The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-10-31
/. T. Thomas Believes That the
Adoption Of the Measure is
Fraught With Mischief---The
Burden Of Taxation Would
Be Enlarged--Extravagancy
and Other Evils Would Fol-
low Free Text Books.

:
against the adoption OF the free text book
law. These ne states with force. review
ing the issue In the following letter.
The question OF furnishing free school
books which Is 20 be voted upon a. the
coming election. Is enc which seems TO the
writer 20 deserve serious consideration.
Some OF the newspapers OF this city are
ssowediy fn favor Of such law and are
doing all FL their power 10 have fayora-
bic vote thereon. though they have at
tempted no special analysis or given any
special reasons why such should be the
case.
TO the writer hereof there appear grave
reasons against voting for such a measure:
Il seems 20 be both unwise and unjust.
Those who are tn favor OF such a law
urge Il upon the one ground that the FUR
nishing Of books from year TO year is often,
serious tax upon the purses Of poor pa
ren,s an. and keenly fsl, BY them GRAINED
why the community at large should fur
nish booksT Why not for the same reason
ask the state 70 furnish food and clothing
III is not only she legal but IL Is the moral
duty of parents 10 educate the child as
vel as feed. elothe and protect It; Il Is one
81 bringing the child into the world and
for which he Is supposed 10 be eoInpen-
stated by the love and obedience OF the
child during ITS Infancy. and. should the
parent stand tn need OF assistance. then by
the assistance OF the child when II shall
have arrived OF sufficient age to be OF as
such being the case. what right has one
parent 10 demand OF another or OF the
community at large assistance toward sup
porting or educating the child? Our sense
OF right naturally reyolts from such an
imposition. II is true that the state. rather
than suffer children of INDECENT parents 10
30 without education for the lack of books.
furnishes books to them. but this Is done
not because the state owes such 10 the
child. but rather as an act OF humanity.
from pity toward the child who should not
be made TO suffer because of It's parents
worthlessness: and Il is also true. and for
n like reason. that. rather than see such
child suffer for food and clothes. tho state
Will provide for II. but the writer fancies
that no newspaper would advocate nor
would any parent vote for a law demand
Ing that the state furnish clothing 10 all
children, 10 be passed from child to child
as circumstances might require and as is
now proposed TO be done with text books.
though the principle Is exactly the same.
But. laying aside such objections and
considering the question from the say
inEs'' standpoint. and supposing the COM
mnnity al large furnishes the books. II
would profit parents but little II any. for
they would be taxed nevertheless. not only
10 pay for the books Of their own children,
bat the books OF the balance OF the chill
dren In the community.
III n man should have q large family
say eight or ten children-all attending
school at the same time. and IL he would
be taxed only while those children were
attending school II might prove that un-
der the free" system he would save some
cost
cause most families are much smaller than
this and the parents of the small families
would each have TO contribute toward the
expenses Of th,s one man But ts Il 50 hap,
and no longer demand books from their
parents. and such parents are, under the
r. b,,rf,s shonis .frSe-, hoaEs ~ is I'm.
nished. however, the parent Is never re-
levea. for though his own children no
fanver demand books he Is continually
NrEt 10 Az sar ha rhf s1ff 9th
parents. and year In and year out he has
90 pay until the expense exceeds many
upon him had he furnished books only for
his own family. so that. IN the end. even
the parent Of the extra large family saves
nothing while the man with the ordinary
family has burden added 20 burden.
But suppose all families are Of equal size
and that the tax would end when the chill
dren LEI, school, yet The saving woaIa even Z,
know that children are only too prone 20
deface. destroy or lose their books and are
often prevented from doing so only by fear
OF punishment from parents, Should the
state furnish books. no parent would feel
like furnishing hts child for carelessly or
even wilfuily damaging or losing books.
hence the child feeling no fear and shar-
Ing rs parent's Indifference takes no care
20 preserve It's books. for II knows the state
viii furnish mora Such being the case.
there would be necessarily a large loss
each year % be made good the next year
hy additional taxing. 80 that IN the long
run. the cost would nearly " not Qnife
equal or perhaps exceed the expense under
the present system.
Again. would there not be trouble grow
Ing ont of tho apnortionment Of the old
fooksT Parents are apt 70 be Jealous 81
their chli6ren's rights and should their
child receive 4 book IN poorer condition
than that eiven 20 some other child. com
plants OF favortism would be sure 10 be
made putftnE teachers and school boards
20 endless trouble and causing all sorts of
bitter feelings and aissensicns
Al - IA
lance when compared with the sanitary
view % such practice. Who can ian 20
recoenizs not only the possibility hut the
probability OF the new user OF Tire old book
hsfnr infecfed with some disease with
which the ola user was affected Who can
say what germs Of disease may have been
planted IN The hook nv the obi User. hood
end skin diseases being perhaps the least
harmful FuYnlEattou Of the books might.
IN some degree. lessen this danger. but the
very nature Of books renders their com
rieta sumiEatiou an almost lrnpcssl hsnty.
aud leaves more OF less risk 10 be run.
what respectable or ~eif-FeSneeting parent
would permit hts child 20 run such risk.
Nine out Of ten parents he their condition
never - rfrziteuet. weuid rather buy
rev books than take such chances.
Taking into consideration the things
herefrnefore set forth q seems 60 the
writer that both econou7v anh safety 20
health demand q vote against the pro-
posed measure.