The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1874-08-21
SCHOOL BOOK MONOPOLY.
ALBANY, Aug. Goth, 1877.

Z
hurled at the law passed by the las
Legislature requiring auniform series
of text books to be used in the com
mon schools of this State. 1t was
said that the adoption of a uniform
series Of text books in our schools
was creating and fostering u monop
oily, while others declared that it was
oppressive, as it required change oi
books to some extent, and that the
Legislature had transcribed its
powers when it assumed 10 determine
what books Jones, Brown and Smith
and all other patrons of the public
schools should provide for their chill.
dren, in order to secure to them the
benefits Of our common school sys-
TEN.
The proposition that every child Of
the same grade in particular school
should use the same kind of books is
a proposition not to be controverted,
but the question is asked why require
every school district in the State to
use the same text books? The reason
is obvious. The teacher in district
No. l prefers Wilson's series of books,
and the teacher in district No. 10
prefers Watson's, and the..books are
provided, but it so happens in the
course of time that teachers are
changed and the new teacher for No.
l may be the one who taught the
school in district No. 10, and he pre-
fers Watson's instead Of Wilson's, and
the patrons of the school are required
to incur the expense Of a change of
books. A change of books almost
invariably followed when there was a
change of teachers, and so frequent
were these changes that parents and
guardians groaned under the burden,
and demanded of the Legislature a
uniform series of text books, to the
use of which teachers as we'll as par
ents must conform. This demand
the Legislature needed, and made o
liberal provision for the selection and
adoption of the books to be used
throwing the responsibility of choos-
ing the books upon the superinten-
dents of public instruction of the
several counties of the State, and
il the law is permittedto remain upon
our statute book, the patrons of our
common schools will not be required
to change books again until the 1st
OF October, 1876, and not then if the
present series should be approved at
that time.
But it is said it is monopoly. It is
no more a monopoly than the adop-
ton of Wilson's, Watson's, Towns
or any other series of text books, for
all Of these authors or the publishers
have the copyright. But it was said
the price was greater. Of this l
know nothing, except what I gather
from the publishers prices of the
several series, from which I take the
price of Wilson's readers as compared
with the Pacific Coast readers-the
latter being the series adopted in this
State. Wilson's readers from first to
fifth, inclusive, cost $4.05. The Pa
cific Coast readers cost from first to
fifth inclusive, SS.75, difference in
favor Of Tho latter of 81. 20 for the
set. So that objection, as do all the
preceding objections named, fall to
the ground,
AS to the merits of the Pacific
Coast series OF books compared with
any other series I know nothing. II
inferior it is not the fault Of the law,
but the mistake Of the superintend-
ants'of common schools for the sew
eral counties of the State who voted
to adopt them. 1t was wise pro-
vision of the law that the selection Of
text books should be thus made, for
the teachers are supposed to be more
competent than the Legislature to
decide such a question, and to be
more in sympathy with the patrons
of the schools than the Legislature or
the State board of education. For
the reason here offered and many
more that might be offered, l trust
the Legislature will permit the law to
stand as it is that it may have fair
trial. WILLAMETTE.
The Bozeman, Montana, Courier of
the 9th ult., says: Indians, supposed
to be Sioux and the same party that
fingered in the vicinity of the Agency
two or three weeks recently, and then
apparently leaving, again appeared in
the Yellowstone valley Sunday,
Parties coming in from that vicinity to