The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1911-10-07
STATE UNIFORMITY
OF TEXT BOOKS.
".
Tampa Times.

The articles which the Times has
been publishing upon the subject
named in our headline have very
quickly had the effect of making the
enemies of uniformity, to resort to the
expressive slang of the day, sit up
and take notice"
BY the same mail there come to us
communication from Mr.. Thomas J..
Appleyard. which will be found in an
other column, and the Pensacola News
of the 26th inst. containing a first
page feature story, with five headlines,
purporting to review some of our for
mer articles upon the subject of state
uniformity.
AS we have already devoted perhaps
an undue quantity of our space to this
subject, which though of the first i'm
portance. should not be allowed to eX-
clude other matters in which our
readers are equally interested we will
try to dispose OF all of the points
which we think require notice in both
the communication of our Individual
adversary and our newspaper oppo-
nent in one article.
Mr.. Appleyard says that we are ar
guing from a wrong premise. That
not one word has been said by him
as to the principle Of state uniformity:
but that he is, and has been, fighting
the particular bill that was passed.
AS we have not all of Mr.. Apple
yards articles before US, we will not
undertake to cite the language used
by him in declaring his hostility to
state uniformity. We will merely say
that 1t seems to US, as 1t must to all
reasonable beings. that when a man
argues that a certain measure will en-
tail evil consequences and the reverse
of that measure Will produce good,
that man so arguing may legitimately
be classed as an enemy to that meas
l,1H II oil -. SNf
war Is under the circumstances IN
necessary and superf1uous.
During the session of the legislature
when this matter was being fought
out we conversed with Mr.. Tomlin.
our representative who introduced a
bill upon the same subject. upon the
merits of the respective bills and we
have discussed the subject with him
since. The general impression made
upon our mind by what Mr.. Tomlin
said was that all of the friends of
state uniformity consulted together
and agreed that the Cone bill, with
| some features from his bill, was most
| satisfactory to all the friends of the
| measure and stood the best chance of
passage; that the Cone bill was al
| most identical with the TomIin bill,
| especially after 1t was made to include
| the features above alluded to, and
| that all the friends of uniformity
IL
| through.
The two bills were so closely similar
| in their provisions that we are firmly
convinced that Mr.. Appleyard, and all
| who stand with him in this matter,
| would have opposed the Tomlin bill
| fighting the Cone bill, If the former
| had passed instead of the latter.
Accompanying Mr.. Appleyard's COM
munication is a table showing the list
| Of books that are In use in Hills
borough county under county uniform
! ity and the list included in the state
adoption, and comparing prices. We
| do not exactly comprehend his purpose
| in displaying this table, as 1t bears d.
rectly against his own position. It
| shows the state adoption to be the
! cheaper. The totals as they stand
| show difference OF two cents in favor
| of state uniformity; but when it is
| thirty books and drawing while the
! county list contains but tweny-nine
| books without drawing, it is seen that
| the difference is much greater. Elimi-
nate from the state list the books that
| have no equivalent in the county list,
leaving in both lists books constituting
| equal courses, sometimes the same
| books and in some instances their
| equivalents, and you have under the
! county system set OF books costing
| Sl1.78, while under the state adoption
| you have an equivalent set at a price
OF 1858, showing that every public
| school patron who buys a set Of books
under state uniformity saves s2.l5 of
| the price he would have had to pay
under the old county system. We are
much obliged to Mr.. Appleyard for the
| figures.
There is but one point in the article
| Of the Pensa cola News that we think
merits attention: and tina Is, where
the position is taken that under the
state uniformly law the county au-
thorities will not fix the courses OF
| study, as heretofore, but that this will
be done by the state superintendent
STK - %a@