The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1902-05-30

The text DOCK commission COmpIel- Il
ed its work last Saturday and the Am
erican Book company got the lions 4
share. The great book trust kept a .
lobby Of 40 or 50 people in Topeka dur
ing the entire session Of the commits /
sion. Some leading populists we're on
the pay roll along with the influential
republicans. The whole proceeding is Z
a blot on Kansas history. The small
publisher had no show, no matter how
meritOrious the books offered. It was
simply a case Of organized capital
pitteI against the small dealer and re-
suited, as is usual in such cases, in the
little fellow having no show.
The trust succeeded in unloading
the Appleton readers on the state, and
the school children Of Kansas for the
next five years viii be compelled to
use the same old books that were used
in the schools a quarter Of a century
ago. What a collection Of ancient
stuff 10 cram down the children Of
Kansas Strange, too, as it may seem
these worn out, old, Anticipated books
were selected by men who claim to be
educators. The school men on the
commission gave their votes for this
ancient series of readers. They are so
out Of date that the biographies Of
TennysOn, Emerson and others say
they are still living. The trust got in
its work and the children Of Kansas
have to suffer for it.
1t will be remembered that the Am
erican Book company refused to bid
on books five years ago. The company
used every possible influence to defeat
/ the law. Many school men were hired
at that session Of the legislature to
come to Topeka and lobby against the
bill, but enough members could not be
bought up to defeat it. At the last
session of the legislature the trust did
all in its power to repeal the law. 1t
was heard in the lobby at the time
that $4,000 were used, but with the
aid of State Superintendent Nelson,
Grattan, of Mcpherson, and McKeever,
of Shawnee, enough republicans were
rallied to vote with the pOpuIists to
save the law.
Strange as it may seem, but it is
nevertheless true, Senator Leidy did
all he could to get the law repealed
and falling in that was appointed by
Gov. Stanley to a place on the com
mission. With such a fellow on the
commission could any different de
cision be expected?
All sorts Of stories about Doodle are
going the rounds. The State Journal
says in its issue of May Il:
There is a big roar going up to-day
about the old Appleton readers which
were adopted by the state text book
commission for use in the Kansas
schools. As stated in the State Journal
yesterday, they are so old an d out of
date that according to the biography
Of TennysOn In the Fifth reader, Ten
nysOn is still alive. This is only one
Of the many inaccuracies in the books.
The copyright has expired on them
and any one, it is claimed, is at liberty
TO print them, and the publishers have
to pay no royalties. Those who are
in position to know say that they have
been discarded in every state in the
union. Educators and teachers who
know the value Of modern books as
compared with ancient ones are indig-
Inant over the action Of the text book
commission.
~StOries of Doodle are coming out
to-day. One is that a member Of the
commission was notified that 5000
would be left on his porch. The wife
of a member of the commission, so the
rUmOr goes, related the story to a
friend in Topeka and that friend could
not keep it. Another rumor is that a
guest in one of the Topeka hotels a
day or two ago picked up an envelope
from in front of the door of a member
Of the commission, and that the en-
velOpe contained six 500 bills. No
one who has heard this rumor seems to
have heard any names in connection
with it. Maj. Clancy, the head of the
American Book cOmpany's lobby, sta
ted in his speech before the Saturday
Night club that his company had not
sent its best books to Kansas because
the price was not satisfactory. He was
asked if his company was trying to
work off a lot Of second-class books on
Kansas school children, but he lodged
the question"