The record-union., 1892-02-16
THE FIRST NOTE oF A COMING
ASSAULT.

THE FIRST NOTE OF A COMING
ASSAULT.
The Mission Journal was quoted in the
REcoRD-UNIoN on Saturday in an ex-
tended article bitterly and falsely ASSAULT
Ing the California State textbook sys-
tenn. 1t was valuable, however, as pre-
senting the side of the question that is
taken by the book ring and the enemies
of the State system of school-books and
as indicating an intended assault next
winter.
Our readers have now had full oppor-
tunity to read the strongest argument
that the book ring makes against the
State series. This paper has been the
friend Of that series from the outset, and
is so confident of the strength of the sys-
tenn that it does not fear to print such OBJ
jections to it, either as advertisements or
otherwise.
But let us examine precisely what
foundation there is for the case of the as
sailants. The first charge is that estate
publication Of school-books is an ex-
ploded idea and demonstrated financial
failure. That in California it has proven
failure. both educationally and econom-
ically."
AS matter of fact these statements are
false. There has been no demonstration
of financial failure, and as an economic
and educational scheme it has not fallen
short of its purpose. The people receive
the textbooks at greatly less cost, the
quality is as good as was expected to be
Ia the outset, and no more supplemental
or exercise books are found necessary
than under the book ring system.
The second charge is that the adoption
of the system was due to a communistic
campaign in which hot blood and biased
judgment prevailed. Such charge pro-
vokes laughter among all Californians.
The system was put into the Constitution
as the deliberate and long expressed judg-
ment of the people of California without
regard to political affiliations. 1t was not
only not the result of any special demand
on the part of Kearneyites, as the Journal
charges, but very considerable portion
of that faction was opposed to the propo-
sition to adopt such system.
So far as opposition to book rings was
concerned, there was really no division
among the people in the campaign that
carried the State system of textbooks
into the Constitution-the contest was
that of the people upon one side, and the
book ring and it's hired lobbyists and
paid agents upon the other. The resist
ance to the book rings and the ihfamies
they had visited upon the school system,
came from the people as one body, who
were weary and disgusted with the con-
slant presence of book agents in legisla-
tive lobbies, and with the corruption of
legislators, Boards of Education and
teachers, due to the yenal approaches of
agents for rival publications.
1t is not true that the officials related to
the State Printing Department took any
especial and improper part in secur-
ing the adoption of the system. If there
was any activity in that quarter of an un-
due or improper character, the people of
the State have yet to hear of it. The alb
surd charge is made by the Journal that
the Printing Department was a chief
agency in securing the adoption of the
system, prompted by the "fat contracts
in prospective. The Journal should
know that the Superintendent of Print
ing was then, as now, salaried official :;
that beyond the fugitive employment of
few hands there was not then and is
not now any great field for political re-
ward, and that there has been no broad
margin for picking and stealing, even
were there disposition in that direction,
That at one period an officer who filed
out vacancy mismanaged and caused
confusion and some waste, is no secret
and has never been concealed. More
over, no one in California has the effront-
cry to charge or attach such mismanage-
ment to the textbook system. To do so
would be to excite the contempt of all the
people conversant with the truth.
The next allegation of the Journal is
that the series of textbooks is as yet in
complete; that such books as are issued
are unsatisfactory to teachers and school
officials; that the books cost the people
twice over,'' first in taxes to maintain
the printing establishment, second in
cost to the buyers higher than the market
prices of books of like character produced
by book houses. This triple-headed
charge has but one glimmer of truth in it
there are some books as yet incomplete,
and there are teachers and school officers
who express dissatisfaction with some of
the volumes of the series. The book
houses have not ceased to practice their
wiles among the teacher class, nor do
they hesitate to promote by any and ali
means animosity to the system. But the
only field that they find thus tillable is
that occupied by but portion of the
teachers of the State. Another and large
body of educators are the earnest and
sincere friends of the system, while they
are at the same time the fair and fearless
critics of the volumes as they issue.
1t is a condition of the State system.