Live Oak daily Democrat. (Live Oak, Fla.) 190?-190?, 1907-05-06
SCHOOL BOOK DISCUSSION.


House Committees on Education was
held in the Hall OF the House OF Rep
resentativeS on Tuesday evening.
April 80, al 5 O'Clock, TO hear argu-
ments on the several bills before the
Legislature ON the subject of school
books. A large audience heard the
discussions, there being present many
members of the Legislature and not
few ladies,
The committee gave the two sides
State uniformity of school books
advocates and those opposed to the
meaSure-one hour each in which to
make their arguments. Subsequent
~ the time was extended TO one hour
and a half each, and it was midnight
before the discussion ended.
Those who spoke in favor of State
uniformity were Editor Claude Len
gle. Prof, W. \. Sheats and Mr.. A. ].
Gray. of the B. F. Johnson Publish
ing Co.
DR.. A. l. Branham. of the American
Book Co., spoke against State uni
formity, and in favor of county uni
fOrmity, the plan now in us in Florida
The discussion was Snappy and
deeply interesting. Three real sensa-
lions were developed. The first one
was the statement of Editor L'Engle
that agents of CHM & Co., and of d.
c. Heath & Co., both school book
publishers that are very actively,
though here tofore secretely, engaged
in aiding the State uniformity advo-
Gates, had paid the expenses of the
agents he had sent over the State
seeking information relative to the
school book question, and whose re-
ports he read TO the committees.
This important piece of information
greatly astonished the committees
and the audience generally, because
1t was previously known to only a
few that L. B. Robson and NJ. c.
Miller, of CHM & Co, and F. o. Spain
of d. c. Heath & Co., were spending
money in Florida to work up senti-
ment in favor of State uniformity of
school books. The second sensation
came out when DR.. Branham read
from Prof. Sheats' report of 1902,
when the latter was State Superin-
tendent of Public instruction, a re-
markedly vigorous protest against
State uniformity of school books in
any form. The reading of this pro-
test followed the speech Prof. Sheats
made in favor of State uniformity.
The committees and audience saw
the point, and there were abundant
evidences of their amusement over
Proof. Sheats' predicament. Prof.
Sheats made no reply. The third
sensation was the result of two ques-
lions Prof. Sheats asked DR.. Bran
ham. These were practically one in
substance, and amounted to this:
Will the American Book Company
sell to Florida people under the pres
ent county uniformity law the cheap
special state uniformity books sold in
Georgia and elsewhere at the same
cheap prices that prevail in Georgia
and elsewhere?" DR.. Branham an
swered empfatically and without
equivocation that the American Book
Company would do so; would sell in
Florida to anybody and everybody
the same cheap books sold in Georgia
and elsewhere at the same cheap pric-
es, and would do so under the pres
ent county uniformity plan; would
do so under binding contracts with
county Boards for any reasonable
term of years; and he further declar-
ed that the American Book Company
was ready to make a valid bond in
the sum of $4,000 that it wou.d do |
so under present conditions, whether
or not the Watson bill |
became law. Dr.. Branham also
said that these cheap state uniform
ity editions were sold in many places |
that had no state uniformity laws, |
and instanced CHM & Co.'S selling a /
cheap special edition of Jones Read !
erS in Chicago. many hnnl, nnncnrnc