Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-02-13

some sort of legislation an entirely
new bill will have to be drawn. 1t is
feared the proposed bill Isl too radical
- too good too ideal. So the effort
| is being put forth to change the
measure radically. What it will be
when ii is finally enacted no prophet
can tell The friends of the measure
are willing to concede much but they
say there is q limit to what they will
grant without a fight. 1t looks to be
very probable that the plan to get
! back in the bill the office of the pres
ent school treasurer is going to meet
with strong opposition. An organized
effort among the school treasurers OF
the state to kill the bill entirely is
carrying some weight, but 1t Is be-
lieved that when the time for voting
comes the adjustment of the school
treasurer will be one of the features
of the commission report that will be
retained.
Where tho Book Men Come In.
1.-The absence of Il text book lobby
is noticeable, but that 1t Is having
its influence Is seen In the protests
which are coming in against the bill
from certain parts of the state 1t is
claimed that one book firm is anxious
to secure a large board to select the
county books and that the movement
to increase the membership OF the
county board to one member from
each township is In the interest of this
big publishing house. which hopes by
such a large board to control the bus
mess.
CT l., AT, hnn do pf
members select the text books the
smaller houses say they would bel
practically prevented from competing
for the business. The expense incl
dental to sampling sixteen members,
driving thru the country distributing
so many samples, etc, would be sol
great that few houses would be able
to go after the business and the state
would be left at the mercy OF one or
two firms. The smaller firms are ask
ing for chance. They say they will
practically be precluded from the state
should a law be passed having boards
comprised of sixteen or more members.
There Is u general feeling that the
country districts should elect the
members OF the county board and tina
the people In the towns who are not In
terested In the country schools should
have no vote in this matter. Undonbt- |
eddy an amendment will be passed
which will leave this in the hands Of
the people in the rural districts, so that |
the town people Will have no voice In
the selection so far as the control OF |
the rural schools is concerned
VIII Not Cut Out Small Schools.
.There is also much talk of cutting
out the provision whereby any coun-
try schools can be abandoned regard
less of the number of pupils in attend
apce. This provision, which says that
schools may be temporarily closed
which contain an average of less than
six people, has been greatly misun-
aerstood. In many parts of the state 1t
has led to the belief that the school
bin provides for compulsory CONSOLE
dation of rural schools. People have
formed the opinion that the rural T
schools are to be abandoned and That
the new school law Is going to take /
their country schools away from them.
could be farther from the
truth Instead, the main object of the
bill, as we have framed 1t, is to build
up the rural schools and to make them
what they should be. 1t contains no
provision for consolidating
schools, and the only provision in the
whole bill which provides for the ar
bitrary closing of any school is the
ono inst mentioned.
80 because it has led to so much
MISUNDERSTANDING the friends OF the
measure have about concluded that 1t
is wise to cut this out entirely and then
every school in the state, even If only
one pupil is attending school, can still
be carried on. The number Of Fourth
Of July orations that have been writ
ten about the little old log school
house on the hill about to be aban-
loned is becoming something marvel
ous when not line in the bill pro-
yides for any such thing"