The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1897-05-13

Should the repositories, as provided for
in this section, be established, they will
not meet the wants of the people. Al
contractor would be doing remarkably
we'll to establish his depository in the
larger towns. Now, granting that these
books would be sold cheaper at these
repositories, still no one will get the bene-
fiet of it except those people who live
adjacent to the depository and trade at
these points. Take an average county in
Texas with the depository at the county
seat. The patron will either have to- go
to the county seat to get his books, which
will involve journey of fifteen or
twenty miles, or he will have to pay the
retail price at the country store, just as
he does today. Take the panhandle, for
instance, and go up the Fort Worth and
Denver Railway-the last depository will
be ut uCanah. What benefit will this be
to the twenty-five or thirty counties, in
| the great panhandle?
| Section 3 of this bill is a piece of rot.
1t provides that if an author has a. manu-
script that the board wants, they will
adopt his manuscript and make a contract
with the publishers to publish the same,
still the author has to guarantee the pub
Usher his money. Now please tell me
why, if an author has manuscript that
the board would adopt, he would want the
state to make contract with the printer
when he, the author could do it himself?
| You will notice in line 6, page Q, that he
| speaks of prices fixed by this act. You
may search the act through and you will
| find no prices fixed.
Lines 10, 49, of section 8, it was a good
thing that the author of the bill provided
that the owner of the manuscript should
pay the copyright fees, because it costs
about S1.5O to have book copyrighted.
| 1t would indeed have been terrible CO
| thing to have fastened this expense upon
the state.
Section 10 of the bill is little tender
foot. 1t says the books shall be put in
use September /, 1897, or as soon there
after as the board may deem practical.
Just what period of duration is meas
ured by the expression may deem prac-
teal" is not put down in the encyclopedia.
i The section means, however, that if state
| adoption is good thing they will rush
the books in use and certain politicians
have achieved great victory. but they
have an idea, and correct one, that the
people will howl when they begin to
| change books. This being the case, the
board will not deem it practical and will
| therefore stop the Introduction of the
books and pose as saviors of the people
Now if the author of the bill knows that
he has good thing, why don't he put il
that September, 1897 will come around
before the next election.
- Section IL provides penalty for viola
ton on the part of the teacher or trustee
Please tell us what these poor individuals
have to do with it? You may search this
bill through and all the laws on the stat
ute books today and you will find that
the teacher has nothing to do with the
adoption of school books. and this bill
does not provide any duties whatever fol
either the teacher or trustee. The state
board of education under this bill assumes
the task of putting the books onto the
schools, and it is they who should be fineC
for their failure to do it.
Section ID of the bill is state publica
ton scheme. Now if the state is looking
towards going into the publication o.
books two years hence, why should the!
go under state contract now, because i
they do take up state publication TIVE
years hence it will require anothe
change. We ought either to strike TIM
section out of the bill or strike out TIT
other parts of the bill requiring state con
tract.
Taking the bill as piece of composition
and it is crude in every sense of the word
The author scatters all over creation, ant
you can find something in almost ever.
section of the bill that refers to ever.
other section. 1t does not make the du
ties or requirements of any one clear. Tn
clearest point of the bill is that the pub
Usher will be required to give bond witt
resident security to carry out contrac
for five years and the state reserves tn
right to cancel the contract whenever tn
law is amended.
Query: Don't you think that if III
American Book company is to be knocked
out that this bill is about the kind of ;
stuffed club they would like to be hi
with? -