Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1905-09-29

""uielVus Vnah tnat existing t0da
under the Democratic control. Ii
Its platform il denounces the Demo
cratic party fer The present price
paid for school books by the patron
OF the public schools, whep an exam
Ination Of the price list during tn,
Republican administration in thi.
State will show that the prices ther
charged were far in excess of the
prices now paid, although the mate.
rial used in books is now higher
than then on account of the exac.
tions OF the paper trust, which has
been made possible under the protec.
tion gwen 1t by the Dingley bill.
AS TO TEXT BOOKS
IL hold in my hand the price list
for text books adopted by the Repub.
licans in 1882 and by the Democrat,
IN 1886 and 1904. An examination
OF these lists will show that rh.
prices paid by the ,.upils for ,b,
same text books in 1889. under th,
Republican list, were from ten {,
twenty-five per cent more than were
paid under the list adopted in 1856
oy the Democrats A comparison OF
the Repu blican list Of $50 with the
present Democratic list of 1904 will
show that the prices paid under the
Republican list for the same books
were from twenty-five to fifty per
cent. greater than now paid under
the present Democratic list. Under
the Republican list of 1882 forty
cents was charged for Whites Inter
mediate Arithmetic, which can now
be purchased under the Democratic
list for twenty-seven cents. Under
the Republican list, seventy-two
cents was charged for Whites Com
plete Arithmetic, which can now be
obtained for fifty cents. Maury,s
New Manual Geography was th, n
sold for SLAP, now for 81 Is. Mau-
ry's New Elementary Geography was
then sold for sixty cents, now for
fifty cents. Magill's History of Vir-
ginia was than furnished to the
pupils at 81, now at seyenty-fye
cents.
Although the books furnished
under the present Democratic list
are far superior to those furnished
under the Republican list of 1882,
in material, in binding, in compost
ton and IL the amount of matter
contained in them; yet they are fur
nished from 25 per cent. to so per
cent. cheaper. If the publishers
who sell books to Virginia ever
charged exorbitant prices, or made
unjust exactions on the people of
Virginia, it was during the Republi-
can regime. hope by the ultimate
adoption of single list, with its
advantages, which / favor, that the
present price Of text books can be
further greatly reduced.
DEMOCRATIC RECORD.
"The Republicans insist that
many children are deprived of the
advantages of free schools on ac-
count Of being unable to purchase
books, aud hence in its platform it
declares for free school books to the
children attending public schools.
They seem to be utterly ignorant of
the fact that years ago the Democrat
ic party passed law providing that
all children whose parents or guar
dians were unable to provide books
for them could on application obtai n
books free. So careful is the Demo
cratic party of this State to take
care of the poor children of this
Commonwealth and to see that they
are not deprived of the opportunities
of education, that the very new Con-
stitution, so derided by the Republi-
cans, in section 139, has provision
requiring the Legislature to provide
and appropriate funds to furnish
text books free to children attending
the public schools where the parents
or guardians are unable on account
of poverty to furnish them. The
Republican party, when it had pow
er, enacted no legislation TO give the
children attending the public schools
free books. The insincerity of its
promises of free text books to the
children is further emphasized by
its nomination for treasurer on its
State ticket of Mr.. Acker, who on
February %, 1886, voted In the
House of Delegates against a bill to
provide text books for the children
attending the public schools at actu-
al cost. The Democratic party, for
merly by legislation, and now by
constitutional amendment, has Sc.
cured the right to every poor child
in this Commonwealth to obtain free
the text books and attend the public
schools"
Mr.. Swanson next proceeded to
discuss the record aud achievement
Of the Democratic party during it's
twenty years control of the State.
he said that the Democratic party
dpring its twenty years of power had
SOAAS1AS0 IA s0ACo anu
Richmond about $60.000,000 of the
peoples money. This vast sum had
been collected and distributed with
out scandal and with only the small
iefalcation of Shepherd, before men,
tioned. He exclaimed, "With clean.
pure hands the Virginia Democracy
faces its enemy and appeals with con-
idence to the people"
INTERESTING FIGURES.
He said that the Republican par
ty had obtained control of this State
under its promise to settle the State
debt and relieve Virginia from fiuan-
cial distress and disorder. This was
sought to be accomplished by the en-
actment of the Riddleberger bill,
which proved a failure. A large
portion of the bondholders having
no confidence in the promises or the
integrity Of the Republican party,
rafnaad IN aa0ant ifo x1rouso,os- -