Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-02-23

be of advantage to our State. A law in
which personal benefits are made paramount
to the public good will not be willingly
obeyed.
A law In which individual advantages are
made paramount to the cause of popular
education and the general interest of those
it purports to benefit through our educational
system is disgrace to the State of Min
neSOta.
EDUCATIONAL MEN OPPOSE IT.
If this Merrill textbook law was designed
for the good of our public schools, the elu-
cational men of our State have not SO in
terpreted it, The educators and managers
of our free schools h convention assembled.
modestly, but distinctly, pronounced this law
a mistake in legislation.
For this moderate declaration of opposi-
ton, these educational men have been de-
nounced as opposers of law, INSTRUCTORS of
its operations, and for this they have been
charged with having been bought up by the
''school book ring" If any school book
ring can buy the educational men of our
State, they viii acquire truly valuable
purchase.
HAsTY LEGISLATION.
lnlS text book law was deliberately pre-
pared. The scheme was carefully matured.
but it was hastily passed last winter. If it
is mistake in legislation, it is one of those
kinds of mistakes which inexperienced law
makers sometimes make, when honesty of
purpose and careless Indifference have been
captured and utilized by the more design
ing. It has proved to be mistake which
disgraces the educational system of our
Sfotn I'LL.
people we here represent.
1t matters not whether this law was passed
by honest, oyer-zealous economists. believ-
ers in the omnipotent power of a
State Legislature, to correct by en-
actment all fancied wrongs and dis
abilities of the people they represent,
or whether this became law through the
efforts of political aspirants, lobbied by
scheming spectators; the representatives of
the people were assembled, more through un-
accountable influences some mistaken ideas
of retrenchment and reform, induced to en-
act a law which lowers the standard of edu-
cation, and which has made the people of
our state dupes of most ingenious swindle.
This may be considered a very grave as
sertion. It is indeed very serious question
to be considered.
The educational men of our State have
shown to us that the effects which will fol-
low the enforcement of this law will be to
wrong the children of our public schools out
of part of the educational advantages
which they have possessed, and which right
fully belong to them. Are we not censurable
if we refuse to correct these mistakes of
hasty, credulous legislation?
sWINDLING.
Is not the State made party, through
this contract, with Daniel d. Merrill, in
wronging, E(swindling is not too strong an ex-
presslon,) swindling its people financially
and educationolly, when we attempt to COM
pei the people, by enforcement of that law,
through the enactment of this supplement
tary bill, to pay tribute to this broker or
contractor, Merrill, for textbooks which are
not wanted in our public schools; when, un-
der the pretense of economy, we compel the
officers of State, county and district, who
are part of the machinery of our public
school system, to perform the duties of re-
tailers of school books, while all the profits
arising from these sales for the next fifteen
years, are exclusively appropriated to the
individual benefit of Daniel D. Merrill, his
personal representatives OF assigns?
During the same period of time, all the
losses and expense arising from these sales
to the public schools, are to be assumed by
the State, are to be taken from our State
and county treasures, are to be paid by the
people Of the State through direct taxation.
The educational standard of the books
supplied by the contractor was provided for
by the originators of this law, was furnished
by Mr.. Merrill with a view to individual in
terest, and not for the educational advant-
ages they possess.
The merits of these textbooks have been
quite extensively discussed by the State SUI,
perintendent of public instruction and the
educators of our State; who without doubt,
are better qualified to judge of their educa-
tional value than we are.
They almost unanimously pronounce the
State textbooks inferior to the school books
now in common use in our State; that their
value will not increase by fifteen years con-
standard provided in this law.
THE WAR ON BURT.
The State superintendent of public
instruction, in his annual report, has ex-
pressed an opposition to the effects of this
law upon the public schools of our State.
The efforts of the friends of this text
book scheme to crush him, to injure his
reputation and influence, because of his un-
finching stand in opposition to an unlawful
use of our public school system, for the per
sonal advantages of the contractor, through
this defective and, at present, imperative
law, will, in the not distant future, be con
demned by every friend of popular educa-
| ton.
Those who had been long familiar with his
honesty Of purpose, and his earnast zeal in
! the cause of popular education, are not sur
prised that he manfully and boldly, in his
public duties and in his private capacity, de-
tends his charge; resists the oppression and
injustice this law inficts on the schools
which are to him sacred trust, and which
! he would at some risk save from the threat
ened degradation.
Much as the friends of our state superin
tendent admire and appreciate the strong
mental powers he possesses, they are not viii
ling to hatter him with the compliment tina
| by his viii alone. he has defeated the opera
tons Of this law, or that the county super
intendents and educators of our State schools
are controlled by his dictation in maxim,
out their annual reports in which opinion
are expressed Objectionable to this law.
| This annual report of our State Superin
tendent should have been thoroughly ex
amined by every member of the House befor
taking action on this bill under considera
ton, in order that we might have the opin
ions of those whose experience in schoo
books are Of greater value than the decision
of an interested contractor, OF the partia
friends of his scheme.
This House recently appropriated a sum
estimated at not less than $500, for tn
printing Of $4,000 copies of the report Q
the text book commission, which cucumber
our desks, and is Of little value to US in con
sidering this question.
GOVERNING MOTIVES.
We each have motives which govern Oh