The weekly true Democrat. (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1905-1912, 1907-04-12
TO Ail--speciaI Privileges to None.
Good Government; in Public ofce Equal Justi

I pensive as those in other States.
Fd ne Hake Of argument, however,
letal nf that the books may go in
some ins, noes slightly cheaper. Cheap
er, not only in price, but in material
and makeup. This is cheapness indeed
"a cheapness that would be dear at
any pricei Yet that these uniform
books are Inferior both in subject mat
ter and in makeup is significant fact
very generally admitted. II these cheap
books are satisfactory, why are they
not again adopted when the State
makes it's second selection2 Let US
notice the experience of six uniform
States. TexasS Louisiana, Tennessee,
Kansas, South Carolina and North Car
DINA adopted uniformity between 1897
and 1901. At their second adoption,
the changes made in the text books
selected at the first adoption varied
from 81 to SO per cent. What does this
proven What can ii possibly prove but
that these cheap books were found un-
satisfactory in their matter and in their
mechanical makeur2
Let US not be deceived. This plea of
cheap books is plausible, but is specious
and delusive. AS a matter of fact, text
books are not expensive. All things
considered they are remarkably mex
pensive. The price of text books Is
fixed by the unalterable law Of demand
and supply, as is the price of every
other commodity on the market Legis-
lation cannot with impunity tamper
with this law. In other words, no
State can adopt the best books, and
supply them to the schools at lower
prices than the prices charged for The
same books in any other State. Any
attempt to lower the Legitimate price
of books can result only in disaster
the real cheapening of materisl and
makeup. No true economy can come.
from the effort TO fly in the face Of a
great economic law So much for the
ECONOMY" argument.
Now, surely, 60 sacrifice the interests
of 80 per cent OF the population in order
TO save few cents for the S per cent
who move from county to- county; 10
save one dollar in the price OF books
and at the same time lose ten dollars in
making the change 20 uniformity, and
lose incidentally 10y the inferior quality
of books furnished at uniform prices
surely this Is not true economy. but
false Let us look before we leap
We cannot close without calling IT.
tenliOn to one highly significant fact
formity come? We will not say. But
we will say that it does not come from
the people concerned in educ ition,
Now, when we want legal advice, we
go to a lawyer, when we are Sick we
seek doctor; when we want profess
sional advice of any kind we 80 90
specialist in that line with this strange
exceptions: When we want advice or in
formation on educational topics, we
rarely think of going 20 a teacher mol
Every man thinks himself qualified TO
pronounce an expert opinion upon mat
tiers pertaining to the most highly
specialized, difficult and important of
all professions that of EDUCATION
What do the educational people say
about State uniformity? Public school
teachers, college and university pro-
fessors, State and county superinten-
dents, either are strangely silent or are
openly and utterly opposed to the meas
ure. This agitation for state uniform
ity clearly does not proceed from them
Tom. ght perhaps BE- wise. before pass
ing any law looking TO State uniformity,
10 consult those who might reasonably
70, "OrsIderCd The best Informed, and
certainly not the least dsiutcrgatcd. ad.
visors the pcopI. directly concerned
in education.