The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1899-10-17
JOHN ". TOMLINSON
AT GUNTERSYILLE
Addresses Democrats of Marshall
County Upon Vital Interests.
MADE SPLENDID IMPRESSION
Opposes Mr.. stalling's Idea of Compul-
sorry Education, and Scores the
School Book Trust-Favor
bly, Received by Voters

john w. Tomlinson, candidate for gov
| ernor, addressed the people of Marshall
| county here today. Judge Bilbro was kind
enough to grant a counle Of hours for pub
e#aH Mr. Tomlinson
i u3aa fale.# p . what is consid-
1feG ~. I2rg eaaa of this sea SON
be- sau=e 2ss 80 I'd. He is a mar.
= aH1endfa apps zee aad impressed The
relp ni9sl fs9oraaV s1th both himself
I'D argument
E1.rsitau ~ chooi Books
tn his srr4feameH# - the trusts, he
| brought han. g. when he show
/ 81 ssW ths a= lst was robbing
=. 5z=-la Hs - MT prices of the
\ trust which IS q .na..,a saat can be rezSzS
/ ediea - :. ages legislation, as dt had bse1
done. and the law held cons itiiti
Indiana West Virginia. Terressse an -
/ er states. In Tndiana. he showed tAtss49
state school book board had been aA4Al
with authority to contract for school books
for the public schools, the board being linn
tied Co not exceed the following prices for
school books: For spelling book, ten Q0)
cents; for first reader, ten Q0) cents; for
a second reader, fifteen Q5) cents; for
third reader, twenty-five (25) cents; for
fourth reader, thirty 900 cents; for fifth
reader forty (40) cents; for an arithmetic,
intermediate, thirty-five (SO cents; for an
arithmetic, complete, forty-five (5)) cents;
for a geography, elementary, thirty 600
cents; for a geography, complete, seventy
five 90 cents; for an English grammar,
complete, forty (i0 cents; for physiology,
thirty-five (30 cents; for a history of the
United States, fifty 5O cents; for copy
books, each five 90 Gems. CRevised stat
utes, 1884, $3.50; revised statutes, 1897, 63ll)
Mr.. Tomlinson then showed that the
school book trust was furnishing school
books in Indiana at the above prices, While
in Alabama he showed that school books
cost nearly twice the prices above set forth.
He said that there were over 100000 school
children in Alabama, but that only about
half of them took advantage OF the public
schools, and that the other half were Kept
away from school because parents were not
able to feed and cloth the children and pay
eXorbitant prices for books. He said the
school book trust at first refused to fur
nsh the books under Indiana law, but at
last came in and signed contract at the
prices quoted above. He showed that 1t
would save thousands and thousands of
dollars to the people of Alabama, and that
ne had made, and would continue to make
| this an issue in his race for governor, and
for that reason the book trust was fighting
him. He contended that a law similar to
that in Indiana would not not only save
thousands of dollaws to the people of the
state but would bring about more eff
cheney in the public schools, that would be
brought about by a uniform system of
school books. He further showed that the
merchants who handle school books now,
i'm most instances, handle them at loss,
that the trust and not the local dealers
make the profit on them.
Rise in Cotton Explained
Speaking of the currency question, Mr..
Tomlinson said that the temporary rise in
prices, resulting from the increase in the
volume of money which came more from
the balance trade being in our favor than
from the increase of the gold output but
demonstrated the correctness of the posi-
ton of bimetallism and should encourage
them to keep up the great fight for there
storation of silver, so that values might be
kept up permanently.
On the Philippine question he said he oc-
cupled the same position occupied by Will
lam j. Bryan. This question ne discussed
at considerable length, arguing that the
United States could not now be conquered,
While if the Philippine Islands were an
-nexed, the prestige of the nation might go
down as the result of one naval battle in
the Orient; that territory acquired by JEFF
ferson and the democratic successors was
for the purpose of statehood and was ac-
quired to remove the necessity for a large
standing army that would be needed if our
southern boundary line ran through the
southern parts of Georgia, Alabama, Mis-
| ssSippi and Louisiana, and our western
boundary line was the Mississippi river, as
| it was in Jefferson's time; that it will pre-
Vent rather than help trade In the Orient
by causing the nations over there to close
the open door, when the tariff laws of
this country would have to be enforced in
the Philippines, The trade of those islands
being insignificant compared to the trade
of the entire Orient; that he favored more
money, so that our own home people might
Wear more and better clothes, thus creating
an increased home demand that he favored
manufacturing the surplus and shipping it
from our own sea ports to all nations main
tanning peace, commerce and honest
| friendship with all.
Stauings and Compulsory Education
Mr.. Tomlinson concluded his argument
| regarding the school book question by saw
| ing that he favored a law that would en-
| able the people of Alabama to get school
books at a reasonable price, which would
enable them to send their children to
school without forcing them to do So as
Mr.. Stallings had advocated in his speech
here. Mr.. Tomlnson said that many of the
poor children in this state were kept away
from school by the exorbitant prices of
school books charged by the schol book
trust, tnat ne suggested this as a remedy
rather than compulsory education advo-
Gated by Mr.. Stallings. He said that Mr..
Stalings spoke here and made no reference
whatever to the school book trust though
he had been in the race six months. Mr..
Stallings had never made any attack upon
the book trust
Taat Letter Written by Stallings
Mr.. Tomlinson quoted Mr.. Stallngs' let
ter to the New York Journal in which he
proposed to desert Bryan and the Chicago
platform as follows
''Mr. Richardson is faithful to the in
terests of his party and answering in
lis devotion to the masses, which that
party seeks to serve, fast Gibraltar
| on the side of right under all circum-
stances, is the type of a leader who at
this time would prove of incalculable
benefit to the country in the presiden-
tal chair.
.Modernity would permeate the coun-
Gil hall"
"Richadson is eminently the man."
''The republican party has made the