The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1882-09-29
THE INFAMOUS SCHOOL BOOK Law.
Shall it be Repealed?

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Mary people are looking forward
to the action of the present l.,gisla-
ture quite anxionSlv to learn whether
Or not they will take any steps in the
direction of expunging from our
statute books the infamous school
book law. For the last several years
during the numerous political.cam
paigns this question has been thor
oughly canvaSsed and in some man
ner embodied in most of the county
platforms. In the last republican
county platform tor this county a
plank was therein inserted d, mand-
ing "the unconditional repeal of tina,
law" At the same time the demo
cratic platform had clause announc-
ing that said school book law should
be amended The effect of such law
ever since the passage in the first in
stance has been TO COMPEL the par
cnts of poor children to be continually
buying books Of different kinds in
order that they might have the kind
to conform with the uniform series
when they had already got school
books sni also when the parents were
! hardly able to board and clothe such
children during the time they were
going to school. Another effect it
has had in many instances was to
prevent many children of poor par
en.s from going to school when they
found they We're not able to supply
the legalized kind of books
The fact of adopting certain specified
kinds of books by an act of the legis
lature has also induced companies
who made them to put in a poor class
of material, making the mechanical
part of the book so poor that many
of the books would, with the care or
ainarily exercised by many school
children, fall to pieces in a very few
weeks, thus necessitaling the pur-
chase of new BOOKS. The class of
books used in Oregon before such
law was passed was much better
made mechanically. And the mat
ter which they contained, in many
instances, was better The benefits
of such a law is to permit some large
company to legally rob the people
.nd also to favor school teachers who
are more noted for laziness than ell
ergy ani ability in teaching. A
school teacher who cannot teach
from any book placed before him is
unworthy of the name and would
make better ploughman or an axe
man than school teacher, in the item
of laziness did not interfere. To
amend the present law would C
additional burden upon the pco pie in
requiring them to purchase snch new
books AS the amendment required.
Every time it is amended causes an
additional burden to the people and
affords an opportunity for book
companies to make another stea!
from the patrons of schools. The
amendment of the law only means to
perpetuate the burden upon the peo-
pie from time to eternity
The man who takes part in legisla.
tion to prevent or throw obstacles
around our system of free schools is
an enemy to .sour free republican
institutions. The Benton county re-
publican members of the Legislature
and many others from other parts Of
the state, are pledged to "lhe uncon-
ditional repeal of the present school
bood frand" and time will tell wheih-
er that appreciable good to the peo-
pie shall be accomplished or not, or
the loby in the interests of
The sale of the books can longer pre-
vent :he peoples will from being &C