The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-03-24
MORE BILLS VETOED.
Ihe Governor Disapproves the
School Book Bill.
ALSO THE NsTcHEz PASS BILL
Also tour Minor Bills That Make Tn
necessary Appropriations.
Inc revenue Bill. Which Extends the
Time of Payment of Taxes, Modified
ana Approved Of the Insane
Asylum Bill Disapproved.

Asylum Bill Disapproved.
Olympia March s.-speclal.-Gov. Nc
Graw today vetoed senate bill 80. the
state school book bill. giving his reasons
IN the following message 10 Secretary Of
State Price:
Herewith transmit senate bill No. 2o.
An act TO provide for compiling Illus
trating. electrotyping. printing. binding.
copYrlghtlng and distributing state
series OF school text books. and aporopri-
ating money 10 pay the expenses there
OF without my approval. for the follow
ing reasons:
The act provides that the state board of
education shall compile or cause 10 be
complied at least sixteen separate school
text BOOKS and such others as the board
Ds tWo-thirds vote may deem necessary:
that the board may either do the work of
compilation itself or employ any we'll
quahhed person at a rate OF compensa-
tion 10 be fixed by the board; that the
printing. binding and all mechanical work
must be done in the state and that the
paper the cloth and other materials for
hihdlng can be bought only from resi-
cents or the state; IL is made the duty of
the board TO copyright all the works, and
the attorney general must bring actions
10 protect copyright. When any of the
DOCKS have been completed. the contrac-
TOT shali deliver them TO the superintend-
ent OF public instruction. who shall dis
tribute TO county superintendents. who
shall deliver them to scholars at the cost
OF printing, publishing and distribution.
which latter is the cost of expressage. To
do this work an appropriation of $4,000
Is made, and the term of contract for
the production of the books is made five
years.
The prime objection TO the approval of
this act Is that the appropriation is so
inadequate that its expenditure would in
eVitahiy prove an extravagant waste. The
amount $4,000 is intended to produce at
least sixteen text books In quantities suf-
iicient 10 supply the school children or
the state OF Washington
a careful, approximate. comparative
estimate of the cost of production of
books sufficient to supply the enrolled
scholars OF this state, based on similar
exact estimate made for a sister state
where the cost of production is very much
less than here as that state produces
every article entering into the manufac-
ture OF book, and this state does not.
shows that the cost of production, exclu-
sive of the cost of authorship, compila-
ton and illustration. would be SIP 900: so
that II the present act were allowed 10
become a law. and If nothing were allow
ed for compilation. authorship and Illus
tration. less than one-half of the school
children of the state could be supplied
with school books. To take one example
in one grade-the fifth in one county
-Lincoln-alone, it would cost on the esti-
mate referred to above s6Si. 50 to supply
the books OF one grade, and that without
the costs of authorship and other casts
referred to above.
AS it would be a penal misdemeanor.
under an act passed and approved at the
present session of the legislature. 10 Gre
ate a deficiency in Producing the books,
Il Will be seen that 1t would be mpos-
sible. under the act before me, 10 supply
more than one-half OF the scholafs with
books.
Another objection to approval of the
act on the financial side is that 1t would
cause a loss of the cost of the books now
In use. Under the present contract. or
similar one, all books in use can he sold
at a fair price, or traded even" in case
OF a change In text books
Again the approval of this act would
create a form of double taxation. The
people of the state would have to nay the
present appropriation OF E0H1 and
then would have 10 pay for the books at
the cost OF production and distribution
Returning to the matters Of authorship.
Compiia ton and illustration. which have
been wholly excluded in the consideration
of expense, an equally serious objection
10 the approval Of the act aris6s. Chill
dren OF the state should have the hest
books, not the cheapest The rreo,ra-
pericnce and thought. The present act
perforcC demands haste and o,1nse1uou+
carelessuess. Furthermore authors Of
good books could not AFFORD 10 sell 20 this
state alone. when they can get The whole
country as a market California when
she adopted a state series Of school books.
paid the highest salaries 10 her hers
and had some Of the hest in tho country
Yet her text books are admittedly in
terior. Consequently. it Is a moral cor
taiuiy that our text books would not he
the best In quality I may state here
tha' To rs a known fact that out OF some
sa English grar1mars now in print only
I've or six are successful enough 30 war
rant fajr profit 20 their authors The
present act provides for the preparation
~ tive craTn1ers. II Is not likely that
We would get a successful one. prepared
as 81 must BE- IN haste and for What
must ha "a small Zee The authors Of the
best text books receive large sans for
their WORK II is no- unusual for g. %
or upwards 70 hc uafd an author for q
single hook II IS evident that the best
authors could Uof he procured 70 ry~.fe
orr proposed series. TAe act provides
that the ooari of education may propose
the series. tn other words the makers 81
the hooks have fhe authority 20 order the
adoption OF their own work Whi-h is
marifcstly wrong Il Is clear therefore,.
20 my mind fhat u0Jar tha t-nnit,ior1S
the best books.
The contract books helng limited fn
sales 20 buyers IN this state. tht cost tar
book as compared w3th other books ~
oulv equal merit. viii ms surely he .n-
creased as decreased diFfsor gives an
Increased quotieut L = clear tns- ou-
children under Ire present acf. VUl rot
have ths cheapest books
= further objection S. tt1f there Is no
81 }souafe and specific provision 3or ths. ir-
sneetien Of TIE finished hook= a~1 thai
,he state board 90 education aut .he su-
periuteuseut - pubitc instruction are
charged With the aishuvsoturvt 90 81
large a sam as 80 ~. almost without re
strt-.tou and wholly without hoo3s
IN other states laws similar 20 the pres
eat a~f have been failures sud have re-
sllt.-i f1 fraui The presumpttau Is that
"a similar rrsult might follow here
I-rd-r -tr art fhe children of tha s,ate
y-sait lat. reither the bess nor the
rAeare~t 2, aks nor ooui3 thev te faiv
ear,rlte.i at ali The interests of the state
a~s ret properly saf,E7la-siett ana the tax
sftou for school purposes VIII Be- materi-
s}tv increased TIE act really defeats the
purpose - as promoters
Under az acf which ! have a,-sa fy ac-
rrovef nrovtslon is made for % re-letttng
cf a contract for a uniform series Of text
books for the schools ~ ihe state fC- me