Sacramento daily record-union., 1888-10-04
SCHOOL BOOKS.
Further Developments in the Matter Ex-
posed at the Monday Night Meeting.

Further Developments in the Matter Ex-
posed at the-Monday Night Meeting.
The talk of the entire town yesterday
was the sale of the school textbooks. Why
parents should pay from twenty-five cents
to 81 so more for books on street than
they could be purchased for at the State
Capitol, seemed to agitate the public mind
all over the city. 1t was understood
that Sacramento was to get the books
cheaper than any other town in the
State, owing to the fact that there was
neither freight ncr postage to be paid,
but as one indignant taxpayer expressed it
Yesterday, Sacramento children pay as
much as they do in San Diego or
Siskiyou and the Sacramento book dealers
reap q richer reward than those of any
other town in California. This, too in the
face of the fact that the Board of Educa-
ton gave it out in their meetings, and it
was so stated by the press, that all dealers
in this city would sell at the State COST
Director Martin came to this office yes
terday and stated that the statement made
by him before the Board on Tuesday even
ing, and which was published in yester-
days RECORD UNION, was substantially
what he said, but the language was not quite
as strong as he employed, for he wanted
il distinctly understood that he regarded
the whole matter as an outrage, unwar-
ranted and premeditated. In his statement
that night he said that Mr.. Houghton told
him that he had sold the books at the price
agreed upon aud no other. He had found
out since, however, and even Mr.. Hough-
ton admitted it, that this was untrue; that
after the first half day that dealer also put
the books up to the retail dealers price,
and had made this unwarranted over
| charge. He also wished TO say that Mr..
Morris, whom he had stated had stood BY
the agreement with the Board, had gone
back upon it, and there was not a single
dealer in the town but had united in the
swindle upon the people in the increased
price for books.
Some who complain of the imposition
and swindle perpetrated upon them in hav-
| ing to pay the increased price for books, u
as dissatisfied head of family last even
| ing expressed it, blame the Board of Edu-
cation for having the announcement made
| that books can be obtained at cost price
| from any of the booksellers This state.
ment, they say. misled them, and before
| they knew it they had been charged and
| had paid the increased price imposed upon
them.
| The Board, however, state positively that
they nad the announcement made upon
| the basis of fact; that they had an agree
n,ent with the booksellers that they would
sell at cost price. This statement
would seem to be conclusively
substantiated in the minds Of
any Judge or jury, as to most
| of the book houses, at least, by the fact
that they admit they sold the State books
the first half day or more, at cost price
and then raised to the higher figures. Now
| if there was not an agreement to sell al
cost price, any candid observer will wish to
know how it happened that all whom the
the Board claims it had an agreement with
| commenced uniformity to sell at cost price,
and maintained these rates for time. and
then jumped to the higher figures
The affair over which such loud com
plants are now made, cannot be remedied
so far as the past is concerned, but its con-
tinuance can be effectively provided against
and should be. Perhaps the best way to
accomplish this would be to provide the
City Superintendent with a supply of State
text books from whom parents or pupils can
purchase at cost price, and who would have
no difficulty in attending to the number OF
purchases that would be made during the
remainder Of the year. If there is no bet.
ter plan, this should be adopted.