The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-12-17
Desperate Effort Made by Corporation
tn Have Revision of Text.
Books Postponed.
SUPPLIES ARE FURNISHED TOO
CHEAPLY FOR ITS COMPETITION.
Shrewd workings Of the Trust Lost
Sight OF in Agitation Over Al
legged Hasty Action.

The American Book Company, because OF
It's wealth and diversified activities fire.
quently called the schoolbook trust, is
bending every effort to influence the State
Board of Education against ordering
revision at to-day's meeting of the text
books now used in the schools. A very
prominent official connected with the
schools made the statement yesterday that
the American Company has been working
shrewdly, automatically and determinedly
to have the question of revision carried
over until the meeting of the Legislature.
The scheme of the schoolbook trust, he de-
clared, is to carry the most approved lobby
list methods into the Legislature cause the
defeat of the present school law, secure
the enactment of another based on terms Of
its own dictation and then obtain the
lucrative contracts for furnishing text
books
The schoolbook question in a nutshell.
he asserted, is that the books are now fur
nished to the State so cheaply that the
American Company cannot bid and it is
determined to get share of the States
business. When the law of 1889 was passed
the American Book Company, anxious as
it was to get all or part of the business.
found itself unable to be competitor, for
the reason that the maximum prices to be
charged for books were specifically set
forth in the statute. 1t had to remain on
the outside, while the Indiana Company
and others got the contracts. Now the sit
uation is that the American Company sees
but one way to get the contract. 1t cam
not hope to bid, II is stated, unless the
school law is repealed and a new one with
looser provisions passed.
COULD NOT BID.
Should the State Board of Education at
to-day's meeting decide that the text
books now in use shall be revised or
changed altogether the American Company
would still be out of the running, for the
reason that the new five-year contract will
be let under the same law and at practical
" the same prices; certainly not higher
rates.
1t is pointed out that a great deal of
dust has been kicked up concerning the
usefulness and value of the books now in
use. That, it Is said, is comparatively a
minor phase of the situation. Even If
the present books are not retained it would
be far more to the advantage of the
State to have contract made now, when
it is certain to get books at reasonable
rates, rather than to let the matter go
over with the possibility OF a knockout
blow to the schoolbook law or an amend
ment increasing the price of texts. For
the board TO order revision now or to
decide that new books shall be used does
not contain a menace either to the public
treasury or to the efficiency of the schools
because only so much and no more can be
charged for the books under the present
law, whether they be merely revised edi-
tions OF the present texts or entirely new
texts.
Ii is asserted that the American Book
Company has had agents In indianapolis
for the past two three months whose
business IL has been TO create an atmos-
phere against hasty action by the Board
of Education. Its clever emissaries II
is said, have initiated such phrases as
raids on the treasury" ''retainment of
wretchedly poor texts" and mo necessity
for haste" Everything possible has been
done TO convince the people that the board
would be acting unjustly TO take I'D the
consideration of the schoobook matter at
the present time. So much smoke has been
created by meaningless explosions of rhet-
oric and vituperation that the real and
essential features of the situation have
been lost sight Of.
Another birds view Of the situation
Is given by the statement that IL is a
fight between the American Book Com
pany on the one hand and the smaller COM
panies now having the contracts on the
other, with the Board OF Education as a
referee determined to maintain the stand
ard Of books and TO save money for the