Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1897-05-26
a STATEMENT.
Ube Supcrintcnoent Hsr-
plains the BIanh 5BooR Dat-

Boise, Ida, May 15 lS97-Edi-
tor Statesman: In your issue of
to-day under the captain of "pur-
chase of Books" County Auditor
Kingsley makes some statements
that | wish q little space to correct
and also to make statement of
the facts that seem to have irrita-
ted our otherwise calm and sedate
county official.
When the undersigned tooK
charge Of the county superinten-
dents office in Latah county in
1898, he found that there was no
provision whatever to record the
reports of the teachers or the an
nual reports of the trustees-a mat
ter that he deemed vital impor-
tance as a part of the public re-
cords of the county. He therefore
prepared forms for two books suit
able to preserve these reports, sub
mitted the same to the commits
sioners and with their consent
ordered books and they were pur-
chased as cheaply as we could get
them.
When he took charge of the Of
fee Of state superintendent he con.
ccived the idea Of putting the
whole STATE to keeping these rec
ords, and to this end he wrote and
had introduced a bill (Senate bill
No, 85) which subsequently be-
came law. This bill does not
give the state superintendent any
authority to purchase these books,
or even suggest where they shall
be purchased, but it does provide
that he shall prescribe the forms
to he used in them. So much then
for the bill itself.
Soon after the bill became law,
and the first travelling agent that
came along, the matter was mem
toned and this agent said that his
house would furnish these books
at certain price if II considerable
Of the counties would pur-
chase them, and the price named
was precisely what Latah county
had paid for her two books and tho
size was exactly twice as large
the new books to be four quire,
whereas the ones purchased for
Latah county were two quire. Aad
the house that made the Latah
county books IS not the house that
made the books in question,
Accordingly | prepared and sent
out to all the county superinten-
dents circular letter calling their
attention to the law and offering
to purchase the books for them il
they themselves saw fit to make
me their agent for that purpose,
but there was no force about it and
as u matter Of fact some county
superintendent paid no attention
to the circular letter at all and |
was greately surprised that as
many ordered me to purchase the
books as did. And If all these
hooks were purchased from one
house, ono form was all ti.at was
whereas if each county
purchased from q different house
q copies Of the form would have
been necessary.
Auditor Kingsley says that
these books we're ordered without
the knowledge Of the county
and logically, with
out bis consent. In answer to the
above allegation, [ beg to submit
the following which is verbatim
copy of the order Judge Blake
signed and the original can be
procured if anyone disputes this
copy
"Louis N, B. Anderson, state
of schools, Boise,
Ida.-Dear Sir: Please order for
Ada county, Idaho, the two books
in your letter Of recent
date, aud when same are received
by me together with bill bearing
your O. r., will bring the matter
before our board of county COM
and have bin allowed.
Years truly etc.
The above was signed by J. ].
Blake as county superintendent
and came into this office in the
regular course of mail. And vet
vour informant would make your
readers believe that the books ia
question were smuggled into the