The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1897-02-24

when it comes to passing resolutions
of sympathy with the Cretans, Greeks
and Armenians, but cautious and cir
cumspect when dealing with Cuba to
the verge of the ridiculous.
The free school book bill converts
every county Superintendent of Edu-
cation into dealer in school books,
and the next move will be to allow
each and every one Of them addi-
tional com 9ensation for the great and
onerous additional labor imposed
upon them. 1t would not be at all
surprising in those days of reform
were the Legislature, in the effort to
save money for the dear, destitute
people, to employ clerk at a good
round salary to assist the Srperinten-
dent of Education in dispensing
books Of course the books would
be sold at cost, but the same dear,
destitute people, whom the State
must take care of like rich parent,
will be taxed just little more to pay
the salary attached to the new Office.
We do not condemn the creation OF
new Offices, not by any means, tor
each Office provides support of anoth-
er one of the dear destitute, who un-
fortunately have constitutional dis
inclination to hustle around and pro-
vide for themselves the necessities
and luxuries Of life. Everything
points iu the same direction nova
DAYS, and the desire for State support
is. spreading among the people with
greater rapidity than any contagious
disease ever swept through land.
We are drifting into paterralism, and
the worst of it is most people would
gladly welcome the advent of such 9
condition of society. Taxes are
piled up year after year, new Offices
are created and new schemes de-
gised TO consume the result of the
tax levies, and the people are becom
ing more helpless, more destitute,
more incapable of maintaining them
selves as independent, free, self-re-
specting citizens, and dearer to the
solicitous lawmakers over in Colum-
bia who eujoy life on 81 per diem
and long for free passes on the rail
roads. At least this is the conclu-
sion we have reached after careful
study of the proceedings of the Leg
islature.
Blu. to return to the original topic
the free school book bill. We will
put the public in possession Of the
inside facts of the book business and
then clearer idea Of the results OF
the operation of the law
will be general. The school
book business is practically controlled
by three great concerns, and they in
conjunction with the State Board OF
Education not only arbitrarily pre-
scribe what books shall be used, but
what prices shall be paid for them
A scale of prices has been fixed and
from these prices the trust allows a
discount of twenty per cent to the
book dealer. The dealer pays the
freight, which is high on books, and
by the time the books are sold his
margin of profit is wiped out entire
". Ask any dealer in school books
and be will tell the same story-there
is nothing in it for him, and were il
not leading line which be is forced
to keep in order to retain his trade in
more profitable lines, he would gladly
sell no more school books. For that
reason there has been no protest from
book dealers against the passage O.
the bill, for they regard it as an eman'
cipation from one Of the tyrannies
of trade. 1t may be added that
twenty per cent. is the maximum dis
count allowed from the schedule O.
prices; in some cases the discount is
less.
We wish the State much success
in it's new venture into the border
land Of paternalism, but if the people