The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-05-06
AT THE STATE HOUSE.
The Present Kansas Text Book
Law is Like
The Indiana Law Which Has
Been Litigated
And Came Out of the Fire Unscathed,
so That the Present Fight Against
it is Not Likely to Affect It

Discussing the new school text book
law and the litigation which is pend
ing against it, State superintendent
Stryker today gave out the following
statement:
Our textbook law is copied very
largely from the Indiana law. That
was fought through all the courts and
finally decided in the supreme court in
favor of the law the same as this is
certain to be- The only thing the enc
mics of the bill hope for is delay so
that companies viii not have time after
the case is decided to get a supply of
books ready for the opening of schools
in September. Did it ever occur to you
that the best test of the work of legis-
lature is the number of cases brought
in our courts to have its acts declared
unconstitutional? The courts have
come to be the special protectors and
guardians of corporations against the
rights of the people.
THE stock yards law, the textbook
law, and all others now being tested
are laws in the interests of the people,
and to protect them against some mono
poly which has grown fat by plundering
them County Attorney JetmOre and
Judge Hazen have it in their power, if
they will lend themselves to the scheme
to delay proceedings so that il will be
impossible to put this textbook law in
to operation for year. l do not be-
Heve that they will be parties to any
such an attempt TO thWart the will of
the part taken by JetmOre thus far is
not rea SSuFing. He was under no Obli-
cation legal or moral, to take any part
in bringing proceedings, and it is a
question whether he has such right.
Without his cooperation, there was no
way to prevent the commissioners pro-
ceeding to make adOptiOnS, and if ac-
ton is delayed, and a state law delay
ed year or more in its opera ton, it
viii be because the county attorney of
shawnee county preSumeS to thWart
the will Of the legislature. 1t is also
IN their power to get this matter before
the supreme court next week if it must
go there, when it would be acted upon
at once. Then all doubt would be re-
moved and the commissioners could
proceed to make adOptiOns. They will
be BILE within a month, unless the gen
tlemen mentioned lend themselves to
the aid of those who are irving TO
thwart the will of the people to adopt
splendid series of bOOks-everyOna
standard frst-class and up-tO-date Mat
ters have gone far enough to assure me
that there is no doubt whatever of this
This law passed the senate with only
one dissenting vote. because the will of
the people was there expressed. unin-
huenced by individual and selfish inter-
ests. Lobbying against it by such in
terestS had not yet begun; but in the
house those interests were present and
came near defeating the bill. Those in
terests have now made another ATTEMPT
to thwart the will of the people by de
lay How they will succeed we soon
shall know. History is being made
rapidly on Kansas soil as it has been in
times past. and in the future Kansans
Will have cause to be proud of their
past as they now are
The successful operation of this text
book law means that each book costs
about One-half what it now does and
that but little if any more than one
half of the number of books that would
be purchased under existing cOndi-
tiOnS will be during the next five
years 1t will obviate the necessity of
buying new books when families move.
and will prevent frequent changes such
as are now common. This law is now
under discussion by the state legisIa-
ture of two other states. and should it
prove success here, as it will if our
courts will give it a chance, is certain to
be adopted generally throughout the
union. In this as in everything else,
Kansas leads"