Los Angeles herald., 1891-03-03
THE STATE TEXTBOOKS.

Since the state began to print the
school textbooks, in 1885, appropria.
tions have been made for the support Of
the Office to the amount of SALE, ,OOc. OF
this sum 1851, ,999. .56 has been expended
in running the entire state printing
department. The receipts from the
sales of books amount to $26S, ,099. .15,
and of this amount $17f, ,0S6.29 has been
expended, leaving balance of $94 ,012. SO
in the state treasury to the credit of
the office. These figures are taken from
the Sacramento Record Union, and are
therefore undoubtedly official. A show
ing of this character should put to
shame those papers that are aiding the
discounted school-book ring to raise a
popular cry against the state textbooks.
The figures show that the state has
accomplished two objects OF the first
Importance to the people. 1t has re-
lieved parents from the robberies they
were subjected to for school books be-
fore the new system went into opera
tion; and it has relieved the legislature
and the school department from the
charges of bribery and corruption that
scandalized the state when the school
book ring had the field to itself.
Ii these measures OF relief had been
secured even at a considerable cost to
the taxpayers, they would still have
been worth the money; but as they
have been accomplished without loss
whatever to the state, the people will
be slow to give their sanction to any eff
fort that may be made to place parents
again at the mercy of the unconscionable
combine" of the school-book publish
ers OF the east.
The publishing OF textbooks by the
state has had a great many difficulties to
overcome. Whilstthe appropriation for
the state printing Office was before the
senate few days ago. one of the mem
bers said that the office was filled with
people who were working against the
textbooks. The gentleman could hard
ly have meant that the state printing
office was amenable to this criticism; for
it would be unjust. But it is fact that
the state board OF education, which has
the compiling, etc., in charge, and which
really directs the work, has been in
tested with men who were enemies of
| the system. In the state board at first,
the textbooks could only count upon
the governor and State Superintendent
OF Schools Welcker as friendly, with
ON pth hnr bay
The recalcitrant members accepted the
new work placed upon them
by the law with reluctance
and performed their duties un-
der it only in perfunctory manner.
In the next administration it was found
that the new state superintendent of
schools had himself been book agent,
but in the exigencies of the campaign,
knowing that the textbook principle
was popular. he came out openly as a
declared friend of the system. How
much his declarations were worth is
shown in the fact that since his retire
ment he has never missed a chance to
denounce the publication Of the books
by the state, and to depreciate the value
and matter of the books on every occa-
sion. One can readily conceive that
superintendent of this character-a wolf
in sleeps clothing-could have done
much to prejudice the books during his
four years in the Office of superintend-
ent. Fortunately new men had come
into the board who were friends of the
books, and they doubtless kept the
harm he was capable of doing down to
the minimum.
Ii the books published by the state
pay their cost back into the treasury, as
the figures above show; or even if they
were published at loss, the great bene-
fits they have effected will make the
people look with suspicion upon all
movements on the part OF unfriendly
officials or newspapers to stop the work
and place parents again at the mercy of
the book rings.
-------->---