St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-12-31
DISCUSSING A CHESTNUT.
County superintendent Wax Wordy
nuar tho Sr,ra Tayf Rock Law.


The county superintendent, notwlth-
standing their organization had adjourned
on the previous evening, held session yes
.erday afternoon, and discussed state text
books and the law regulating their use for
IN hour or so. Supt. Wraaman of Henne-
pin county objected to being singled out as
the only kicker against the law, although
ne had rather taken the lead recently by an
attempt to test its legality. There were
thirteen other superintendent who had OBJ
iected as strongly as he had. Mr.. Wraa-
man said there was something behind the
legislation regarding the supply OF books.
1t was a scheme TO put some hundreds OF
dollars into the pockets of ID. ID. Merrill.
Mr.. Sperry said that the superintendent had
considerable authority in the matter OF how
many text books were needed. AT present
there are quantities of state text books lying
around loose, and nobody had any use for
them. He had cut down the estimates III
mis- county from about 81. 200 to $500. MI.
Merrill had commended his economy. but
mad thought he had better keep up his estl-
mates. The state law was fraud. dis
grace to the school system OF the state, an
outrage on the school children. There were
laws that regulated this question
that antidated the Merrill contract.
However, he supposed the griev-
ance would have to be endured
some ten or fifteen years longer. Mr..
Sperry closed by moving that the sympathy
of the association of county Superintend-
snts be extended to Supt. Wraaman in his
efforts to test the cOnStitutiOnality of the
Merrill textbook law. Supt. Engstrom
said that if the supreme court decided the
in, lNrooO1onfS
favor it would be worse for the schools than
it is now. The superintendent of Wash
ington county said, had he been in Mr..
Wraaman's place. he would have taken the
matter at once before the county commits
Sioners and would not have issued
THE FIRST REQUIsITIoN
until the board had authorized him. Supt.
Wraaman said the commissioners had moth
ing to do with the question. The law pre-
scribes that the superintendent shall issue
the requisition. That settles it. Quite a
warm discussion followed as to the question
at issue, from which it appeared that there
were some misunderstanding on the part of
some Of the superintendent as to the mean
ing of the law. After it had been explained
and several of the superintendent had eX-
tended sympathy to Mr.. Wraaman, that
gentleman said he did not want sympathy
particularly. People in Hennepin county
were able to paddle their own canoe pretty
we'll He wanted to know what could be
done to get rid of the odiOus law. He be-
lieved that the case was not yet settled.
Supreme courts and attorney generals
sometimes reOpened cases. He wanted to
see some action that looked toward way
put of the difficulty.
Mr.. Engstrom said he believed in giving
everybody his due, and as Mr.. MerrilPS
agent was present, he would like to hear his
story and perhaps get additional light on
the question. Chairman Cowing thought
all the discusSian would count for nothing.
The law was on the statute books and the
superintendent were sworn officers of the
law. For himself, he had begun his fight
ing before the law was passed, and that, in
his opinion, was the time to have settled it,
He did not like the law. and he had alway S
expressed himself to that effect and he
always would. Mr.. Wraaman said ne
wanted to find out how the boys stood, If
they did not like the books let them say so;
if they did, if they were Mr.. Merril's
friends, let them say that, and send it out
over the state that they had no grievance
against the law. After some filibustering
and varied expression as to whether OF
not Supt. Wraaman was entitled to the
sympathy of the association, the meeting
was somewhat abruptly adjourned, without
taking any action.