The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-05-27
Answer to G.G.Burton's Open Letter

Dear BurtOn:-I will make nv an
sWer as short as possible in response to
your request in last nights Democrat
Please understand that I consider Won
and Mrs. Burton as quite nice people
and at all times when I appear to be
severe, 1 mean in reality the American
Book company.
Your attack on the Rand-McNaIIv
geography is mild 1t is really a strong
Endorsement of the book AS COMPARED
with the criticism that might be pub
lished against your old time geograph-
les, it is mild and weak
In one Of your editorials in the Demo-
crat Of the 21st., you used this ex-
preston: If this thing comes back to
me, remember I don't pay Is or 20 cents
per line to answer what may be said J"
Now, if you don't want to come back.
Why not keep quiet? You are not in
this fight: you have been somehow left
out, even though you had prepared and
patched up some old Out-of-date books
to try to palm off on the Kansas com
mission.
The Gates pamphlet of which you
complain, written by President Gates.
of the Iowa college, at Grinnen. is
cOuched in plain but elegant language
and very mild, indeed, when we con-
slider what might have been written
on the subject 1t was issued purely in
the interest of American schools and
not aided by the book publishers. 1
presume you have been informed that
the court at Minneapolis, Minnesota,
refused to enjoin its publication
The fact is simply this: The peo-
pie of the United States are independ-
ent. They will not submit to slavery
nor pay tribute to tyrants. All they
need is to be furnished with correct in
formation, and they will apply the rem
edy.
It is working all right, and the eff
feet will be good. Hair a dozen legis-
Iatures have taken hold, and the rest
will follow as soon as the right way
is pointed out to them and the people
back of them.
The information in this mornings
Capital is incorrect; there are other
readers than the Excelsior, offered to
the Kansas commission.
Now, Burton, in regard to the letter
which you ask me to explain: Two
years ago this month, in the state of
Washington, bids We're received and
opened for furnishing the school books
of the state for five years.
At that time @. H. Schilling & Co.
owned the plates and the copyright to
the Excelsior readers. We were print
ing the books on a job price contract
We wanted to make more work for our
office, and contracted with the owner
for the use of the plates in Washing
ton. We appeared there on the 10th of
Nav the time for opening the bids.
with a bid very much lower than any
of those in the combine. The other bids
varied about 1 cent on a set of readers
The commission threw out all bids,
adjourned for two weeks. and request
ed new bids At the second session the
bids were opened and found to be the
same as before. They again asked for
new bids and adjourned for two weeks.
It now seems clear to us that the
state board was determined to not &C
cept our books, and did not think best
to let a contract with our low bid there.
One-third of the time for making the
books for the entire state and getting
them distributed in each county had
now elapsed. We felt that it would be
risky to attempt to fill the contract if
we obtained it. as the time for making
the books had grown so short or, in
then correspondent with Sheldon & Co.
out They asked US to make a definite
proposition. and in response we wrote
the letter, part of which you quote. The
proposition carried with it the proviso,
that no money was to be paid until aft
er they had obtained the contract. We
wanted to get back the money we had
spent and which was lost by what we
considered, an unfair text book board.
Some very interesting things could be
published in reference to the letting of
school book contract in the state of
| Washington. You are always careful
to avoid showing all of that letter. You
show just enough to convey the impress
sion that we are in the business for the
purpose of selling out You have shown
it so often, that it is probably dirty and
| fresh. clean copy. But, Mr.. Burton you
swOre in the Shawnee county court that
there was no collision between the
American Book Co. and Sheldon & Co
1 Still, that letter, although addressed to