The record-union., 1898-04-28
THE BOOK RINGS AT IT AGAIN


any subject relating to the welfare of
the common schools. It's action is not
binding, however, upon any one. 1t is
simply body of consultation and adj
vice.
Under such construction Of the duties
of the convention it has not the power
TO call into it's councils any one not a
County or a City Superintendent chosen
by the people. The present session of
the convention has seen fit to elect
honorary members, which gives the
privileges Of the floor and time of the
convention paid for by the State to
such persons, but of course not the
right to vote. It was never contem-
plated, however, that the official con-
MENTIONS of superintendent should be
peppered by outsiders. To put it mild
1y, it was ill-advised when the conven-
ton gave a seat in the body to one or
more pronounced, open and avowed en-
emies of the State series of school
books; men who are in attendance as
book-ring lobbyists, and for no other
purpose.
But passing that consideration as one
rather of bad taste than of any dis
tinct harm, it is noted that in the pres
ent convention the voice Of men sworn
TO obey, uphold and defend the con-
stitution Of the State and the laws have
been heard in open announcement of the
constitutional provision establishing a
State series of text books. These men
have had at least the courage to pro-
claim themselves the enemies of the
Constitution. They have not confined
themselves to pointing out errors of
method, but they assail the entire sys-
tenn They have not done as they
should, and stood forward as defenders
of the will of the people and advised
such changes and improvements as are
necessary in the series of books, that
the will of the people may be given
full effect and the command of the
Constitution be forwarded.
On the contrary, they have devel-
oped absolute hostility to the instru-
ment itself. and pronounced for its de-
struction so far as the school book sys-
TEN is concerned. In this they have
violated their oaths of Office and proved
that they are incapable of occupying
that judicial attitude which it is the
duty of every sworn officer of the State
to maintain. They declare, without any
ifs or ands that the right thing to do
IS to return to the old and infamous
system of the past, when the book-ring
agents ran the politics Of the State;
when they corrupted Boards Of Edu-
cation. teachers and teachers conven-
tions, district officers, and even pupils,
and bribed right and left, carrying their
nefarious schemes into every political
issue from the election of a cross roads
Constable to the choice of a United
States Senator.
There need be no denial of these
charges. They are absolutely true, pre-
cisely as we have stated them. Nay,
more, when boards, communities and
districts had been overcome and taken
IN, foot, horse and dragon, and duly
plucked, these book manipulators and
robbers conspired together to divide the
plumber and make new spoil possible by
division of territory. Thus. a firm rep
resenting readers would covenant with
one representing spoilers or geogra-
phies to play into each others hands
so as to work frequent changes of
books, each conspirator agreeing to
hold aloof from the territory to be
looted by his fellow conspirator.
But it is not necessary to go into fur
ther details; the people still live who
are perfectly familiar with the devious
and treacherous ways of the book rings.
They have established literary agencies
since the State system was adopted,
and corrupted the press to their shame
less ends. They prepared false and
scurrilous articles against the State
system and secured their publication
in the many papers of the State as
journalistic expression, but paid for in
cold coin. Mistaking their object, they
approached this paper, and offered it
gold to betray the people We printed
one article offered on the ground that
TO live upon the enemy is a first law
of war, and in the same issue exposed
the whole rascally business, and mott
fed our readers that the matter was
paid advertising, and wretched and
mendacious matter at that. Since then
the book ring has left the Record
Union" severely alone.
If the school books as we have them
are not all they should be, what is the
remedy? Obviously to make them what
they should be; not to abandon and tear
down the system itself If private pub
fishers can secure talent that can pro-
duce books of high grade, does any
man with a thimbleful of brains dare
to tell us that California, with her
magnificent school fund, the richest and
soundest of any in the Union. cannot
also call to its work just as able and
experienced makers of school books?
Is the art of producing school books a
lost one, or is it mortgaged, body,
brooches and soul to private publishers?
We admit that the State officers to
whom was committed the duty of pro-
ducing a desirable series grossly and
mischievously abused their trust. AT