The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1878-02-14

uAcO sAAOy WOutu 10 uOtulu8 Oh TIC
kind. The law did not require It.. Then
ne wrote letters to the county superinten-
dent that II the board of county commits
sloners did not so order they could not
wltnout great responsibility assume to or
DER the books. And in this way they have
arrested the operation of the law, until, as
say, IN hundreds of schools, these books
are now in use by the people of those dis
trlcts being compelled to order these books
directly from Mr.. Merrill, when they
ought to have had them under the opera
tions of the law.
MI. Chairman, let me consider briefly
some of the
OBJECTIONS MADE TO THIS LAW.
Not that concede the right at this time
to consider these objections they ought
to have been made last winter when
the law was passed. They were so made,
and the Legislature considered them of no
moment and passed the law. Until q
proposition comes in to us to repeal the
law and settle on equitable terms with Mr..
Merrill, those objections have no place on
this floor. But, for the sake of the argu-
ment, let me consider them briefly. First,
the objection made by some is that it pro-
duces uniformity in the books used
throughout the State. Well now, Mr..
Chairman, is that an objection? Is it an
objection to the poor man of Dakota coun-
ty 1t he moves to one of our frontier
counties and takes the school books with
him? Is it an objection to
him to find that he can
use these same books in the county of Vel
low Medicine, or the county of Stevens, or
the county OF Martin, or wherever he may
go? Is it not benefit to him? Our pop
ulation is largely nomadic and takes but
slight root upon the soil. Would it be
right for us to say to them. every time
you cross district line you have got to
buy set of books and pay two prices for
them?" Why, Mr.. Burt himself, who has
been the strongest opponent of the execu-
ton of this law, in his speech delivered at
Saltwater before he became superinten-
dent, urged this very policy of uni
formity. Said he: ''Why, State uniform
ity IS desirable; it will save us from the
evil of unwise selections and frequent
changes. Leave the question to teachers
and books would be changed to suit
The notions of every novice in
the work. If parents rule, they will in
sist upon the use of such books as they
happen to have on hand, or can buy at
the low price of obsolescent wares. But
why not leave the selection to each local
board of trustees Because such boards.
to say nothing of the inability of many to
select the books, are too often too weak
to stand the pressure of eager publishers
and their sharp agents. In districts in the
East have known the reading books of
school to be
CHANGED FOUR TIMES IN YEAR.
eff our local boards in rural districts are
above the bribery to which some school
boards In the large cities of other States
have yielded. they are not above the liabil-
ity OF yielding unwisely to the pressure of
agents anxious to introduce their looks. y
No, Mr.. Chairman; here has been the
whole trouble in this Case They have
not" says Mr.. Burt, "becn above the La
bility of yielding to the efforts and infiu-
ence of agents. These influences have
been IN many instances corrupt. l know
of one instance in this State where a man
held the office of county superintendent.
went into it poor and came out of it com
paratiyely rich; and the school books,
or some Of them, were changed every six
months. l have seen letters addressed to
a county superintendent wherein agents
cunningly throw out the suggestion
that if they would op-
pose this Merrill law there
was fifty per cent discount They didn't
say in SO many words "You shall have
that" but shrewd man reading it would
understand it; and hence in very many
parts of this State we have found the
county superintendent fighting this law
because 1t cut off their profits. We saw
the other day, the
COUNTY SUPERINTENDENT OF HENNEpIN
COUNTY
going over into Shakopee to secure agents
TO peddle petitions for the repeal of this
law;-he, an officer under oath to execute
this law, goes outside Of his own county
to prepare thunder bolts to be used here
against the law he was sworn to execute.
No reason is given why uniformity is not
a benefit. In some of our schools they have
the books all mixed up-different kinds
seven readers lave been used in the same
school room at the same time. We want
to do away with this. The objection OF
uniformity is really to every intelligent
mind q recommendation.
What is the second obiections Why.
when we assembled here the air was full OF
clamor, because these book agents and
their serviceable tools had filed our ho-
tells, had flooded the Hobbies, had loaded
down the newspapers with their editorials
and comments What was one Of their
great objections! Why they said ''If you
leave the law the way it is the school dis
trict clerks may run away with the books"
Laughter. These books are suppos-
ed to average about twenty five dollars to
each district clerk. Now it does NOT
seem to me that an average
Minnesota citizen would rum away with
50 small an amount a. that. We might
hesitate to trust him with a larger sum.
but twenty-five dollars isn't enough.
Laughter. But Mr.. Chairman, we
meet that objection in the pending bill
ia the amendments that have been adopted
toit. We provide that the district clerk
shall give bonds in IN amount to be fixed
by the school-board, and his bondsmcn %
be approved by them, and the bond to he
regularly fled This disposes Of thas OBJ
lection.
In the second place the clamor WA
nised that under this law,
THE COUNTIES WOULD Lose MONEY!.
Il was clear enough that the State had to
pay Mr.. Merrill, aud il was clear enough
that the counties had to pay the State
But said these men, "The counties viii
never get their money back"
Now We have met that objection in thi,
bill. We provide that the school district
fund r1ised by taxAtion shall Be responsible
% the county until that amount Il made
M. Thnt ends th01 0biec4jOn,