Birmingham age-herald., 1895-01-22
UNIFORM TEXT BOOKS. There Is Danger in the Proposed
 Legislation. Major Palmer Presents a Few Facts and Practical
 Suggestions.

To the Age Herald:
 EAST LAKE, Jan. 21.-Heartlly iudors- ing your editorial which appeared a week or so ago against the proposed Legislation
 requiring the adoption of a uniform series of text books, ask permission to empha-
 size it by few facts and practical sugges. tions.
 1. There IS no demand for such legisla-
 ton by the people or the teachers, the ones
 most vitally interested Tn the subject. If
 there were it would have been made live
 issue in the last canvass for representatives.
 It would have been discussed by the news papers, whose argus-eyed editors are al- ways alert to catch the drift of public sen-
 tinent and vigilant to guard the peoples interests, as well as their rights. It would have been set down on the programmes of our county, congressional and normal in- stitutes as topic for consideration by the teachers. It would have been discus5ed by
 the last State Teachers' association or the
 one preceding it at Montgomery. So far as l now remember, nothing was
 said about it in the canvass or by the newspapers, nor has 1t been dis cussed by the institutes to any extent, and for more than two years it has not so much as been hinted at by the teachers at 3their
 state association. All, or well nigh all, seemed satisfied with the situation. Text
 books are as cheap as they have ever been in the history of Alebama-even cheaper than miscellaneous books ot equal size and
 mechanical execution. If any one doubts this let him go to book store and ask the
 price of text books on one side and literary works of merit, of good print and mechan- ical execution, on the other side. Let him examine the catalogue Of price lists now
 and five, ten or twenty years ago. and he
 will find that the people and teachers had
 good reason for being satisfied with the
 text book question in Alabama.
 Whence, then, comes this suddenly
 awakened interest upon this subject? Evi-
 dently not from within, but from without the state; not from the people or the teach
 ers, but from publishers whose wares are
 dusty and heavy on their shelves; from in this state and who by coercive legisa- tion seek to compel our people and teachers to buy their books regardless of merit. 2. The proposed legislation will not In the end lessen the cost of text books to our people. l once thought otherwise, and while state superintendent of education so recommended in my annual report. But since that time have looked into the hls- tory and outcome of such legislation in a number of states that have tried it, and iu every case it not only failed to cheapen, but made dearer text books by cutting off com petition, the very life of trade and cheap prices.
 The cry is raised from without, "Trust, combine, syndicate; give us competition. ' No more false insinuation could be made. There are not less than fifty or 100 differ ent publishers advertising, attempting to sell, and more than score of them doing good business selling text books in Ala bama. The teachers are free and are at perfect liberty to buy of those selling the best and cheapest books. If the so-called t'trust' sells too high, let them buy else- where cheaper. If the "trust'' is selling cheaper than others it is in the interest of the people and they have no cause of con- plaint. The people now buy oil for their lamps two or three times as cheap as they got it before the Standard Oil company was formed.
 8. Such Legislation will bring strife, con- tention, crimination, recrimination,
 charge and countercharge of fraud, cor. ruption and bribery. Yes, on the very day the selection is to be made would this begin. You would see book agents on that day hurrying to tbe county seats in every county in Alabama. You would see groups of men here and others wonder, with flashing eyes and angry passions, al- leging unfair means were being used, officers were betraying the trust reposed in them. If it would only end on that day it would not be so bad, but it would con- tinue. It would not only be discussed in groups on selection day, but it would be discussed around the hearthstone in the hearing of the boys and girls in the quiet country home. h many eases the vehe- mence of these criminations would not stop short of discussion in legislative halls, be- fore juries in courts of justice and even in the sacred precincts of the church.
 If any one thinks this picture overdrawn let him read the papers rom Virginia just now, where Hon. John E. Massey, once lieutenant governor of Virginia, and now her state superintendent of education, and for more than half century one of her most honored and trusted citizens, has been forced in his declining years by such charges, growing out of just such legisla- tion as is proposed, to sue in the courts to vindicate his character. God save the peo- ple of Alabama from such scenes by in- cining our represen tltives to vote against any such legislature, the tendency of which will be to bring about in Alabama just such state of affairs. Let we'll enough alone. SOLOMON PALMER. Careful analysis always show Price'e