Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1874-03-05
SCHOOL Books,

TO which we made mention last week,
is of so much importance to the people
that we again call attention to it. Sec
ton first provides for the appointment
of three commissioners, at an expense
of $4,000 each, whose duty it shall be
to prepare the books. We copy entire
sections two and three, as they contain
the essence of the bill:
SEC. .. The ownership of said series
of manuscripts or books, when so COM
niled or prepared, shall vest in and be
the nroperty of the state, and shall be
deposited in the office of the secretary
of state, for safe keeping, and when so
deposited, tile same, by copy, shall be
absolutely free TO any one who may wish
to publish the same i'm book form, and
when they shall have been published by
any person One year., they shall be used
as text or books of instruction in those
departments of the common schools
named i'm the first section of this act.
SEC. 8. All boards of education
throughout the state shall adopt, within
one wear from the time of publication,
the work or books so compiled or pre-
pared by said commissioner as the book
or books of instruction in the school
or schools under their supervision, any
law to the contrary Notwithstanding;
and it is hereby made the duty of the
commissioner of common schools in and
for this state to give notice to all boards
of education of the time of compile
ton of the work of said commissioners
and publication Of the same, and to
require of boards of education a notice
or statement to said school commits
sioner, certified to by the clerk of said
school district, of the time when such
text book or books of instruction were
introduced or adopted by said board of
education, the date thereof to be duly
recorded i'm the office of school commits
sioner in 4 book of record provided for
that purpose: and 40 other books of
instruction shall be substituted or used
in said departments until ten years
shall have expired from the date of in
PRODUCTION.
The object sought to be gained by
the passage of this bill is the abate-
ment of the present monopoly in school
books, whereby the few are e%nriching
themselves at the expense of the many
The present prices of school books are
e~xtravagautly high, and the money
goes into :he pocket ot the publisher,
the retailer barely receiving enough
to pay for handling. The object of
the bill, therefore, is a worthy one.
and one in the interest of reform. But
will it do what it proposes? Let US
see.
After its preparation the manuscript
becomes the property of the State, but
what then? Why, 'when they shall
have been published by any person one
year." that person shall have the mo-
nopoly of supplying all the schools of
the State for the period of ten gears, at
his own price. 1t is true, as the advo-
Gates of the bill may claim. that the
copy ie frss to all. and that more than
n publisher will make use of it and
in that way produce competition and
low prices. But we are not sure of
this. May we not rather anticipate
~collusion and combination. These
things are common in these latter DAYS,
and there is nothing in the law to pre-
vent the practiciDg of such a fraud.
Perhaps a bill might be framed so as
to root out the evil complained OF, but
this bill fails largely Of doing it. If
W are to have reforms, let them be
genuine reforms, not bogus.
And now comes another bill about
School books. 1t proposes that the
Board of Education shall buy the
books snd furnish them to scholars at
cost price. If this is all the Legisla
can find to do. it had better ad
journ. People are greatly prone to be-
come corrupt when placed in official
position with large powers. and, so far
as possible, we should withhold temp
tation from them.