The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1908-03-12

"VtT tDISOu, ana tne OUTS lie
was asked If he was net the leader
o. tie outs" and replied 81 can not
help what they may think about It,"
What the secrative George Howard,
book agent. is doing in Columbus this
session is mystery to the legisla-
tors Al one time he was chief ma.
n'pulatOr NJ books for one of the large
book compauies He had charge Of
many states for them. He now spends
large part of his time at a promi.
nent h TT in Comnbus Whether he
has a hu8'ress connection with any
brnk co" PAW or with men who want
ma srri't books introduced into the
st I'll net nOtn Re is conceded 20
he ON of th' lost uriet and effective
workers in the book business. While
h" rl'ns, other men do the actual
work, so that II is seldom known Just
what he Is doing His workers sci.
dom mention him. and their connec-
ton Wiz Rim is little known Tho
investigators may se' k to learn wheth.
er ~ has anv interest in the bills now
before the legislature affecting the
schools "r whether he is taking sides
with either faction in the investiga
lion
s'oce the Rose local option bill
~" rs"i the friends Of SCHOOL book mi.
for itc are discouraged They doubt
whether their bill will he passed by
the legislature A scheme has been
''.c"vcred 20 hook TO The uniformity
hill. MS a rider, a free school book
a7'o7dmeot waking hooks free TO
nw'le IN all rarts of Ohio. II is
dangerous der. for II will mean an
lTme1se Increase IN tNe tax levies of
the various achpnl districts.
Already I've Pose bill Is bound TO
DO away WIN saloons in some coun-
'.e owl thereby reduce the revenue.
W. m'ans that the prnperty.owner
WI have 10 pay hi~her taxes Then
" 600 school bopks'v ere forced upon
the communities tho tax rate would
hove 10 scar still higher For that
rc s~n fric"1s of uniformity doubt the
h'l'ty f 1uassing II
There arc two rlans. embodied in
: II hefo'r e. | giylature. that inter
est school book men. one is the uni. !
for"ity pla" and the other the school |
book commission plan Uniformity |
means that the same books shall be |
sc. 4 avor,.,.',ovo Ia nt;, ,,d to,,ho..
shall he punished in court for not
using the looks adopted. The book |
commission roans that board or
commission shall be selected to pick |
the books that shall be used every
where in the state.
In Kentrcky similar bills were
ado"t"d Previous TO their passage
the school bool business OF the state
had been divided among many pub
fishing firms. The course Of study
being laid ont in any community,
books were selected to fit IL.
After the bills had passed, one com
pany got a monopoly Of the entire
school book business and the profit
hat II ma e. from the deal is enorm.
)us. "perintenderts of schools were
for instead of fitting
The books IN the course OF study, they
had 10 M the course of study TO the
books This was extremely awkward
Tor the reason that different communi-
les require different courses OF study.
Considering the big plum that is
% be nabbed by some book concern
{ is little wonder that the agents take
, decided interest In the bill pro
posed for Ohio II Is stipulated that the
state board may choose books still in
manuscript This opens the door for
authors and would-be publishers to
ont 81 for the enormous profits that
VIII accrue to the successful party
whose oots arc adopted.
One OF the most dangerous para.
rapNs ever p"t into bill, urged as
,nnefic'al for the people Of Ohio is
he "starchamber session" clause in
he Crawford bill II provides that
10 person but members shall attend
he sessions Of the commission, and
he commissioners shall give out no
Information of their transactions. The
meetings must be absolutely secret
\fter the session is closed the mem
'ers may print In pamphlet form the
proceedings Of the session.
The session might last a month oV
nore, while the members were select
ne books for the entire state. Dur
ng that time the people OF the state
nd the newspapers which advise the
,eople when dangerous deals are un-
Ter way, would have no way Of know
No What the comwi sion was doing. |
{ there wa sku'lduggery afoot the
'eople would know nothing of it un.
II the cont acts had been signed,
eal"d and delivered, and at that late
late night not be able to discover
he evidence.
BY the d"al wade by the commits
ion the people Of the state would be
led for Ave years, for books once
dopted are to be kept in use that
ong, by the bills provisions,
Star cha 'ber" sessions are back.