The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1912-10-22
SCHOOL BOOK
CHANGE COSTLY
Expense Of MihlOn Dollars Added
to Peoples Burdens.
REPUBLICAN LAW IN EFFECT

Five Years Contract Made For School
Books For West Virginia chldren
at Prices Higher Than Are Paid
For the Same Books In Other
States.
Now that the children have al,
started to school again, and a new set
OF books have been provided for each
Of them, the head of the family begins
to wonder why il is that the same old
books, which were good enough for
him and for his wife and for the older
children, are not good enough for the
younger ones and why the changes in
books come with such frequency and
with such expense. He probably con.
tinues to wonder without knowing the
answer for it is not every one who
understands the ways OF a Republican
legislature and the reasons for its ac-
tions.
The fact of the matter is the school
book publishers are constantly en-
deavoring to have their books adopted
and can afford TO pay the men in their
employ literally to have the books
which they publish selected for gen
eral use. At the session OF the lcgis-
lature in 1909. the Republicans being
in control of both branches Of the leg.
islature and Republican governor
being in office, a law was passed pro
viding for the appointment by the gov
ernor of a school book board and pro
viding that the books selected by this
board should be in use in the schools
of West Virginia for a period of five
years commencing July 1, 1912. The
board selected practically an entire
new set OF books for all the schools
aLi made contracts with the publish
ers for these books to furnish them t.
the pupils of the state at certain
prices.
Change Costs Million Dollars.
The census returns for 1910 would
indicate that there are in West Vir-
ginia at the present time at least $50.
600 families. A conservative estimate
Of the cost Ct the new school books SO
lected by this board Is at least four
dollars a family and most teachers be-
lieye this estimate too low Assam
ing, however. that four dollars a fam
lily is fair average of the cost OF the
new books, and that there are $4,000
families in the state. the total cost
to the pupils OF the schools Of the
change Of school books will aggregate
one million dollars
Believing that IL was unjust 20 inn.
pose an unnecessary cost OF this pro.
portion upon the heads OF the families
in West Virginia. the Democratic
house Of delegates in the Legislature
Of 1911 passed a bill deferring until
1914 the time when the new school
book law should go into effect hoping
that in the meantime conditions
might arise which would enable them
70 repeal the law making the change
in the books This bill deferring go.
date when the hooks should 30
changed, was defeated in the senate
by Republican senators after the
house had passed it by "a large ma.
iority
Persons well versed i'm school mat
ters did not hesitate TO disclose the
fact that some of the members APP
pointed on this school book board to
select the books were I'm the employ
OF certain school book companies. 10
is also stated that a prominent poll
tcion. whose influence was brought
to bear in the selection Of the books.
openly stated that one Of the com
panies whose books we're selected had
been a large contributor 20 the cam.
psign fund and should be rewarded.
Prices Raised IN West Virginia.
Whatever the influence may have
been. however, resulting in the sciec.
ton of an entirely different set of
books from those already in use. one