The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1891-02-26
COUNTY UNIFORMITY.


on the question of county uniformity
is close ut hand. How shall cast
my ballot on that day, is q question
many are asking themselves and with
a desire to vote :ntelligently, too. As
the vote will be wholly a farmer vote,
the independent village and city dis
tricts being debarred from voting.
and believing that the farmers of the
county have confidence in the Farm
ers Alliance Movement, we copy the
following from the proceedings of the
State Farmers Alliance Meeting, late
~ held in Des Moines:
MANY Of the Legislative demands
made by the Alliance Mt its last an
nual meeting have been enacted in
to laws. A joint rate bill has been
passed, and also bill relating to
school text books which has already
been productive Of much good. Az
ter maturely considering the various
plans OF legislation, it would seem to
be the part of wisdom that the kind
of instruction to be given to the chill
dren of the state and the selection of
text books by means of which it is to
be impaired should be kept where
they can be carefully guarded by
pssen*s ord the soLool offisesrv- wlau
are in closest contact with the school
interests. The new law does this,
and at the same time has effected
large savings in the cost OF text
books. As to the extent in the re-
duction in price, / quote my own
town Moulton, where, by contracting
under the new school law, we have
effected a saving to the consumer Of
nearly fifty per cent. In keosauqua,
a town IN the neighboring county,
the saving to the consumer is fifty
five per cent rs compared with for
mer prices. The instances are given
as examples OF results such as more
than one hundred towns in Iowa &C.
ting under the new law can show.
The simplicity OF the plan in the law
for securing county uniformity com.
bined with the purchase plan, furnish
es feasible method of carrying out
the popular Alliance principle OF CO.
operation, the books Of the entire
county being thus bought in bulk,
and the advantages arising from such
purchase being distributed among
the users Of the books. IL we are
true to our own interests we can
save hundreds Of thousands Of dollars
in this state by availing ourselves OF
the cooperative power given US by
this law, enacted, rs ] have said,
largely owing to our efforts ut the
last legislature
There are many advantages arising
from county uniformity, some OF
which We -numerate below. First
and most important is the benefit to
the pupils, who at present in many
schools recite singly owing to the
great variety Of books. In such
schools no interest can be awakened
among the pupils and the number
OF classes is necessarily SO great that
but little individual instruction can
be given. County uniformity will do
away with hearing one scholar recite
at time and reduce the number OF
classes, in many schools, one third
and thus place all pupils of the same
grade in one class.
There is no class of people in the
county who ought to do more for
county uniformity than the renter as
no class will derive greater benefits
therefrom. At present, when the
renter moves from one district to an
other, as move he must, he has q new
series of books to buy. County uni
forlnity will permit the renters child
to continue in the same book until
he completes it. Every renter in the
county should lie at the polls on the
second Monday in March and vote
far county uniformity.
Another important matter to be
considered is the cost OF books to the
pupil. Under the contract plan we
buy books at q reduction from present
prices OF from 335 to 50 per cent. We
At present We pay Is cts. for first
book for ID cts. Barnes History at
present retails throughout the coun-
try for xl.25; we can get it on con-
tract for 80 cts. Barnes Geography
retails Mt $1.65, contract price OF
same is xl.OO. What is true of these
is true of the whole list.
The question Of changing the. old
books for new. causes more real OBJ
lection than any other, and II rightly
understood and investigated, this oh
lection il without foundation. The
Board OF Education has already been
offered by the American Book Com
pany and other publishing houses
new books throughout for one half
the contract prices above quoted.
Thus we can secure Barnes History
in exchange for 40 cts aud any of the
standard first readers for cts. etc,
This gives us any new book we need
by paying one third (or less) of the
present price. We submit this ques-
ton to the voters of thecounty: Are
your old books worth two thirds az
much as new. Is this not q gain to
you to thus exchange. II you were
offered new machinery for your old
by paying one third difference, near
ly all would avail themselves of the
opportunity. Why hesitate in this
instance when there are SO many ad-
vantAses accruing!
Another obsest;cI raised by some
is that the Book Trust y wsgG;Es TO