The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1877-04-26
WHOLE NO. l46

several years for any book dealer or
publisher to bid to furnish cheap books,
Mr.. Merrill is the first and only one who
has made such bid.
In the meantime the price of school
books had renamed at ext0rtionate fig
ures, and when an effort was made by,
the Legislature, as it had been for three
years past, to break the Ring and stop
the work of plumber. every school book
publisher and nearly every school book
seller, has entered the list to defeat the
measure. And now they complain that
they did not have chance to make 3
bidlower then Mr.. MerrilI's! Bah!! NA
Moreover, the Merrill bill was pending
in the last Legislature for weeks before it
became law. Why did not some Of
these honest publishers put in formal,
bid at that time lower than the bid pre-
sented by Mr.. Merrill? II they had
done SO they would certenly have receiv--
ed the contract.
What the book publishers wanted was
that the Legislature should adjourn
without making a contract with any
one; and then would have taken their
chances of inducing Mr.. M, to make no
bid, or in some other way have defeated
the object in view.
II. Do the strue laws of trade" require
people to sit with folded hands and
permit gigantic book Ring to plumber
them indefinitely? Is that 1.-The spirit Of
the constitutions" IF it is we had better
abolish the constitution and run the
State on the bylaws.
LII. The books to be furnished by
Mr.. Merrill must be satisfactory to the
commission named, consisting Of the
State Superintendent of Education, and
two of the most eminent educators in
Minnesota AYE not the people as likely
under that system. to get good books a.
they would be if we leave the matter as
heretofore to the, POSSIBLY corrupt,)
judgment Of every country superinten>
dent or town board of aducatione
/ w. But the last reason given is uni.
que.
/ because it puts upon the people
much greater expense and diverts the
school fund from its Legitimate source
Think Of thatP It puts the people to
"much greater expense" to pay 81 90 for
book then it would to pay s2.0O!H
1T diverts the school fund from its le-
gitimate source" How? The books are
paid for by the parents OF the pupils !;
the parents of the pupils have paid for
them always. heretofore. The only diff.
/ ference is that hereafter they will only
} pay half as much. How is the school
fund affected by that changer What
great fundamental right OF man, what
occult hidden principle Of constitutional
! government is shaken to its centre by
I permitting poor tax>ridden citizen to
purchase books at half pricea Come,
, speak out, Ravens; and tell the people
, precisely the wrong inflicted upon them.
so that they may rise in bloody revolution
!. : in defence of their sacred right to be
plundered,
But Ravens says that the Merrill con-
tract is = monopoly. So Is the public
school system. So is government. So
is the administration Of justice. So ID
I the postal service. Haven cant open a
i private school and draw part OF theschool-
I fund. He cant establish village govern
: nent in opposition to law. He CAM
constitute himself court of Justice.
/ He cant undertake to carry letters.
The fact is Ravens is himself gigantic
little monopoly. He is county super,
= intendent of education for Rice county,
/, detected, we are sorry to say, by the
r greenbackers.1 and no body else can sci
!; himself up as county superintendent in
; that county. Is not this in opposition
}, to ''the spirit of the constitution" Ars
not the pupils Of the county thus con
!. fined" to one county superintendent and
. "barred from advantages ofthe improved
d systems ofother county superintendentse'
n Does not this 'screate monopoly of the
= very worst character by bestowing the
! right Of" (acting as county superinten-
/, dent) "upon one man to the exclusion Of
n all others?n And does not Ravens do
e all this for 1.-THE perquisitess" Yes;
: verify.
: And il the Legislature has the righl
/ to furnish poor superintendent to thl
e schools has It not the right to furnish
them good books7 In what respect dor
: high-priced Ravens, bound il cali, dff
Ter from low priced geography bound
~ in papsrs