The record-union., 1893-01-06
AFTER THE TEXTBOOKS.
THE "BOOK-RING'' SAID TO BE
ACTIVELY AT WORK.
An Alleged Under-Handed Attack on
the System-Real Cause of
the Enmity.

The friends of the State textbook sys-
tenn appear now to be thoroughly alarmed
over the apparent determined effort that
the ''book-ring' is going to make at this
session of the Legislature to have the
State school books done away with.
They say that they know now that the
rings representatives are already on the
ground with plethoric ''sacI,' - and will
spend half a million dollars if necessary
to kill the system.
Why this persistent antagonism? is a
question that is frequently asked by
those who have not watched the course of
events very closely. 1t is not because
California alone furnishes such a grand
field for profit in the book-selling bust
ness, but because the success of the sys-
tenn would arouse other States and cause
them to initiate California's example,
thus causing the booksellers to lose
millions of fdollars' worth of trade. That's
where the shoe plnches, say the friends of
the system, and with such a prospect
staring them in the face it is quite OBJ
v1ous why the book men will spend
thousands of dollars to have the world
believe that California's attempt to print
lI0I OW IL SCuOOl DOOkS WAS ldlluE6.
An editorial which appeared in San
Francisco paper yesterday set the advO-
Gates of the system agog. and their feel
ingS were intensified when they ascer-
tanned that some mysterious individual
was circulating copies of the paper with
this particular editorial blue penciled
very extensively among the members of
the Senate and Assembly.
The article referred to purported to be
10
and characterized that institution as be-
ing an "extravagant and inefficient part
of the government" 1t then goes on to
make some alleged comparisons of the
expenses of Calitornia's printing estab-
lishment and those of other States.
Speaking of the matter to a RECORD
UNION reporter yesterday, an enthusiast
tic supporter of the State textbooks said:
The book ring is going about its dirty
work in very cunning manner, but it
does not cover up its tracks well. That
editorial appears on its face to be an at
tack upon the State Printer. but it is
nothing more or less than a slap over his
shoulder at the State books. The figures
on which the comparisons have been
made have been distorted completely out
of recognition. For instance, the paper
says that GOO copies Of the Adiutant- GEN
eral'S 5 report cost the State S9,930 60. Now,
| have Just come from the State Printers
Office where l was given access to his
books, and this was the first item I
looked up, as it seemed preposterous. 1
found that 800 copies of the Adjutant-
Generals report were printed, 100 of
them bound in cloth, and the whole
thing cost only S753 30. Quite a differ
ence, eh? And the balance Of the COM
PARSONS are of about the same order.
The ring wants to hurt the State Printing
Office, that's what is the matter. for by so
doing it will hurt the textbooks"
The gentleman said further that the
same distorted figures were presented to
the recent Teachers Convention at Stock
ton, and are now being gotten up in
pamphlet form for distribution among