El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-01-21

Vaccinations intended to impair its
usefulness if it be made criminal
offense for any teacher or school
trustee to accept employment by
pu plishers of school books.
No city of 10000 Inhabitants or over
has yet adopted the provisions of the
act. AS q consequence not only do the
here, but inasmuch as opposition pub
fishers as q general rule supply those
cities with school books, they are using
the cities as bases Of operation in their
war on the law. These publishers and
9th err elements and forces are endeav-
oring to prevent it's successful enforce
ment, to undermine and finally destroy
it, and it is worthy of your special con-
eideration how far this exemption of
cities will mischievously affect it else
where. Without reference to this, 1t
is difficult to perceive why the child.
rem of the cities should be denied the
advantages offered by the act On
the contrary, the preponderance of
public benefit and sound reason, in my
Judgment, suggest that the exemption
be removed and the law made appli-
cable and operative throughout the
state.
SUPERINTENDENT PUTNAM'S VIEW.
ALI the school trustees of this city
who were seen yesterday were q unit
in opposing the foregoing measure
which would take from their hands the
selection of school books and bestOw
the authority upon others. They feel
that they are entirely competent to
deal with the question and that the
state government has no right to in
terfere in local municipal affairs and
that such law would undoubtedly be
detrimental to the excellent public
school system now in vogue in Ell
PasO.
81 want to go on record as favoring
the law as it now stands" said Prof.
Putnam, superintendent of the city
schools. yesterday, when asked to ex-
press an opinion concerning the COVER
nor's recommendation.
"If any change at all takes place,
however, 1 think towns OF not less than
5000 inhabitants should be exempted.
for themselves.
1.-THE law Is unquestionably q good
one for country districts for nearly
every new teacher appointed in q cOun-
try neighborhood has his own ideas in
regard to text books and generally
wants to compel every child attending
his school to purchase new books of his
selection.
1.-The law is good for country dis
tricts and small villages but would no:
suit city like Ell Paso. We have not
materially charged text, books here in
ten years and no change has taken
place often enough to hurt anyone.
However, l regard most of the
books adopted by the state board as
good selections but some of them are
not up to the standard and I do not
book law has had at least one beneficial
effect 1t has reduced the price of
| text books all over the state. The
price of some that we are using
has fallen twenty five per cent.
"The reason of this is obvious. The
state board on account of it's immense
orders for books is given reduced prices.
We are probably using different books
all round, but to keep us from changing
here and there the publishers of our
books offer US the same prices
DIR. RACES VIEWS.
"The whole law is hardship all the
way through, even as it now stands -
said DR.. Chas. T. Race, president of
scheming and manipulation on the
part of the publishers of text books to
bring about the adoption of their books
by the board, and rs consequence the
children are sacrificed for the sake Of
economy.
| Crooks are adopted that have nc
merit whatever. No matter how large
a sum of money is saved by this delu-
| sive scheme it will not repay the
damaged sussaiped by the children.
"a child has but ore time to learn
and when it has spent that time in
studying text books ill a1aDtel to its
needs the injury is incalculsble.
''Such evils will exist 20 long as the
school book contract system exists.
"Tbe plan as now in vogue
in Ell Paso and other independent dis
tricts is by far the best and the most
economical. We have not materially
changed text books for eight years
and several generations of children
handed down from the elders to their
youger brothers and sisters.
"TO permit the state board to select
text books for us would be worse than
jumping from the frying pan into the
fire."
SECRETARY PEW'S OPINION.
Secretary E. C.. Pew of the school
board when asked for his opinion sai(
care of herself without interference
from the state.
"Cities of ten thousand inhabitant
or over should certainly have th'
right to choose their own text books
don't believe in the state meddlinl
in local affairs anyhow, especially In
this kind of q thing.
Cali the children attending our pub
lie schools have the requisite text book
and it would be quite hardship OF
poor people if the Law was changed an,
they had to purchase full set of ne,
books as selected by the state board.
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