact that in this duty during his first term he traveled, within the state, 13,000 miles each year.

CLERICAL FORCE, OFFICE OF SCHOOL COMMISSIONER.

The clerical force of the office is limited to two clerks and a stenographer. The correspondence is heavy as the commisioner's opinion is daily sought on all subjects pertaining to school laws and school management.

THE DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL COMMISSIONER.

The office of state commissioner of common schools is a statutory and not a constitutional office, the act of March 12, 1836, being the virtual formation of the present school system of the state. Laws previously enacted had not been so broad or liberal in their treatment of education as this act which created the office of superintendent of common schools and provided that the officer should be elected by joint resolution of the General Assembly. The term was fixed at one year and the salary at $500.00. On April 1, 1837, Samuel Lewis of Hamilton county was duly elected. He filed his first report at the convening of the General Assembly and on January 16, 1838, that body ordered 10,500 volumes of it printed. On March 7, 1838, an act reorganizing the school laws of the state was passed and under section eight thereof the term of the state Superintendent was fixed at five years unless the incumbent was removed by joint resolution. The salary was placed at $1,200.00. Two days later Mr. Lewis was elected for the term of five years. On March, 23, 1840, the office of state Superintendent was abolished and the duties which he had performed devolved upon the Secretary of State who was authorized to employ a clerk to do the work at a salary of $400.00. This law continued in force until March 14, 1853, when the office of state commissioner of common schools was again created.

This law provided that the officer should be chosen at the general election and the term was fixed at three years, the salary being placed at $1500.00. The duties of the commissioner were plainly prescribed and provision made that while he was absent on official visits to the

The Commissioner of Commɔn Schools.

various counties of the state the State Librarian was to act in his stead and be his secretary.

This law was a complete re-organization of the Ohio school system and in addition to providing for the present classification of township districts and cities and villages, contained provisions for separate schools for colored children, county boards of examiners for teachers and for school libraries. Subsequent legislation has followed in the main the classification made in this act.

On March 27, 1884, a law was passed providing that the term of the commissioner would begin on the second Monday of July following his election instead of the second Monday of January. This change was made in order that the commissioner's term might terminate, approximately, with the school year.

OHIO'S EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM.

The educational system of Ohio has, from its inception, been strictly democratic in its nature, the management and support of the schools being left almost entirely in the hands of the residents of the various school districts.

The state is divided into districts, classified as city districts of the first grade of the first class; city districts of the second grade of the first class; city districts of the third grade of the first class; city districts of the first class; city districts of the second class; village districts; special districts and township districts. The schools are governed by boards of education, selected by the electors of the various districts. In 1894 the electoral franchise for the election of school officers was conferred upon women and this law still continues in force but is not generally taken advantage of by the ladies. The number of members in boards of education in city districts of the first class varies from five members in Toledo to one from each ward in Cincinnati. In city districts of the second class and village districts the number is six, in special districts three or six. Township districts are divided into sub-districts with one member of the board from each sub-district. Prior to 1892 the subdistrict schools were in reality governed by a board of sub-directors consisting of three members, one of whom was elected as member of the township board, but in that year the board of sub-directors was abolished and the entire authority conferred upon the township board. This did not give entire satisfaction, consequently, in 1898 the board of sub-directors was re-established, but with the power of recommendation only, final action by the township board being necessary. The management and control of the schools is vested in the several boards of education without active supervision of any nature. Should boards exceed their authority or become derilect in their duty, recourse can only be had through the courts of law.