The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-08-26
THE SCHOOL BOOK QUESTION.
POLITICS SAID TO HAVE BEEN IN
JECTED INTO 1T.

JEC1ED INTO II.
County Boards Threaten Retaliation
IL the Purchasing Power Is Taken
From Them-A Sensational Fight
Is in Prospect-The Governor Has
a plan of His own Which VIII Re-
duce the Price of Books One-Hnlf.
The Book Trusts Will Figure Very
Largely in the Fight.
Atlanta. Ga, Aug. 25.-Each day the
school book question assumes more
prominent position in the prospective
work Of the coming legislature. Since the
action Of the school book commission
against state uniformity and in favor OF
an enlargement of the contracting powers
of the county boards. an exceedingly
strong opposition to this recommendation
has grown UP. Prof. Glenn, the state
school commissioner with whom the book
commission left the duty of drawing up
its report to the legislature, has not yet
completed that work and win not have
ii done for week or ten days yet.
When it is finished the opposition will
be concentrated and the fight that is to
eNNN'NAN
commission begun in earnest. A promi-
ncnt school official in Atlanta to-day is
responsible for the statement tnat there
will be a most sensational fight over the
book question, when the report of the
commission is presented to the legislature.
This gentleman, who has had wide eN-
perience in school work in Georgia and
is familiar with all phases of the book
question, declares that it viii be shown
TO the legislature that the book trust has
been using its corrupting influence against
the passage of state uniformity act and
TO prevent the state from taking the pub
LEGATION of the text books into their own
hands. He says he can for one give the
legislature information along this line that
will open their eyes and cause the public
to become indignant over the facts to be
disclosed in the school book question.
1t is not at al unlikely that Gov. Akin
son will take a leading part in the fight. He
has been at work investigating, both be
fore and since the action of the book COM
mission. He is loading up with ammuni-
fion that seems to be all against the recon-
1nendation of the book commission al
though members of that body gave 1t out
that the governor approved OF the plan
thew adopted. Inc governor himself lSsllON-
ever, plainly in favor of the uniformity
system and thinks that he will be able to
demons trate to the legislature that the
state can save IS or 100 per cent. on the
cost of books to the people, If uniformity
is adopted, and the books are printed on
contract for the state. When attempt has
been made to interview him, all the COVER
nor would say about the matter is that he
is waiting to see what the book commits
sion accomphshes. What he wants is
cheaper books. If the commission pan
will get them without uniformity and state
publication, he is willing to stand by and
cid in the work, but if their plan does not
accomplish this, and he has serious doubts
of it, then he will take a hand and try to
demonstrate that the saving can be ac-
complished.
So far as can be ascertained. the book
trust has no intention of reducing the
price of books, even if the legislature
adopts the plan offered by the book COM
mission. That plan simply takes the book
business out of the hands of the book
dealers and puts it into the hands of the
county boards of education. When asked
what he thought about it the representa-
tive of one OF the book concerns replied
that his company was not in the philan-
thropic business, and, so far as he was
informed there was no intimation that
there would be a reduction in prices. The
idea is that there is no reason why the
trusts should sell to the county boards at
less than they do to the book dealers, and
this idea seems to be a reasonable one,
from their point of view. 1t has been an
open secret that the book trust has con-
trolled many boards of education in the
state for many years, and those who OPP
pose the plan that will be recommended
by the book commission declare that it
will be just as easy, if not easier, to con-
troll them under it than in the past.
One of the things that Gov. Atkinson
has done has been to get estimates on the
cost of publishing such books as are used
in the common schools. On an edition of
$4,000, which is but a drop in the bucket
so to speak, he has an offer to publish
an arithmetic pronounced by experts as
good as anything that can be had of the
trust at 20 cents per copy, whereas the
trust book OF a similar grade costs 20
cents. In a larger edition the book could
be had for Is cents, and the governor be-
heves that 10 per cent royalty would
get the best books, which would make
this class cost . cents and allowing 10
cents for handling each book, the pur-
chaser would be saved just half This is
only one instance. The governor Is at
work completing the list, and before long
will have an interesting array of figures
on the subject.
II is said that not only is the book trust
making itself felt in the fight but that
there is a great deal of politics being in
jected into the,question. some of the coun-
~ boards threatening all sorts Of retalia-
ton towards those who accomplish IT, IL
the book business, which furnishes good
pckings, should be taken out Of their
hands.