Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1889-01-24
CHEAPER SCHOOL BOOKS.
Full Text OF Representative MonnOt's
New School Book Bill.


textbooks and to provide for COM
piIlng, illustrating, electrotyping
printing. binding, copy righting aud
distributing a State series of school
textbooks.
SECTION l. Be IL enacted By the
General Assembly of the State Of Ohio
That the Governor is hereby required
TO appoint, by and with the advice and
consent Of the Senate, a competent
commission of four persons, not more
than two of whom shall belong to one
political party, which commission shall
be known as the Ohio school-book COM
mission. The State Commissioner OF
common schools shall be ex-officio a
member and President Of the commits
sion. :.
SEC, 2. The said commission shall
compile, or cause to be compiled for
use in the common schools Of the State,
a series of school text books Of the fol-
lowing description, viz: Three (3) read
ers, one N speller, two (2) arithmetics,
two (2) grammars, two (2) Biographies,
and one ~ history of the United States.
The matter contained in the readers
ehall consist of lessons commencing
with the simplest expression of Ian
guage, and by a regular graduation, ad-
vadcing to and including the highest
style Of composition, both in prose and
poetry. -.
SEC, 8. The said commission shall
have power to employ not more than
four (4) well qualified persons to COM
pile or to assist in compiling the books
mentioned in section two ~ of this act;
provided, that II competent authors
shall compile any one or more works of
the first order of excellence, and shall
offer to sell the same to the State, to-
gether with the copyright of the same,
and the exclusive right to manufac-
ture, or cause to be manufactured, and
sell such works in the State of Ohio, it
shall be the duty of the said commits
sion to receive such proposals, and the
said commission may select therefrom
the cheapest and otherwise most de-
sirable works, but they shall have pow
er to reject any or all proposals. Said
commission shall furnish to the super
visor of public printing for all cuts and
engraving to be used in the said series
of textbooks.
Sec. 4. The State Commissioner of
common schools shall deliver the text
books by the said commission compiled
in manuscript, to the supervisor of pub
lie printing, or other officer having
charge of the State printing; the super
visor or officer shall deliver the same to
the printer having the contract for the
printing thereof, who shall forthwith
cause the same to be set up in form,
duly corrected and approved by the said
supervisor. The State Commissioners
of common schools shall cause to be
printed annually as man copies thereof
as may be necessary. The manuscript
shall be delivered to the State Com
missioner of common schools, to be by
him kept.
Sec. 5. The commissioners of public
printing shall at the same time and
place, in the same manner and under
the same restrictions and requirements,
as they advertise and let other public
printing of the State, advertise and let
the printing, binding and electrOtyping
required by this act to be done. And
the binding of the volumes required to
be printed, shall be provided for by the
commission, but they may cause the
same to be done at the binding depart
ment of the deaf and dumb asylum, if,
in their judgment, that be practicable;
but nothing in this section shall pre-
vent the person or firm so contract
ing with the commissioners of public
printing; from doing or causing the
work to be done outside of the State of
Ohio.
SEC. 6. Within one year after the
textbooks are printed and furnished to
the Commissioner of common schools,
no text books shall be used in the pub
lie school of this State other than the
textbooks prepared and compiled un-
der the provisions of this act; provided, =,
that this act shall not be construed to
prevent pupils who have advanced be-
yOnd the studies embraced in said
books, from using other books.
Sec. Z. When the printing and bind
ing of said textbooks is completed as
aforesaid, the supervisor ofpublic print
ing shall deliver the same to the state
commissioners of common schools, to-.
gether with statement of the actual
cost of publication per volumn; and
said commissioner shall forthwith send
by mail to any person who may make
application therefor such statement of
the cost per volume, with five per cent
um added thereto; and upon the re-
ceipt of the money of the price per vol
ume, with such per centum added,
accompanied with satisfactory evidence
that each volumn thus sent for is for
actual use of some person being resi-
dent of this state, the said commiss-
toner's shall pay such money, less five
per centum to be by him kept as his
fees, out of which he shall pay all nec-
essary expenses, into the state treasury,
and forward such copy or copies to the
person or persons SO transmitting the
price thereof. But no person or persons
so purchasing such textbooks for the
purpose of sale, shall charge therefor
price exceeding the price bald by them
by more than ten per centum. 1t shall
be misdemeanor for any person to
sell any of said books which have been
previously purchased from the state
commissioner of common schools, at
prices greater than herein provided,
punishable by fine not to exceed 800,
or imprisoned not to exceed 60 days, or
both, for each offense, and justices of
the peace in the several counties shall
have jurisdiction to try and determine
such offenses as in other misdemeanors.
II Sec. s. The said commissioners shall
receive. while in the actual discharge
of their duties, monthly salary of two
hundred dollars, to be paid upon vouch-
ers signed by the governor; and the as
sistants shall receive monthly salaries
in no case to exceed one hundred and