The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1901-05-28
THE BOOK QUESTION.
A Statement From the University
Publ, hing Company.

the edlIOFlal page or this paper lOI Int
past few days. / fully understand but all
your readers may not understand that all
these articles are paid advertisements,
and for the benefit of these
persons l make this, expiana-
tion. | wish every man in North Caro-
lima to know that these articles are adj
vertisements and the News and Observer
has not editorially expressed any opinion
upon the adoption of school books
The gentlemen whose names appear to
these articles are men of character and
standing, but they have been deceived
and misled by the statements of the
agents of B. f. Johnson & Co., and CHM
& Co
l. The charge is made that the Univer-
sity Publishing Company is a trust or
part of trust and this / denounce as
entirely and unqualifiedly false. The Uni
versity Publishing Company is absolutely
Independent and is a competitor in this
State and elsewhere of every other pub
fishing house. We have no agreement, no
contract which in any way prevents us
from competing for every adoption or in
any way fixes or limits the prices at
which we offer our books.
When | appeared before the State Text
Book Commission in this State, | offered
to submit our stock ledger, record books
and every document in our office for in
spection if there fingered in the mind of
any member of that body the slightest
doubt as to the absolute independence Of
my company
. 1t is charged that the University
Publishing Company fought State uni
formity before the Legislature last win
ter This charge is false
We were strongly opposed to certain
provisions of the original bill, provisions
which we thought impracticable, but moth
ing was more satisfactory to the Uniyer-
sity Publishing Company from a business
standpoint than the return to State uni
formity, and our entire influence was cast
that way. Judge Fl. G. Connor, Chairman
of the House Committee on Education,
who presided at the sessions of the joint
committee, can testify to this fact.
g. The charge is made that the Uni
versity Publishing Company has charged
the people of North Carolina too much
for school books in the past years and
this l denounce as false and libelous
When the first adoption was made in
this State the contest was bitter and our
books, then adopted, were the cheapest Of
fered We won the contract because we
were the lowest and best bidders. The
people of North Carolina profited by it
because under this contract they bought
their books at lower prices than did the
people of any other state in the Union.
At subsequent adoptions we held our con-
tract because NO PUBLISHER OFFER
ED books cheaper than our books which
were adopted and in use. The records
will show these to be the facts.
In 1895 when the Fusion Legislature was
in session here CHM and Company, of
Boston. Mass, took advantage of the
overthrow of the Democrats and employed
attorneys, organized a lobby and secured
a repeal of the law under which State
adoption was made. In order to carry
their point they attacked the officers OF
the State, whom all North Carolinians
respected and honored. But they offered
no cheaper books. Some of their parti-
sans insisted that the way to get cheaper
books was to break up State uniformity
and have the adoption made by the coun-
ties where active competition would re-
duce prices. The law was repealed and
the adoption was made by the counties,
but CHM and Company offered no cheap
err prices. No cheaper books were of
fered to the boards in 1896 than were Of
fered by the University Publishing Com
pany.
During the past year and today our
books are sold to the merchants of this
State cheaper than corresponding books
of any other publishers In order to
prove this, | want every man who reads
this article to go to the nearest book
store and ask the dealer what publishing
house gives him the best prices. ASK
him for the Publishers Weekly Price List
which contains a list of all the school
books published in the United States and
the price for which each book is sold. In
that published price-list find Cyrs' OIL
Stickney's Readers, published by CHM
and Company; Johnson's Readers, by
B. f. Johnson and Company, and Holmes
Readers which we publish and you can
see for yourself which are the cheapest
readers Readers constitute nearly forty
per cent of the books sold in North Caro-
lima. Compare the prices of other books
and you will find them varying, but II
no instance will you find any material diff
ference.
If in our bids to the State Commits
| sion we have reduced the prices it is
because we are competing for a contract
| for the whole, State, and for that reason
we have made special prices just as other
! publishers have done.
4. Insinuation is made that we have
| secured endorsements from county super
| intendents and county boards and officers
| by some unfair means. l denounce this
insinuation as false and as Islander on
| those citizens of North Carolina who
are serving on the county boards OF edu'
| cation in the several counties OF the
! State There are not to be found In any
| State any where, men of higher character
| and purer. motives than the men who are
serving on the county school boards il
| North Carolina. No man could influence
| them to say or do a thing that was not
| right and the insinuation that these mer
| have been improperly Influenced is al
| outrage, that l cannot permit to pass
| 1t is hard that an upright officer con
| scientious and faithful in the discharge o.
| his duty and earnest in his effort TO pro
mote the best interests of the schools o.
his county and to save the people from
unnecessary expense, should be attacked
and maligned by the paid agents OF bool
! companies who are trying to make money
! out of the State.
5. / deny that the agents, attorneys
| and lnhhyiStS who were employed by GiuI