The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1901-06-01
AS TO SCHOOL BOOKS.
a Look Before and After--and Some
Facts That Should be Well Weight
ed by the State Beard of Education.
(Goldsboro Argus.)

ed Dy the State Beard OF Education.
(Goldsboro Argus.)
Mr.. G. L. Patton, who signs himself
General Manager of the University
Publishing Company" is out in a card
in the Raleigh News and Observer in
| defense of his company
AS the Argus has had something to
say on the school book question We
think it we'll to notice a few of his
statements.
| 1st He denounces as entirely and
unqualifiedly false" the statement that
his company is a trust combination.
He says he offered to prove by the
| books and records of his company the
! truthfulness of his statement. In other
words, that the book keeper" vii cor
roborate the general managerial of
| the same concern.
Hanna says there are no trusts
1t is a fact generally known in North
| Carolina that when the books were
| adopted in the different counties of the
! State there was no conflict between
| the University and American compan-
| les, the Democratic hand book of 1900
| names the American Book Company as
| one of the trusts that, in the words Of
| the platform, destroy competition, les
sen the employment of labor and arbi-
| trarily fix the terms and conditions
! thereof and deprive individual energy
and small capital of their opportunity
| for betterment'
| In some instances the same attorneys
! advocated before the county boards of
| education the adoption of the books of
| both the University and American COM
| panies.
| After the school book bill became a
| law, Mr.. j. w. Thackston, general agent
| of the American Book Company, sent
! out circular letters asking for the en-
dorsement of the books now in use in
| the public schools of the State-most of
| which are supplied by the University
| Publishing Company. This was fol-
! lowed up by a personal canvass by the
! agents and attorneys of the American
| Book Company of the county boards
! of education and county superinten-
| dents of almost every county in the
| State. The editor of this paper knows
| of at least one instance in which dis
reputable methods were resorted to to
| secure endorsements of books in use.
! These endorsements, secured by the
| agents and attorneys of the American
| Book Company, are now being used by
| the attorneys of the University Com
| pany with the hopes of influencing the
| action of the State Board of Education.
| If the American and University conn
| panies are not members of the same
! trust or combination then the steel trust
| is a myth and the Standard Oil trust
| is merely a benevolent arrangement
to promote the welfare of the consum'
| ers of oil. r
End. But more astonishing still is
| the statement of Mr.. Patton, that the
| University Publishing Company did
| not oppose the passage of the AycocK
! school book law, but on the contrary
was in favor Of it.
This reminds us of the fellow, who
| upon being told that a small star that
was barely visible to the eye, was lar
! ger than the moon, exclaimed: its
! got a -- of a poor way of showing
| it,"
| Every member of the Legislature
| knows that this is not the truth. The
| University and American companies had
attorneys at the Legislature by the
score opposing the bill-proposing any
amendment that they thought would
weaken or defeat the bill.
| Articles from the pen of Capt W. b.
| Kendrick, the veteran State Agent OF
the University Company, endeaVoring
to convince the members that twas
| impossible to reduce the price Of books
unless the State would buy the books,
were published in the Morning Post
and laid on the desks Of the members
of the Legislature when the bill was
under discussion. While, since the
passage of the bill, that they opposed
| aOF11 NON ), Q
| offered books that are now in use in the
| State at more than thirty per cent less
than they are today charging the chill
| dren of the State for the same books.
Mr.. Patton grows eloquent in defense
| of the county boards of education. The
Legislature did not intend to reflect
upon the gentlemen constituting these
| boards, and We apprehend that they
| will not be especially gratified at hav-
| ing a representative of the book trust
as their champion. Many of the gen.
| tlemen constituting these boards had
| grown tired of the efforts of agents
| like the Universitys venerable agent
| Capt. Kendrick, endeavOring to take
| them under the shadow of his protect
| ing wing.
| The methods of the book trust, we
respectfully submit, have not been such
| as to foster the best interest of the
! State 1t has done all that it could to
| stifle competition; it has exerted its
every influence (and it has in it's employ
a score of the shrewdest attorneys in
the State) to prevent any reduction in
| the price of books; it is determined to
| drive from the State every Independent
| publisher. If the State Board of Edu-
| cation permits it to carry out it's pro-
CRANE, then our Southern authors will
! find no publisher for their books, and
| the price of our school books may be
| restored to the exhorbitant prices that
we now pay, when it suits the interest
| of the book trust to do so.
The people do not want this done.