Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-02-14
AN FxcELLENT PRESENTATION

Of the IniqnitD Of the Tert Book JOB.
To the Editor of The GLoBE:
When Ignatius Donnelly, last Friday, in
his speech before the Senate on the text
book law, claimed that the State was dis
graced by their action on the Minnesota rail
road bonds and then spoke of old Selah
Chamberlain and D. D. Merrill hanging
around the chambers begging for remunera-
ton, he put the text book scheme in its
proper light.
The people of the State gave decided
opinion of the old bond swindle last sum
mer, and Mr.. Donnelly has such wholesome
opinion of the voice of the people that he is
not willing to let them have voice on the
text book question; the good people who pay
the taxes do not know their own interest, SO
he will force them to take his text books
whether they will or not.
He wants the law tried for wear or two.
and then if we don't like it repeal it, and re-
imburse the contractor. This. Mr.. Editor.
is just what all this text book legislation ia
for, everything for the contractor, nothing
for the people.
The peoples money is to be taken to give
to the contractor for capital to carry on
business. If we are to be taxed to furnish
one man business capital, why not anoth-
err? 1t is urged that d. D. Merrill
was the means of breaking up the
book ring and that they would spend money
to break his contract with the State. Why
is it that D. Appleton & Co., who heads Mr.
Donnelly's list of members of the book ring
will furnish D. D. Merrill books to break the
ring of which they were the head? Again.
the question is asked if the measure is to be
so beneficial to the people, why not let the
voters at the school meetings decide for
themselves? Oh, they say that would not
produce uniformity in the State; the law it.
self provides against uniformity by exclud-
ing special districts, the very places where
such rule is of more practical use, for there
are more changes by people moving out of
the country into the cities and out of the
cities into the country than there is out of
one part of the country to another in the
State, SO that the uniformity plea won't an
swer.
Mr.. Merrill took the contract under the
law of last winter. If he has any rights UNI
der that law and contract, let him 90 on un-
der it. He has no claim for any other legis-
lation, but he is haunting the Legislative halls
for more, and the amendments this winter
are all in his interest. Next winter we will
see him hanging around again seeking
still further aid till, like the old man of the
sea, he will hang on while there is life left.
The law is unwise in that it tends to Grip
pie the districts in their finances, by divert
ing the moneys from the objects for which
they were raised, and tieing them up even
temporarily from the payment of Just obi
cations; and there is where the law violates
the first article of the constitution, which
says that no law shall be passed impairing
the obligation of contracts.
Under our laws the current school fund is
held solely for the payment of teachers wa
ges and board, and in nearly every district
in the State where school is taught this win
ter, the teacher has a written contract with
the officers, and they are depending on the
spring apportionment to pay for the
winter term of school, but the money is to
be kept from them to invest in school books,
contrary to the provisions of the law when
they made the contract.
Aside from the dangerous precedent the
passage and execution of such law would
prove, it is against the whole spirit of the
constitution, and they have no power under
it to pass such bill.
Article eight makes it the duty of the Leg
islature to establish general and uniform
system of public schools; provides for the
distributing the income arising from the
sale or lease of the school lands in proper
ton to the number of scholars, and that it
should be faithfully applied to the specific
objects of the original grants or appropria-
tions, namely, the use of schools. Section
3 of the same article says that the Legsla-
ture shall make provisions by taxation or
otherwise as with the income arising from
the school fund will secure thorough sys-
TEN of public schools in each township in
the State.
From the foregoing, l think it is plain
that under the constitution no money raised
by authority of the State for school purposes
can be used in payment of textbooks. It
must all 60 into one fund for the mainten-
ance of schools. They cannot touch mon
eys raised by special taxes, for they are levied
for the most part to meet obligations
for building and furnishing school
houses. 4 special State tax might
be levied, entirely independent of the school
fund to supply text books, but would not
that be violating the provision of one of the
amendments which says, "the credit of the
State shall never be given or loaned in aid of
any individual, association or corporation
Gentlemen of the Legislature, please let
our school system alone. For the last 20
years there has not been a session but you
have been tinkering at our school laws, and
for the most part the tinkering has made
them worse, and last winters legislation has
done more harm to our school system than
all the laws of the last ten years have been
beneficial. DANIEL GETTY.
WHITE BEAR, Feb. ~, 1873.
WILLIAM WELSH.