The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1894-10-26
A CHANGE IMPROBABLE.

Various attorneys have various meth
DDS of working up the cause of their
clients Some prefer to practice in a
legitimate, straightforward way, while
others seek to accomplish their ends
through ways that are dark. OF the lat
ter class, T. N. Strong the alleged attor-
ney of CHM & Co., and other publishing
firms interested in a change of school
text books, has adopted style of prac-
tice altogether new and orlginal--he
pleads his case through the columns of
the Oregonian Law briefs are usually
paid for, but Mr.. Strong seems to have
faculty of securing the publication of
his as a communication.
After heaping insult after insult upon
the school teachers and superintendent
of Oregon; accusing them of being YER
liable school machine, run in the sole
interest of the American Book Company,
and insinuating that the superintend-
ents and board of examiners have been
bribcd by it in the past, and that they
will be again, the Committee of One
Hundred, through Attorney Strong, at
tempts to intimidate them into voting
for change in text books by threaten
ing them with exposure He is making
a desperate offort to force vote that will
be favorable to his alleged clients. Al
though the peoples welfare should be
considered first, he attempts to make the
interests of those publishers who want
change, paramount to all other interests.
In this he will never succeed, and if he
has undertaken the task on a contingent
fee he had better. make a new contract,
and require good sized retainer.
During the coming two months, books
for use during the next six years will be
selected. These publications will be
chosen by ballot in which forty-one votes
may be cast-thirty-two by county super
intendents, and nine by members of the
state board of examiners. This vote is
to be canvassed by the Committee of One
Hundred, and the result of their findings
will be published in the Oregonian.
Those who vote for the books now in use
will be regarded with suspicion as having
been unduly influenced by the American
Book Company, while those who vote for
the publications of rival firms, which will
cost the school patrons quarter of a
million of dollars, will be considered
above reproach. Ofthe forty-one votes,
two will be cast, by citizens of Benton
oI
of sound judgment; friendly to the inter
ests of the school patrons of Oregon, and
have no axes to grind. They are gentle
men of integrity and can not be purchas-
would have it appear. Threats of expo
sure and malicious insinuations of dis
honesty will not swerve them from doing
their duty for duty's sake; and, when
have their names placed on record as
having served the interests of one hun
dred thousand school children rather
than a half dozen school book publishers,
whose books Attorney Strong is work
ing so assiduously to have adopted.
Should change be voted, its evil effects
will not be felt until next fall, when par
ents will be compelled to expend from
$2.5 to $500 for new books for each of
their children. Although books pur
chased this year may be in good condi-
ton they will be discarded when the
change takes place. These circum-
StauceS coup1ad will, the hard times
especially when the books now in use are
giving satisfaction, makes the move both
unwise and unpopular. Under these con-
ditions it is altogether improbable that
men of sense and good business judg-
ment will favor a change.