Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-01-29
THE BILL FOR THE BENEFIT OF
TILE TEXT ROCK CONTRACTOR.

THE BILL FOR THE BENEFIT OF
THE TEXT BOOK CONTRACTOR.
A more careful examination of the bill Of
fered by Senator Hal, land published in The
GLOBE day or two since,) to make the
school text book law operative, shows that it
is one of the shrewdest pieces of legislative
engineering on record.
AS our White Bear correspondent inti-
mated, the so called Merrill law has been
dead letter, because the Governor felt it his
duty to veto the estate School Tax bill, and
now it is proposed to put life into it by
means of the supplementary bill above refer
red to.
There is some doubt whether the passage
of Mr.. Halls bill would give them the right
to any and all money in the treasury, as
Mr.. Getty suggests, but there is not the
slightest doubt that it will give them all of
the revenue derived from what is known as
the one-mill tax.
According to the eighteenth annual report
of the Superintendent of Public Instruction,
the amount of the one mill tax for last year
was 5000, 836.74, and if the district clerks
think that snch quantity Of books will be
needed in any one year, the entire amount of
this fund, upward of two hundred thousand
Collars, can be taken to pay for the same.
It is fact that many districts rely upon
the proceeds of the one mill tax and the
fund to keep their schools running, for the
same report shows that nearly one-third of
all the districts in the State levied last year
no special tax for school purposes.
Now, in order to subserve the interests of
the contractor and his partners, it is coolly
proposed to seize upon this two hundred
thousand dollars, thus making sure that the
State books are paid for, whether the schools
are kept open, or have to be closed for lack
of money to buy fuel and pay teachers.
Is it not enough to compel the people to
take these books and pay for them when
bought, without attempting to force the
whole amount in a lump from the county
treasures, and that, too, before even one
book has gone into the schools:
It will not do to say that this money il
only borrowed, and it is expected that it will
be replaced in the district treasures from
the sale of books to the children. If the
contractor thinks this would be done with
out loss, or delay, and if he has
any confidence in either his low
prices or the merits of his books
common sense would lead him t.
say ~ am willing to take my chances agains
the world without any State law to back me
because know that have the best books
at the lowest prices and therefore the people
will sustain me.'' Instead of this he and al
interested are planning to devise cast-iro1
law:
First-To compel district clerks to MAKE
estimates.
Second-To compel County Superintend
ents to make acquisitions upon the Stat
Superintendent.
Third To compel the State Superintend
ent to make acquisitions upon the contractor
for books, and transmit the same to Count,
Auditors.
Fourth-To compel County Auditors t,
transmit the books to the several school dis
tricts of his county.
Fifth-To compel the State Treasurer t
pay for the books as soon as delivered by tn
contractor.
Sixth-To compel county treasurers 10 p
the State Treasurer ''out of any moneys be
longing or payable to school districts arising
from taxation then in his hands or whic]
thereafter may come to his hands,
Seventh compel district clerks to re
ceive and sell the books, and turn over tn,
money under penalty of fine and imprison
ment.
Eighth-Last and more than all to compe
the people to use the books for fifteen years