The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1891-06-17
INSTRUMENTATION About tho School
Book Law.

BOOK LEW.
EDWIN CHM of Boston, member of
the firm OF CHM & Co., which has
Just been awarded the contract for
certain text books under the Indiana law,
writes the New York Erening Post that ''in
Indiana the books, perhaps, have come
cheaper TO the pupils under the contract
SYSTEM but it ia generally admitted that,
as a whole. they are not equal in quality.
and, undoubtedly, if the extra amount
paid to officials for handling the same
could be added to the price of the books,
the cost would be even more than
formerly" 1t so happens that what MIR.
CHM says lis generally admitted in In
diana" is not admitted by anybody, so far
rs We are aware. On the contrary, 1t is
universally admitted that the books now
in use are fully as good as those which
were formerly sold at more than double
the prices now paid. The other statement
made by Mr.. CHM is equally wide OF the
truth. The extra amount paid to the Off
cials for handling the books cuts little
figure. 1t is, indeed, a mere trifie COM
pared with the total expenditure for
books, and making liberal allowance for
this item, the school books furnished I'M
der the existing contract cost the people
less than one-half rs much as they paid for
similar books under the old system.
Mr.. CHM ought to come out of his New
England shell for time and mingle with
the people OF Indiana, II he really wants
to know how they regard the school book
law. Especially should he do this in
view of the fact that he has seen fit TO Of
fer proposals under this law which
have been accepted and contracts
awarded him. 1t seems to us that it is
poor taste, to say the least, for Mr.. CHM
to attack the law under which he has
been awarded contracts to supply books
for period of five years to criticise the off,
Gals who awarded these contracts and to
question the wisdom and intelligence of
the people who passed the law. The
success OF that measure is universally con-
coded in the state, and no better proof of
it could be desired than the fact tha. CHM
& Co., who two years ago refused to make
q bid, have now agreed to furnish books
at % and 60 cents respectively, which
they are selling to dealers in other states,
according to their published lists, at As
cents and S1.10. Surely law which gives
the people of Indiana books at about half
the prices which the people of other
states pay for the same books cannot be
unsatisfactory to them.
The fact is that no law was ever enacted
in this state which proved so universally
popular DIS the school book law. After a
two years trial the last legislature. without
q dissenting vote, passed a law extending
the contract system. Not voice was
raised in that body in criticism OF the law,
which was originally passed only after a
desperate struggle. There is no longer any
visible opposition in Indiana to the school
book law.
Mr.. CHM also says:
Two years ago. when Indiana adopted
the law fixing a maximum price which
the state would pay for school books, no
reputable publisher would bid, for they
all felt that these prices would before long
destroy the business; and if they should
10 eslhDIlSueu III Iue bIaIe Oh InuIdna
they would be the basis of prices for the
rest OF the country. Today many of the
best books in the market are offered to
the state of Indiana, although it is fair to
say that tho prices of some of them have
been raised somewhat in the last year.
We submit that this is the best possible
evidence that the law is grand success.
Two years ago, as Mr.. CHM says, the old
line publishers would not bid. Now he
declares that "many of the best books in
the market are offered to the state of
Indiana" This is true, and it is a COM
plete vindication of the law.