The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1878-02-14
The Minnesota Textbook Law.
Speech of the Hon. Egnatius Don.
nelly, in the minnesota Sen
ate, February 6, 1873.

In the Senate of the State of Minnesota
Wednesday forenoon, February 9th, 1878
the Senate sitting in Committee of the
Whole, had under consideration Sen
ator Halls bill, amending
the so-called Merrill Text Book
T. Law of 1877, Hon. l. Donnelly
Senator from Dakota county, addressed the
committee as follows:
MIR. CHAIRMAN: Before proceeding te
any amendment or discussion Of the bill
IN detail, desire to say few words OF a
general nature upon the subject.
Wtsare told in the book of Job that
when that great man was Boosting of the
good deeds he had performed, among
them that he enumerated he made this
statement: THAT he had broken the jaws
of thes oppressor and plucked the spoil
one of the strongest expressions
in Holy Writ; he had broken
the jaws of the oppressor, tor nothin g
less than the absolute breaking of the jaw
could make the oppressor let go his hold;
and he had pluckcd the spoil from between
his teeth.
am reminded of this passage when
consider
THE HISTORY OF THE SCHOOL BOOK LEGIs-
TON,
which has been pending in this body and
in the other house for four Years. For
two successive sessions bill for this pur-
pose passed the Senate and was defeated
IN the House. On each occasion book
agents and their tools and employees tlocked
20 the capitol and defeated the bill in the
House. At length. last session, the bill
passed the Senate by large majority
| think with but three or four dissenting
votes; it went to the House and after a
fierce conflict, lasting some weeks, passed
that branch Of the Legislature. That hill
contained its own justification upon its
own face. 1t fixed not only the price Of
The books. but it embalmed in our statute
book for I'll time statement Of what
THE PRICES OF THOSE BOOKS HAD BEEN,
so that those who came after us would see
the justification for what might be con-
sidered extraordinary legislation. "The
prices to be paid by the State for the above
named text books" says the law, ''shall
be, the Speller. not to exceed
fifteen cents; the present price
is twenty-five cents; the First Reader not
TO exceed ten cents; tho present price is
twenty cents; the Second Reader not to
exceed twenty cents; the present price is
fory-tvc cents; the Third Reader not to
exceed thirty cents; the present price
is sixty cents; the Fourth Reader not to
exceed forty cents; the present price is
ninety cents,' and so on throughout the
entire list
Here, say, Mr.. Chairman, was the JUS
tification,
EMBALMED FOR POsTERITY,
upon which this important legislation was
based. 1t grew out of great necessity.
There had been formed in the East com
bination of the booksellers. have here a
quotation from the very able speech made
at the last session of this body by Senator
Lienau, from a pamphlet produced
upon this floor, being the constitution and
bylaws of the school book BOARD of
Trade or in other words the
SCHOOL, BOOK RING;
in which he gave II list OF the names of
the different booksellers who had bound
themselves under heavy bonds to a certain
combination. / hose Trims We're:
ID. Appleton & Co.,
A. s. Barnes d Co.,
Brewer IL Tileston,
j. III. Butler IL Co.,
Clark IL Maynard,
Collins & Brothers,
Cowperthwaite Il Co.,
and SO on;-a long list, as one can see
printed in this report of Mr.. Lienau's
speech, which hold in my hand.
THE BYLAWS OF THIS BOOK RING
provide among other things: First
That every member of the Ring
must announce his retail prices
and send list Of them to the
secretary of the Ring. Secondly. That
no member is allowed to furnish books for
the first introduction at u greater discount
than 33 Is per cent, and after that at not
more than 20 per cent. discount. Any
member of the Ring who attempts to in
troduce his books and sells them at lower
figures is brought before the arbitration
committee and held to pay three times the
retail price of the books displaced by
him.
Now here, the Senators will perceive,
was
THE ROOT OF THE WHOLE TROUBLE.
This powerful combination, comprising all
the book sellers of any magnitude in this
country, bound themselves solemnly en-
tered into bonds with one another, that
they should not sell books to the people
for less than 33 per cent. discount below
their retail prices. Now the retail prices
are the prices named in the law passed last
winter-prices which are discounted in
that law some SIS or 90 per cent; prices
which they bound themselves not to dis
count more than 80 Is per cent, and then
only for the first introduction, and not
more than % per cent. thereafter. II they
did go below those prices then they had q
board of arbitration agreed upon, and this
iron. bound combination brought the
guilty party before them and
Tor that attempt at competition
he was to be punished by being made to
paw three times the retail price of the
books he had displaced.
FOR YEARS THE ENTIRE AMERICAN
stood powerless in the hands Of this gigan-
tic cor operation. From Maine to CAlifor.
nia,-wherever there was public school
throughout this great country-shis ring
dominated the people. There was nc
competition possible: ii the State at
tempted TO GET cheap books under the Id.
miuistration of . superintendent Of pub.
lie Instruction, what did this ring do
Did they lid against escL ether No