The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1889-08-17
BECKTOLD'S SNUG MONOPOLY.
Figures for the Consideration of ~Tax-Payers
Imposed Upon by the SchoOl-Book Law.

In e~ndeavoring to protect its relations,
as the Democratio organ. with the school
book law, the Sentinel devotes its intellect
to trying to prove hat the Journal figures
showing the loss the people will sustain by
the operations of the law are false. 1t
claims, in effect, shat under the law the
trustees, except in selling the books, will
nave to perform no additional service. "As
to that" said a gentleman cOnversant with
the legislation imposing these new and
pernicious conditions upon the people, IF
the Sentinel will look at the acts of the
last Legislature it will observe that two
duties were added to those of township
trustees, viz, SUPPLEMENTARY of bitches
and the ordering, caring for and selling of
school-books. The school-book law dis
placed no duties of individual school Off
GERS. All that the trustees had to do with
school-books heretofore was rs a
county board of education. acting
with their county superintendent
to adopt books once in six years.
AS thisw was done at the regular semi-annual
meeting in September, but once in six
years n in q regular meeting, when other
business was transacted, any one can see
that no old duties were displaced, but that
the new duties are wholly additional. In
duties we must add Sl3l,20 0
additional for time consumed in
sales of these books and also an
amount which cannot be estimated for
in the original estimate given by the Jour
nal.
again, the Journals estimate allows but
% cents for delivering books to trustees.
While this may do in cities and towns. in
the country some of these books must
be hauled a long distance from the
county-seat. Quite q number of trustees
live as far as twenty-five miles
from their courthouse. About eight
hundred of the township trustees live on
ty-seats, and the cost of "a team and wagon
III the country is estimated at $3.50 per
day, at least this is the amount the law
allows for teams for road work on public
roads. Thus we have an additional ex-
pense of delivering three shipments for
each of eight hundred trustees twice each
year for five years, which would add S75.-
40 more to the former estimate. Itwould be
fair to estimate that the l,44 school officers
will average writing ten letters per year on
account of this law, and thus we have ST.
404 for postage. exclusive of that for the
State Superintendent. to the excl usiOn of
envelopes and other stationery. Amend
the Journals estimate by adding these
lltInS Hi utI Will 10 a ntD IOtdl lOSS
under the sc~hoOl-boOk law of $553, a.
Fifty-fiye acquisitions came in for school
books, yesterday, making a total of 491 up
to date. Among the last orders were those
from all the townships of Jay county.
They were comparatively large. but from
DeKalb, Newton, Davies, Allen, Clinton
and Putnam small orders came. There
was a large one from Evansville. which
city has q total enumeration of 16,44S, and
ar average daily attendance of 1927.
yfa S0hnnl anfhnrfao nr6arad tho fol
lowing books Readers, first, 1000; second,
500: third, 700: fourth, 600; fifth, 400;
arithmetics, elementary, 600; complete. 800;
biographies, elementary, COO; complete, 400.
This is in contrast with an order from Nc
Clellan township, Newton county, which,
with q daily average attendance of 81, or
ders of the first. second and third readers,
five each; fourth readers, three; fifth, two;
~arithmetics. elementary, four; complete,
two; geography, elementary. five; complete,
one. The order from Washington county
completes the requisition for that county.
1t is said that some of the trustees order
, the books, but will not put them out. The
superintendent all over the State,
with three exceptions, it is asserted by one
who has means of ascertalning their views
of the law. are against. but many of them are
complying with it. 1t Is said that there
are only three Democratic superintendent
in the State who nave declared themselves
in favor of the BecktOld-W Williams series.
The city of COnnersville has thus far re-
fused to use the books. The schools do not
all open at the same time, but at varying
dates, from the first Monday in September
to the first Monday in October.