The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1876-03-16

pared. 1t should then let the printing to
the lowest bidder after advertising in
the leading papers Of st. Paul, Chicago
and New York, The books when prin-
ted were to be divided among the sever
al counties in accordance with the num-
Der of scholars in each. The county
was to pay the state the actual cost price
OF the books and to divide them among
the school districts, deducting the price
thereof in its next settlement with the
school district; and the school district
was to place them in the hands OF the
teachers to sell, at the actual cost price,
to the pupils. No money was to be
drawn from the state treasury until
March, 1877, by which time the state
would have been reimbursed by the
counties.
Without one dollar of outlay the state
could thus furnish the pupils with books
at one-fourth the present price, and vet
the House defeated the bill, by the fol-
lowing vote.
S. Fl. No. 3l6. A bill to provide uniform and
cheap textbooks for the public schools of thi,
state. $
Wasread the third time, and put upon it
final passage,
The question being taken ON the passage of
the bill, there were yeas 48, and nays 80, as fol-
lows:
Those who voted in the affirmative were
Messrs. Allen, Boyum, Broken, Brink,
Burgess, Chase, Clark, Cleary, Curtis, Dunbar,
Earl, Erickson Frederick, Gerlich, Gibbs, Gil.
illan, Gilman, Gish, Gleason, Good, Goulet,
Hall, Klosterman, Kruger, Lamb, Lunkenhei-
mer, Middleton, ,Mellen, ,More. Mott, Noble, ,Oakes,
Onstine, Osborne, Rathbun, Richter, Robbins,
Ryan, Sheeley, Siebenaler, Sons, Stinchfeld,
Stone, Sullivan, Tunell, Walrath, Webber,
and Wedge.
Those who voted in the negative were
Messrs. Anderson, Bassett, Bennett, Braw-
ley, Burnap, Calender, Campbell, ,IComs.ock,
Conrad, Covert, Crooks, Cults, Dsming,
GG GlS1sr HEss Hsnss;, nae5ak eIea asn
Jacobson, James, Jones, Mcdonnell, McNelley,
Msrston, Morse, Murray H., Murray w. r.,
Nelson, Norrish, Northrup, Petit, Plaisance,
Potter, Reid, Skinner, Southland, Stanchield,
| Tirrell, Wait, Webb. Westman, White, Whi-
ting. Whitney, and Mr.. Speaker.
Now it may be that some of these gen.
tlemen who voted mo" were deceiv-
ed by the overflowing lobby of book
agents. Ii SO we trust they will exam
inc into the merits of the measure and
take sides with the people before next
fall.
The Chicago Times of the 9th inst,
refers to the bill in terms Of high praise
and adds:
1t will be seen that the provisions Of this bill
are essentially the same as OF the law Of this
selling the revised statutes. The effect Of that
enactment was to cut down the price of much
needed book from Sl2, what the law-b0ok
publishers wanted to sell it for, to 81, the
| price at which it is now sold through the coun-
ty clerks.
We cannot do better than quote
still further from the same article.
No subject at present is receiving 80 much
consideration in educational circles Is the cost
Of text books for use in public schools. It is
| admitted on all sides that the present prices
are excessive, If not extortionate. Even pub
fishers admit that the prices Of their books are
very high but they affirm that a large proper
| ton of their apparent profits are swallowed up
| by agents who are employed to introduce the
books and by the various dealers that stand be-
tween them and the purchasers. Parents with
apparent justice complain that the state or To-
| cal school boards prescribe the textbooks to
be used in schools but provide no way by
which they can be obtained on reasonable
| terms.
| Every intelligent parent has observed that
while school books diminish in size year BY
year thev increase in An inverse ratio in price,
A few years ago geography OF three or four
hundred pages contained much descriptive and
/, historical matter, with an accompanying atlas.
| which contained number Of statistical tables.
making them very useful books Of reference in
the family after they had been used in schools.
were sold for one dollar. Most Of the school
Biographies are Of the size Of the old atlas,
having the text on one page and the maps on
another and containing hardly any statistics,
tables, or other matter that make them useful
az books Of reference, and are retailed At two
dollars Per copy.
| Most will admit that the cost of the first pro-
duction and the multiplication Of books has
| diminished during the past twenty years.
Still the prices are constantly increasing.
There is scarcely . book used in the public
schools in this STATE or city that contains =
much matter as = single issue Of the Saturday
or SUNDAY Times Still the books sell Tar
from one to two dollars per COPY and the pa
pers for five c~nB. Tbs books are mainly
warmed over' matter Obtained 1t slight cost
| BY the publishers. while the Iapsss consist of
original matfer specially Prepared and much
At An immense expense The books once pre-
pared may BE- multiplied indefinitely. but the
| papen must be prepared every day. The tyne.
sitting and press-work for school books can be
done 1t pleasure, bht these operations on
morning paper mast Be done af night and be
attended thereby with additional coz, Il nav
be nid that the newspaper contains advsr-
tisements that help pay the expense 81 psoduc-
| ing il, but II d also true that nearly eyerv
| school book c0n1Ains several pages Of publi.h-
er's advertisements, while many Of them con-
| tain cuts Of manufacturing and other estab-
| lishments, m;snzmed illustrations, whose IN.
! sertions are paid for It liberal rates. lit coets
large amount Of money to introduce school
book, il costs much larger amount to secure
newspaper circulation
The rsasons why there has hsen no reform in
the matter of the price of school books are oh
viOus. Every educational journal in the conn
try is pnbliShsd by some school book Nrm- a.
relies on the advertisements of school hooks
for supper Most Of the men who hon nor-
nal sch obs are authors Or compiIers of school