Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1895-03-01

| pending upon the local bOok-deaIers. as in
Virginia, to do this work in return for the
discount and concessions these dealers receive
from us. As publishers we receive from the
prime buyers substantially the same prices
for our publications in all parts of the coun-
try. all statements to the contrary by our en-
| emies notwithstanding.
The following is an illustration of the
Pilots falsehOods, set out in its original artf
Gle, and repeated in an editorial several days
later. 1t says that we furnish Longs Lam
gatGge Lessons, Parts 1 and 2, at one price in
| Louisiana, and the same book at another and
higher price in Virginia. The books are
not the same The old edition is used in
Louisiana, where it has long been in use. The
new edition was entirely rewritten. is larger,
and more expensive in manufacture. Both
are sold at their regular advertised prices,
and no one has been deceived or wronged.
The charges, therefore, that we are receiv-
ing more for our books in Virginia than in
South Carolina, Louisiana, and other States
where we have contracts, or that our prices
average higher than those of other school
book publishers, are absolutely false and
without any foundation in fact. We have
guaranteed in our contract with Virginia to
give as low prices as anywhere. This clause
of our contract has not been evaded or broken
in the slightest degree. and we have placed in
| the hands of the Virginia Board of Educa-
ton the full, authentic, and indisputable evil
dence ON this point. Meantime we advertise
| in all our catalogues to send our books at the
guaranteed rate to any one in Virginia by
mail, post paid, as an insurance against i'm
position in retail prices.
| AS further safeguard towards insuring to
the pupil the established low retail rates, the
| Virginia State Board of Education furnishes
to each public school teacher, to be posted up
in each school room in the State a large pla-
carl. IL by 81 inches, containing a full list of
the books adopted, with the authorized retail
| prices annexed.
As to exchange rates, The Pilot charges that
we make exchange prices less in South Caro-.
lima than those contained in the contract
with Virginia. What are the facts in the
case? There were good reasons for low ex-
change prices in South Carolina. It was that
the books adopted were not already in use
throughout all the schools, and many would
require to be exchanged and intrOduced; and
for seven years adoption we could afford
little lower exchange rate. In Virginia the
case was quite different, and the exchange
prices were not an important factor or con-
| sideratiOn, for the reason that the books
adopted were already in use and would re-
quire little OF no exchanging for introduction.
Indeed. it would not have affected the inter-
ests of the people if the exchange price had
been entirely omitted
4 AS matter of fact, a careful examination
of our introduction accounts shows that our
transactions at exchange prices" throughout
the whole State of Virginia in the entire year
of 1894 amounted to less than one hundred
dollars
Exchange prices are nowhere, among any
publishers, an established and unvarying
rate. They are only temporary expedient
to get books introduced and into use, and vary
largely according to the circumstances sur
rounding the case, as to the length of the con-
tract conditions Of sale and credit. ETC..
AMOUNT OF MONEY ACTUALLY PAID EACH
YEAR IN VIRGINIA FOR SCHOOL BOOKS is
NOT OVER 100000.
In the Pilots first article, published Decem-
Der %, 1894, it is stated 1.-THE number of en-
rolled pupils in Virginia in 1898 was 34S, All.
1t is fair, we think, to assume that 100000
was expended in the purchase of books, high
1 school and primary
AS the American Book Company can prove
that it has never sold more than $50, 900 worth
of school books in any one year in the State
of Virginia, we would enquire of the Pilot
who sells the $40, 900 needed to make up its
$780, 900 worth (?
Contrary to this false assumption, the evil
dence in our possession shows that the entire
sum annually expended for school books in
Virginia cannot be more than 100000 AT
) any rate it is absolutely fact, as we are
prepared to prove by our account books, that
in the year 1898 the entire amount of the
American Book Company's sales of school
books in Virginia, including all supplies fol
private as we'll as public schools, amounted
to only S., 900; and in 1894, to only $4,000
Even at the fair estimate of $780, GOO as a total
of school books sold in Virginia annually
firms outside of the American Book Compa
ny must sell yearly from $4,000 to $4,000
And yet we are charged with monopolizing all
the trade, and extorting hundreds of thous
ands of dollars from the people.
WAS THE ADOPTION IN VIRGINIA A FREE AM
Il FAIR ONE?
!. The published statements of the Governor
and Attorney General answer this question
with such full detail and circumstance as to
leave no doubt that it was completely free
;, and fair The routine of all previous adop-
lions was followed.
AS to the intimations and insinuations OF
"bribery and corruption" made against our
selves, we do mostiimphatically and .unequiv-
ocally deny that there is any ground for this
outrageous attack upon our business integri-
Il ty. The courts of justice must determine
whether the character and reputation of pub
lie officials and of business houses lie at the
mercy of rivals in business who are able to
hire the columns of a newspaper.
i But these bold allegations of the Pilot are
of piece with What they say Sunday. Janu-
airy 90 1895, that our circular, Neaos from Or
egon, stating that our books had just been
adopted for that State, was false. We repeat
here, and defy any denial, that the slip,
-Neaos from Oregon, was every line, word, and
punctuation mark. true; and that which is
quoted from the Oregonian was the first SEN
tence of one of its editorials, when the adop-
| ton was announced.
ARE THE BOOKS PUBLISHED BY THE AMERT-
| CAN BOOK COMPANY INFERIOR IN MERIT
TO THOSE OF OTHER PUBLISHERS.
The Norfolk Pilot, referring to our books,
says they are
"Obsolete in methods and matter"
| 'Geographies are obsolete
! sHistories that falsify."
Scientific books not up to date" etc.. etc.
AS the largest publishers of school books
in the United States, with our publications
most widely in use, this charge is only anoth-
er way of saying that we and the users of our
books are all fools; that none of us know
| good books from poor ones. When it is con-
sidered that our Company is made up of men
skilled and experienced in publishing school
| books, and with sufficient means to procure
the best authorship and the best books, and
that our books are used with approval