The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-12-29
IT MUST GO.
Book Companies Have New Plan
of Operation.
Will Attack Kansas Text Book
Law Through Prices.
AS Low AS LOWEST
File Bond to- Gauge the Prices
BY Other States.
Thinks Kansas Is Getting
School Books Too Cheaply.
Book Man Says People Are Sick
of the Law.

The book companies which are sup
plying a portion of the texts used in
the Kansas schools have a new plan by
which they hope to overthrow the Kan
sas uniformity law.
The companies are agitating a change
in the law which will if adopted cause
some radical changes in the present
methods of doing business.
The plan now being put forward Is
one which will authorize the book COM
panies TO file with the secretary of state
a bond in the sum of ,00G, specifying
that the price of books in Kansas shall
be as low as the prices in any other
state in the union.
This plan, the companies argue, will
place Kansas on a level with other / W.
price states, and at the same time COM
pei the publication of books which
would be an Improvement upon the
character of those now in use here. At
least this is the argument of the book
concerns.
The book companies pretend that the
business in Kansas is not sufficient to
cause sleeplessness because a company
fails to get 1t. The claim IS made that
the amount of books used in Kansas
high schools in a single year does not
exceed SIS, 900.
what do we care about the Kansas
business2'' said a representative of one
of the oldest publishing houses to a
State Journal reporter last night. The
Kansas people have a law now of which
II.
panies can afford to take it easy while
the people are discovering that the pres
ent law is farce. Then Wen have a
better chance at them"
els the opinion of the law expressed
by the book companies due to the fact
that the law attempts to make some
discrimination in favor of the people?'
was asked.
Certainly not. A man or woman who
knows anything about books, especially
books in use in the schools, knows well
that some of the texts now in the
schools of this state are inferior to those
on the same subjects in other states.
".JJnder the present law the books
cannot be changed. The pupils are COM
PEELED to use the books which have been
adopted although they know that there
are errors and inaccuracies in the texts"
will the supplemental idea endorsed
by the teachers association benefit any
one if It is adopted2"
Not in the least. 1t viii not provide
for changes in the text books If supple
mental books are adopted it will mean
an additional expense while the old
books will be used"
Suppose the supplemental text should
be adopted. Couldn't these be used ana
the others abandoned?"
"Of course that could be done but it
would be a violation of the law as it now
exists and would not be tolerated by the
old-fogY school boards"
The gentleman who expressed these
opinions has been attending teachers
association meetings for years, display
ing his books and selling special publi-
cations to the teachers. The name of
the man is withheld for the present, be-
cause it's publication would doubtless
cause him the loss of his position, for
the reason that the book companies are
making a still hunt to kill the present
law.
u Ex-State Superintendent William
Stryker, who is responsible for the state
uniformity law said Friday to a State
Journal reporter:
81 am satisfied that the book compa-
MES will succeed in overthrowing the
Kansas text book law in the next legis-
lature. The whole trouble is that the
prices of school books in Kansas they
consider altogether too low They might
not offer much objection to the law II
the maximum prices were realized. The
people of Kansas are saving too much
TnoLey on school books to suit them,