The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-08-29
The School Book SwindIe.

The SCHOOL Book SWIIldle.
From the very beginning of this text
book legislation. It has been the opinion
! OF the editor OF this paper. that 4 vas
| a scheme of Topeka combine TO build
| up Topeka institution At the expense OF
| the school children Of the state. but We
| have waited until business transactions
1 might actually commence and we could
speak from knowledge Of what they we.e
| actually dong with the children OF the
| state and not from what our belief might
| be as 20 what they would do We have
\ kept an eye open for the theft We knew
| would be attempted by this gang. a.
| an outrageous expense 10 the rest CT TIE
| state. Operations have no begun and the
| people, Taxpayers and parents should De
! beard IN defense OF their rights and until
this attempted outrage on an entire popu-
/ lace in the interest OF one corner OF II.
has been beaten back and justice and in
telhgent management; of The public schools
| shall have been established in spi,esof the
| cry of prejudice and fanaucism. Our po-
| sction has no, been very different from that
| OF a number OF our leading dailies outside
| OF Topeka, for they cannot be bind 10
| the fact that during the last legislature
| every politician OF Topeka. regardless or
| party. every printers union or labor or
ganization of that city rallied enmasse TO
| assis, in making one last effor; TO save
| concern from bankruptcy by assisting II
| in taking advantage OF the prejudice o.
the Populst legislature against eastern
| publishing houses and thereby swinging
into his hands. to the upbuild.ng OF To-
| peka. the entire text book trade Of the
! state.
| The scheme worked and the bill went
| through in such shape. prices so 10 AMI
| terms OF exchange so rigid that II fright
| ened away every reliable eastern pub
| Usher and the Topeka combine was ief,
| unmolested, without competition. which at
| once began 10 manipulate the text book
commission. They rely wholly on the ig-
norance OF the people as 10 hat their rights
| of exchange of books under the law are.
| and they have succeeded in getting the
text book commission 10 adopt set OF
| rules under which they hope 10 manipu-
late the entire school book trade. This
| school book scheme will cost the people
| half million dollars 10 start with ms
| reformer Stryker is the man whom the
people should keep an eye on. Inc law
| saws that ali books now IT use IN thc
schools. regardless of their condition, shan
be taken by the publishers and % per
cent allowed the pupil % the price of the
new books The Crane-Stryker combination
tried 10 have the legislature declare that
only marketable books should be taken,
but the legislators said no TO Their re
peated attempts and declared that all DOCKS
now in use should be received. All iegit-
innate publishers staid out OF the bid, de-
claring that with the low prices they couid
rot furfil this requirement OF exchange
nor did the Topeka syndicate expevt 10
| lrvsU
Rad the commission so fixed that they
would ION them in deceiving the people
as 10 their rights under the law. so they
| have printed on large cards about four by
six feet set of rules and prices adopted
nv this commission and have posted these
| cards in every retail dealers store, ana
unless every teacher, newspaper or other
person knowing the rights OF the people
DEFY their cry of tool of the trust,
agent OF the eastern book companies
and enlighten the parents who nave oooAs
TO exchange they VIII succeed in painiihS
off these rules as law and this Topeka IN
stittution Will be benefited 10 the extent
of several hundred thousand dollars Ihese
| rules saw that no book shall be taken IN
less Il has all the printed leaves ana 'ne
cover a book beng rejected II even quar-
ter OF leaf 3 gone. The law says All
hooks now in use in the schools OF that
would have been used this year, shah pe
taken Then again the law says that %
ner cent of the maximum or retail price
shall be allowed the child for his OLD DOOR,
-sgariIess OF condition, and these rules
CIV mat il shall be 90 per ceat OF the
contract price. which means another steai
~ from one TO four cents on every DOCK
N The state. They claim that the books
ara sold AZ about one-haf OF the pr4ce
| charged by eastern publishers for standard
works furnished during the past ana We
have figured II out and II Is reduc'oh
M only about one-third and Wneh you
compare what you get from the TOPEKA
monopoly with what you have oeen Se'-
ting from standard publishers. me pre-
has been increased about one-nah- OF
the books you have been buyinS are
! ho,nd uniformly IN linen and VII 0utlast
three OF the paper bound books you are
getting from this Topeka institution Inc
subject matter and The educauonai Va4ue
Of the two sets OF text books are not 10
/ be compared. as this commission hal nun
irg 70 select from except some STUN 'hd-
had been gathered up in Topeka ana was
&, enc, An embryo state that II did not
deserve the name OF text book ana some
J OLD stuff that had been dead FOR years.
| v-ba+ tho Topeka syndicate DID not have
( they dug out OF the closets OF Shicas0
and ST. Louis, Old stun they could coh'Fo'
IN this deal The motive OF the men "a
this steal must be apparent 70 every one
We are told that large part OF the COM
mission were disappointed Ia not getuhS
ZION, eastern publishers what they eFi-
IDENTIFY expected. A Pop, IN failing 10 x
doodle. fails in toto The people sAoul'
awake and demand their rights. ], was
a common thing for the Dalton and James
bows 10 demand silence a. the point OF the
l revolver while they looted the cash drawer
ana now this Topeka crowd IS Demanding
silence Of the intelligent masses VINO hh0"
foel- rights Al the point Of the cry 100
OF the trust" agent Of monopoly g.
Sc.
I Music ia the AR