The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1895-02-14
The BOOK WAR.
= LIVELY Ripple fore the Education

\ LIVELY Ripple H.for. the Education
Commute ,--Hord"ring on =. n-afion.
There was mildly sensational incl
sicnt ~ what has been called he "boOk
war before the education committees
at the H. gieIaturr yesterday. The con
thtlon under which il occurred Is i'm
hrlrf about this:
The State Board of Education is
i SPONSOR Cby official adoption of "a list
ol books for use in the public schools.
Il About ~ per cent of the books on the
II adopted list are published by two com
M panlC~ IN he American Book Trust and
N they have consequently had n monop-
n oily at the sale of school books in the
n state. This condition has existed for
IA nearly seventeen years, and has given
IN rise toa question rs to whether the
N system shall be- continued, or whether
y there shall be- system by which diff
II crent coeutieS may adopt books, and
thereby afford an open market.
At sitting of the educatio com
mittecS yesterday in the State library,
i Mr.. ". j. Pcele and Mr. W. y. Jones
representing, ~ Is well known, the
Y publishing house of CHM and Co., APP
prar"d Tor their company which is
hghting for an open market in school
books.
n Judge D.I Russell Mr. +. II. Busbep,
Il MIR. j. 4. l.. Harris also appeared be-
Ia lore tlIr committee rs attorneys for The
"a two companies whose publications are
4un the list adopted by the State board,
lnd made light in favor of The exist
Ding system.
- There wasa lively little war, during
which statements were made which. if
3rue, tended to show that the I'M rinsic
@lert ot some books on the list was not
&hc only factor of force in securing
yN1hcir adoption.
N Mr.. Peele, who presented the state
nents, diSclaimed making any charge
N H. msclI against any public officials, and
fMN planned that if any statement made
'XA him affected any person injuriously
would be- only an incident and no,
j. result of an intention to injure any
-: that he was lighting a system and
persons. He spoke in Il specially com
~ meutary manner of Superintendent
Public Instruction, Scarborough, and
Il in the beginning of his speech
ht he did not believe that official
N ld be bribed. He said, however, he
- buGht Mr.. scarborough might be in
~pnccd 10y interest, and mentioned as
oBarticular illustration of his mean
~ that Mr.. scarborough had at one
~ tQhe served company whose books
u Vere now on the adopted list of the
late board. Mr.. Petle said he was
Wry much afraid that this fight
Lkainst the system now in vogue
WOULD he distorted into an attack ON
Individuals whom. he said, he would
ot have mentioned by name if he
Duld have avoided it. He also said
substance, that if the book cOmpa-
ies, whose books are now on
E be State list, succeeded in in
8rlacing their interests with
Pc heart strings of prominent North
)arolinians, that the present system
gould get an advantage to which it
Was not entitled.
Mr.. Peele suggested to the committee
% veral times that trusts did not always
sort to direct bribery, but resOrted to
Vrruption of party machinery by lib
= 3al campaign contributions. He read
9 FIFTEEN speech in order that any
D Y who might be affected by his state
ne Is could come before committee
es Explain.
i, let's and incidents in connection
, q this matter will be presented
* fully tomorrow.
H{nu Es,r Eur