Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-10-20
AN EXPOSE.
HOW THE PEOPLE ARE SWINDLED
BIZ PUBLISHERS.
The Farce of :. Open Composition
Startling Disclosures Some
Facts for the People.

there is no such thing as "open competi-
| Jon" That few months ago there may
have been competition arising out of rival
nv among publishers that was possibly in
furious to them and sheared all hands of
| fair profits while it resulted in fraud and
corruption. While this existed they sent
men and money to this coast, bought up
public influences, corrupted educators,
| bribed officials and in various ways oper-
| ated to force books upon the people against
! their will
But THE TINE CAME
| When this system of corruption grew too
| expensive and dangerous; too many men
were aware of the methods employed, and,
as we have said, the competition became so
bitter under it as to reduce book publishing
| to the minimum of profit. At that point
| the proposed amendment to the Constitu-
ton of California began to be discussed, by
| which the State would print her own school
books and sell them to theepeople at cost.
This was alarming to the Eastern publish
ers, and they set about to defeat it by fair
means or foul. 1t is somewhat remarkable
that Just about this time q large number OF
teachers came out in opposition to the
amendment. We do not propose to impugn
their motives They certainly have been
deceived. Still it remains true that at their
annual association meeting they passed
whole yard long" of resolutions directed
against the amendment. If the publishers
had paid cash down for an argument against
the effort of California to get out of the
giants grip they could not have secured
| e,rpn>fup cIrOmrNc
1t was fine thing for them TO have the
teachers of California, in Convention as
sembled, stand up for the wealthy houses
and aid them i'll keeping fast hold of the
hen that laid the golden egg. Whether
the teachers were party to any wrong or
conscious of the work they were doing or
not, it is perfectly certain that the effect of
their action was precisely what the Eastern
publishers desired. We believe that the
teachers were innocent in the matter, as a
mass, but have the moral conviction that
| some leaders among them were not guile
less, but used the body as cat s-paw to
rake Eastern chestnuts from the California
| hearth. We are prepared to substantiate
all that now follows. Denial of it need
not be attempted, for the proof at hand is
| certainty, and whoever ventures to cOntrO-
vert it will find himself discounted. The
| information of which we are possessed is
the result of variety of researches. The
Eastern publishers will do great injustice
to their agents and correspondents if they
charge them with any breach of faith. The
| facts at our command constitute structure
! of proof that has been built up little by
little, of logical conclusions from unde-
niable premises. The California Teachers
| Convention by resolution declared that the
| true system for the State to adopt is that of
availing of the
| OPEN COMPETITION
Existing between publishers, by which this
people can secure the best books at the best
rates. For the present the sole purpose
will be to show the hollowness of this plea
We allege that there is, with one eXcep-
ton, no open competition.
That the people are DISTRACTED in secur-
ing the best books at the best rates
That most Of the Eastern publishers have
combined together to prevent competition.
That talent in the book-making line is
crippled and at the mercy of ,publishers
| In the early days of February last a
school book publishers syndicate was
formed at the East, and by the first days of
March these firms had entered into the
| combination Iveson, Brakeman, Taylor &
| Co, Van Antwerp, Bragg Il Co.. d. Apple
| ton & Co. 4. S. Barnes & Co, Z. H Butler
& Co, J. B. Lippincott e. Co., Sheldon &
| Co, Clark d Maynard, Prang Educational
| Company. CHM, Heath Co, Leach,
SheweH q Sanborn, Cowperthwalte d Co,
Iaintor Bros Merrill q 20, University
Publishing Company, Sewer, Potts & Co,
Potter IL Ainsworth, Thompson, Brown &
Co.
SOME OF THESE FIRMS
Refused, at first to enter into the ring and
they did so finally in the last days of grace,
ONLY to save themselves from the combined
power and great capital of the ring firms
which determined to crush out and ruin
the business of any one refusing to be
party to the agreement With their hordes
of agents and vast array of correspondents.
with their power over retailers throughout
the length and breadth of the land, and
VINO are IN most cases, at tleir mercy, they
%ould DC Apic 70 1llFe, ana aiu ana 90
threaten 10 erlve' me Pu9lcatlohs OF an
VINO refuse, rom the i1arke'' assam thelr
crfSt anu tnus l[ac,cally oloG men en- out:
enter lto IIie scheie ana so lar as Is now
| known sun remain out IheSe are liar
per Bros Jones " Co., Porter coates, A
l.. bancroft "Co.
POWER OF THE RING.
| Itmust be borne in mind that tbe fore
GOING lists embrace tbn lna1ino bonsas IN
| the United States that publish school
| books and that they practically emil brace in |
their power the whole school-book busi-
ness. Ostensiblv this combination was
made to prevent rlinous connection among
| publishers. and that far no ono will denY
! the propriety of the act The peonle do |
NOT wish nublisbers 10 nublisb Of q Ioss~
they are willing and exnect then. 70 make |
| fair profits: but they demand thai these |
| shall rest mon tbe hosts Of yyortb and bor~
EST comnetition What tbe,, ob;ect 70 i
| bribery corruntiop and fro,Id ;ytnrforo,,no |
with Boards of Fdncatin' Teoc 1j,, 49,
r;ations and the lilo and ,,,,sn,,r,,li9,,s
metbods If earI,r;,,, %, tL
adonf;on IF ~ ~. ~ eal.r,5 o,It
Of he rno+ ever boMSo =, !, III 5, ogi ne
80 = - ''"-'o y
ihoN -olAD RULES.
Flrst-Not to seek directly, by agent,
circular or other influence, to dispiacc any
book in any school, published by any of
the houses IN the ring.
Second-Not to oppose any such book
upon any ground.
Third-Not to point out the errors ofany
such book
Fourth-To present for adoption no other
book, no matter how much better.
Fltth-Not to offer any book upon its
merits or otherwise as against an inferior [
or other book already In use.
SlVt1-1hpV nprrglittnI n DIV r,rinac |