Potosi journal. (Potosi, Mo.) 1894-1929, 1902-10-08
White Haps Darlington.

: CurriEgton, rival candldatcs for
state superintendent of schools,
spoke from the same platform at
! Central I. NJ. G. a., St. Louis,
one night recently on the subject:
Missouri ELucatinn." While it
was not a Joint political debate, yet
| The expressed views Of the men as
candidates for the same office gave
| the addresses something the flavor
of such contest. Among other
things Prof. White said:
"Thc assessed value Ct the tax
able property of this great state of
ours, as shown by the returns to
the Office Of the state auditor, is
81, ,2S9, 796, O5G, upon which amount
the proceeds Of au annual tax Of
one tenth Of per cent viii! be suf
| fcient to put free books in the
hands Of every child in the state.
As these books are good for SIX
years, the annual cost to the tax
payers will be about one-siXteenth
Of l per cent. In other words the
taxpayer whose property is assess
ed at $500 will pay 81 cents per
annum as his share Of the bui den
for furnishing free school books
to children. many of whose mothers
wash and scrub for 80 and Is cents
a day. | shall let those who think
this state cannot afford the cnor-
nous expense figure out the annual
cost to the individual whose ASSESS
nIent is less than $500. The prob
lem is not a difficult one. In this
connection call attention to the
fact that, in figuring the cost of
free books, | have considered the
prices paid by parents under the
present law.
The state can, Of course, buy
at much less than present prices
and thereby decrease the rate of
taxation l have spoken of as nee
cssary to be levied. Enormous
expense!
"Why, do YOU know, our legis-
Iaturc of 1899 squandered enough
money on the St. Louis police bill
| and the jefferson club (S1, 500, goo
being the last appropriation Of the
taxpayers money! to furnish books
| to every child in the state for the
next eighteen years.
"The money paid out for useless
clerk hire in the legislatures of
1897 and 1899 and 1901 lover
$500, ,O0O) would be sufficient to
supply books to many children in
the state whose parents are unable
to buy them"
Mr.. Darlington had nothing to
say on this feature Of the question.
Prof. White, referring to the high
prices paid in this state to the
school book trust, said:
"Something is radically wrong
with 4 law that forces Missouri
school children to pay much more
for text books than is paid for bet
ter books in other states. | hold
in my right hand a copy of Shinn's
United States History, the adopted
book in this state. You probably
know of its reliability as histori-
cal text. II costs our children Sc
cents. | hold in my left hand a
copy of Dayidson'S United States
History, the adopted book in Kan
sas. 1t is cloth bound and contains
ninety -four pages more than Shinn
The retail price of this book is 81
: cents.
"Hcre is Montgomery's Leading
Facts of American History, the
adopted book in Indiana, which re-
tails for G3 cents. | now hold in
my right hand II copy of the spell
Ell used in this state, cloth bound
which retails for 10 cents.
lin my left hand | hold 4 copy
of speller written by DR.. f. G.
Hewctt, professor of peda gogy in
the Illinois University. This cloth
bound book, containing twenty
two more pages than our Missouri
text. retails for II cents.
Il can show You similar differ
ences in prices Of nearly al! the
other books if you will come to
the platform after the meeting is
adjourned.
This was rather tough on Car
rington, who, previous to his eec
ton as superintendent of schools.
was in the employ of the school