The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-01-26
THE COST OF BOOKS.
A Wide Difference in Two State
ments About Schoolbooks.
MR. WEIGH WRITES 4 REPLY.
One Authority Says sehOOIbo0ks Cost
Kansas sI5G,7I& Annually: Another
says the Annual Profits Alone Are


Kansas S1O0,1 AZ Annually announcer
says the Annual Profits Alone Are
S45O,OOO.
To the Editor of the State Journal:
/ was much surprised to read the in
sinuating article in your issue of the
21st, concerning my motives IN opposing
state uniformity and state publication
and authorship of school text books.
While you refuse to disclose the names
of the authors, who under cover are
willing to insinuate, have reliable in
formation that Professor o. G. Hill and
his attorneys are the parties.
Professor o. c. Hill is the gubernatoriaI
executive clerk who occasionally men,
tons the fact that Garfield was once his
teacher. He is the author of q series OF
text books upon the subject of reading,
which have been heretofore unapprecia-
ted. Through his attorneys and other
disinterested friends, Professor Hill
wishes to adopt his series of readers into
the schools of Kansas by appropriate
legislation" irrespective of what the
people may think of their merits. This
effort on the part of the professor and
his attorneys is done wholly from patri-
otto motives and anyone who objects to
their scheme, is necessarily actuated by
bad motives and must be in the employ
of some book trust
Our firm was employed to represent
the American Book company in court,
but when the case was disposed of our
employment ended. Recently l advised
with three different agents of book COM
panies doing business in Kansas, and to
each of them l said that believed there
was combination of fellows on the out
side of the legislature who would attempt
to influence legislation for the purpose of
being hired to quit, and that | very much
hoped that no one would give them a job
of quitting. l further said that be-
Heved there were men of brains and
character in each branch of the legisla-
ture to whom our public schools were
most precious, and who would prevent
any foolish legislation that might be
offered I made no charge for this adj
vice, and therefore the relation of client
and attorney does not exist.
/ have been connected in some way
with public school work since I was a
lad and have given much study to the
problems the schools attempt to solve.
The public school system is the bulwark
of our liberties and any good citizen
ought to be opposed to any movement
that will cripple its efficiency. There is
no institution in Kansas SO near to the
hearts of the people. The declaration of
these gentlemen to your reporter that
| the "book trust" makes profit of $780,
900 per year out of their sale of school
| books in Kansas, demonstrates that they
know nothing about the subject or they
presume upon the ignorance of your
readers.
| l have before me the reports of the
! city superintendents of the cities of
| Omaha, Kansas City, Mo, and St Louis,
wherein careful statistics are given of
! the cost of text books per pupil per
annum. 1t is as follows:
Kansas City approximately. -. so cents.
St Louis 81 cents.
| Omaha (city own books) ..... 80 cents.
| To the last ought to be added 20 per
| cent because the books are purchased by
| the city from the publishers at the same
! price our dealers purchase them. The
average cost in these three great cities is
Al cects per pupil per year. The total en-
rollment in Kansas is 3S2, 225 pupils in
! 1892 The total cost of all school
books in one year is $156, 1925, of which
20 per cent, or $31, 37075, goes to the re-
tail book dealers of Kansas and the
balance goes to large number of pub
| fishers, of whom | can now name the
following: American Book Co., Shell
don & Co., Butler s. Co, Ginn & Co., D.
c. Heath & Co., silver Burdett & Co.,
Leach Schewel & Sanburn. Sherwood
s. Co, Werner & Co., Houghton, Mifiin
s. Co., Maynard Merrill s. Co.,
Seaside Publishers, AIine Bacon,
and others whom cannot
now recall There is no such thing as a
book trust SO far as my knowledge ex-
tends. Each of the above book compa-
MES and others are active competitors in
| Kansas, and l have never heard or read
| of a contrary assertion until made by
these parties. People will not be infu-
enced by petty insinuations-they want
the facts. 1t is not important what
| think about this or that proposition.
1t is equally as unim portant what
Professor Hill thinks. The real facts
are wanted upon which intelligent
legislation can be based. l am collect
ing reliable data from states where these
experiments have been tried and when
nv friends ask me give them such data
as I have. I will not again reply to in
nuendoes and insinuations and if l have
anything to say, l will as l always do,
say it over my signature. Respectfully,
r B WEIGH
Topeka, Kan. January %, 1895.
Will women rule in the next centuryf