The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1889-10-30
THE TEXT BOOK SITUATION.
INTERVIEW WITH WILLIAM HEILMAN.
He Reviews the Work Accomplished by His
Company, and Says 1t Contemplates
Establishing an Extensive Pub
fishing House in This City.

fishing House in This City.
The Hon. William Heilman of the Indi-
ana school book company, is reported by
the Ners as saying: "0ur company has
been fiercely attacked, and yet 1 know of
no reason why we should be subjected to
the newspaper abuse which has been
showered upon us. l am certainly not
conscious that we have done anything
either in our corporate capacity or as in
dividuals of which honorable men need
feel the least ashamed. My attention was
first attracted to the school book question
by Gov. Hovey's inaugural address, in
which he spoke of the enormous profits
realized by the book publishers under the
old system, and denounced the abuses
which were practiced under it. The legis-
lature, few weeks later, passed law, the
avowed purpose of which was to put a
stop TO these abuses and secure for the
| people good text books at reasonable
| prices. Without studying the law very
closely l formed the opinion that
this was at least a long step in
the right direction, and ! was con-
firmed in my opinion by the bitter attacks
made upon the law by the book trust and
its friends. Shortly before the date fixed
| for the first letting, early last summer, the
| question was brought more directly to nv
notice and that of my Evansville associates
| by book publishers from other states who
contemplated bidding, and desired TO OBJ
tain Indiana sureties as required by law,
! on their bond as bidders. We then looked
into the law carefully, and found that the
| conditions it imposed upon the bidders
were so severe, and the maximum prices
| il fixed for the books were so low as COM
pared with the prices Heretofore prevail
ing, that we concluded it would be safer
not to have anything to do with the mat
| ter. A further investigation OF the ques-
ton, however, convinced us that books of
as good quality as those already in use
could be furnished at the prices named by
| the law, provided a contract could be OBJ
| tanned covering the whole state, as the law
| contemplates. 1t needs no argument to
| convince any one that books can
! be supplied at very much less when
ordered by the hundred thousand re-
| lieving the publishers of all the heavy eX-
| pense OF drumming up trade in the vari-
Gus towns and counties, then when the
obtained by the costly, laborious and
sometimes not too reputable methods en-
ployed under the old system. However,
| the law imposes such severe conditions
| upon bidders in whose interest it was ev-
| identity not drawn, and the experiment was
| so novel, and as we feared so hazardous,
| that we pretty nearly decided not 10 en-
gage in the enterprise. In fact, we had
reached that conclusion at the date fixed
| for the first letting, so we put in no bid at
that time; indeed we did not organize. As
bids were re-advertised for, however, we
took up the subject again, but with the
| distinct understanding that we would not
| engage in the project unless we could or
ganize as an Indiana company, could gain
control of suitable copyrights for this state
and could make it distinctly and eXclu-
sively an Indiana enterprise. We obtained
the best legal advice. which was
to the effect that the law was a cOnstitu-
tional enactment, and that if we obtained
a contract under it our rights would be
fully protected. Our next step was to Sc
cure offers for Indiana copyrights for such
textbooks as were named under the law.
The books rendered us were submitted to
competent educators, who reported favor
ably on all except the grammar. Being
convinced that the latter was not up to the
legal standard we made no proposition on
it. We bid on readers, spoilers, geog-
raphies, arithmetics and copy-books. We
said TO the textbook commissioners, both
in our written communication and verbal
w, that we did not desire the contract I'M
less our books were fully up to the stand
ard fixed by the law. The board adj
journed over ten days, during which time
the members gave the books thorough
examination. They decided that our
readers, arithmetics and Biographies were
fully equal to those named in the law and
awarded us the contract for those books.
They rejected our bids on copy-books and
spoilers.
''To our great surprise, we were at once
assaied by certain newspapers of my own
political faith, as if we had done some dis
reputable thing. The board OF education
was denounced because it had performed
its plain duty under the law, and we were
denounced as monopOlists, jobbers, cor
ruptionists, etc. The idea that we were in
any sense a monopoly when we had been
obliged to enter into open competition
with the entire world for our contract, and
to bid less than one-half the prices there
tofore prevailing, is so absurd that | can
not believe that it would be seriously
entertained for moment by any sensible
person.
Notwithstanding the war upon US and
our books, the law has been respected
almost everywhere. We have supplied
nearly $4,000 books. They have gone
into every county except three, and nearly
every school district in the state, and are
to-day in the hands of nearly all the
school children in Indiana. The publica-
ton and distribution of this immense
number OF books in such a short time is
an achievement / believe, without a
parallel in the history of the book trade,
either in this country or in Europe. 1t
was pronounced impossible of accomplish
ment by the leading publishers and
book dealers of the country. We did
not ourselves expect to do such work
and didn't suppose we would be called
upon to. We have already supplied twice
the number of books we had figured on
sending out the first year, and acquisitions
are still coming in. 1t has taken not only
large investment of money, but good
deal OF industry, energy and skillful man.
agement.
"As to the books, we have the best of
reasons for believing they are first-class. l
and my associates do not profess TO be
school-boOk experts, but we ground our
opinion upon the encouraging reports we
are receiving from all parts of the state,