The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1875-12-09
THE SCHOOL BOOK IMPOSITION

The prices OF school books are outrageousy
high and the imposition is made almost un-
bearable to the majority OF those who send
children to the public schools by the frequent
changes OF books required to suit the prefer
enceS, caprices or interests OF teachers and
school officers. But not therefore would we
agree with Mr.. DOnneliY's project for the State
to undertake. the compiling and printing OF
cheaper books.
Ogcoa,se we venerate the aggregate wisdom
of the people and admire its manifestations in
the selections OF public servants, but still we
think it would he better for HE people if they
had fewer servants to pay and imagine that
the usefulness OF the public service. might be
increased by subtraction from instead OF addi-
ton to the working force and its duties. Mr..
Donnelly's plan, if once adopted would inev-
tably result, whatever he might inteId, III &
board If supervision, committees OF experts,
super:ntendents, clerks, copyists, and so on.
1t would be, in fact, an asylum for incapables
in nominal charge Of half dozen res spectacle
old gentlemen who wouldn't have time to at
tend to it and in actual charge of some
small politician, lazy preacher or worthless
teacher. 1t would be, Us are all such excres-
sences upon governments, an expensive sham.
The school book fraud, we think, can be
reached more directly and with surer effect
For instrnce, the Legislature may enact as a
condition of use, that the text book for public
schools shall be supplied within certain fixed
maximum rates. Publishers would probably
accept the condition gracefully. II not, the
Legislature could make sure of cheap books
land do away at the same time with that spe-
cious cover of fraud. uniformity of text
books,'0 by abolishing all observation-disclosures
Of schools outside OF school rooms, and max
ing it misdemeanOr (which ought to be pun
ished with tar and feathers) for school teach
or district officer to accept or hold any profit,
interest reward or bride from the book trade
If that fails, why then suspend the schools I'M
til generation of honester men is grown, but
think Of the railroad commission! don't create
any more Offices st. Paul Dispatch.
We are glad to see that the leading pa
pers of the state are discussing this i'm
portant question. For years we have
labored in vain to obtain legislation up
on it; but despite the fact that 1.-THE
school book fraud" as Hall calls it. robs
the people of Minnesota annually of a
quarter of q million dollars, the House
of Repre- sentatives has each time pre-
vented reform.
Our proposition was to appoint COM
mission to see ii they could obtain cheap
books from the publishers; but failing
in that-and it is highly proballe that
the publishers would combine together
as they have done heretofore-then to
engage men TO prepare books and have
the state own the the copyright thereof !:
and then give our home printers a
chance to publish them at a given price,
locking to the scholars for their custom
ers. In this way the state would be at
no expense except for the cost of pre-
" thu hnnl-c tor ,,,,kt.,o<,1, -
few thocsand dollars would cover that.
There are plenty IF publishers who
would jump ut the chance to print and
furnish the books to all the schools of
Minnesota at a reasonable rate.
1t was said by the school book agents
that it was impossible to prepare such
books as would be necessary that the
publishers had copyrighted their works
and that we could not infringe upon their
patents. True; but the only things
copyrighted are the form and arrange
ment of The matter the matter itself. the
facts of arithmetic, geography. gram
mar. history, &c, no man can copyright;
they are the property OF the world. viii
it be pretended that in all our high
schools, colleges, normal scaools and
universities, men cannot be found able
to place this material in proper form for
the use Of the schools of the state. II so,
We had better close up these institutions
and dismiss the professors. Our word
for it, if the state offers a reasonable
amount of compensation we will find no
trouble in obtaining the books. We
think We can pledge Prot Roberts of
Rochester for one work at least; and
Prot. Campbell OF Hastings for another.
OF course, the moment it becomes evil
dent that the state is moving for relief,
the great publishing houses will fill the
lobby of the legislature with horde of
knaves who will demonstrate beyond a
doubt that the thing is utterly impossir
Bile; thatin all the United States there Il
not the learning or the genius to get up
an arithmetic based on rules that were
known to the Egyptions 1000 years be-