Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1893-1895, 1894-09-18

and azreTtsia the serie@ oi textbooks
desired. aud shall Instruct the secre-
tRry of the board 10 officially Inform
each county superintendent Of the re
suit Of such vote; snd the county super
intendents shall Immediately instruct
the district officers 10 their respective
counties Of the series Of textbcoks aus
tboFizrsi under this act, and 1t is here
by provided that said series rhall Be In
troduced in all the public schools OF
this state on or before the first day OF
October next after che canvass Of such
vote by the state board Of education In
seeordance with The provisions for
changing Textbooks, and sny district
neglecting to provide for the intrOduc-
ton Of the authorized series Of text
bOoks shall forfeit its proportion Of the
school fund for the succeeding year,
and every year thereafter until all Of
said series are introduced; provided,
that when the persons in any school
district between the ages of four and
twenty years. as shown by the clerks
last yearly report, shall equal one thou
sand or more in number, the directors
Of such district shall have the right to
select textbooks for the high school
enly, bot no change In the textbooks
In any such district shall be made at
any other time than that provided in
this act; provided further. hat nothing
10 this act shall prevent the state
board Of education ordering the super
intendent If public instruction to issue
special circulars to the county superir-
tendents and state board OF examiners
to select as In the regular vote any new
textbooks or series Of textbooks In use.
when in the Judgment Of the state
board Of education any textbooks or
series of textbooks in use is supplied at
an unreasOnably high price, or is found
TO be excelled by more recent publics-
tions in that branch, or for any good or
sufficient cause, and it is hereby pro-
vided that the county superintendepts
aud state board Of examiners shall Sc
lect textbook or series Of textbooks
Immediately as in answer to regular
circulars of the superintendent Of pub
lie instruction and report to him their
choice, and such selections shall imme-
diateIy thereafter be made known off,
cially as in the regular selection; and
such textbook or series of textbooks 30
selected shali oe introduced in all the
common schools of the state within six
months after such announcement, and
any district neglecting to so provide for
the introduction of such textbook or
series of textbooks shall forfeibi,s pro-
poItionscf the school fund for eaSA. year
thers2fter until 1t complies with ibis
Se4hirement.
COMMENT.
The above law was passed through
the last legislature. 1t is a cunningIy
devised scheme to fssten upon Oregon
textbooks for all the common schools
until 1901 at present high trust prices
The choice will not be with the teach.
ers of Oregon. Nothing will be easier
than to make rules and regulations that
will force any one firm out of competi.
ton or give 1t to any firm they please.
Reading the law between the lines
shows that the whole final power of
selection rests with the board and the
board is Mr.. McElroy.
Asone correspondent has said, Oregon
has had enough of this one-man power.
1t is time to put stop to it. This law
was prepared In Mr.. McElroy's Office,
put through the senate by Blackman
of Eastern Oregon. 1t was taken up
and discussed in the house and de-
feated by a vote of IS to 80, The solio-
est men in the house voted against it,
men like Bishop, Cooper. Ford, both
Geers, Gill. Layman, Trullinger.
ormsoy, Stats, Wilkins, and Miller
of Linn.
Next day enough members had been
seen by McElroy and his forces to Ie.
consider and pass the bill. Several who
voted against It were conveniently alb
sent. Nothing but personal presence
Of the state superintendent would have
passed this law. No one has asked for
the enforcement OF this law. No one
mas asked for any change In text
books. II Is simply an arbitrary out,
rage to force change at present and
there ought 10 be some way to stop IL. !.
Awarded
Highest honors-WorId's R6lr.
- DIR.