Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1913-02-16
HUSBAND
ARTICLE .
REfUTED
. Hrtt ..Fr A. .a r.. f. y.
Grand Forks Man Takes Ex.
ception 10 House Member
on Uniform Text Books

In fairness to all concerned, and to get
at the rear facts regarding state unifor.
nifty of text books, | desire to refute
some of the things said by Mr.. Husband
in his article in your paper under date
of Sunday last.
Mr.. Husband complains that | used
Kentucky rs an instance of uniformity
being unsatisfactory and that this in
ference should not be taken from the
fact that the law providing for uniform
ity was repealed. My authority for the
statement made is the United States com
missioner of education, Il. his report fol-
1870. Volume |, page 1876, from which
quote the following: (Reporting on new
laws enacted by the Legislature in the
winter of 1910 The most extensive
change in school organization which was
effected by this Legislature related to
the System Of text book eselection. The
state text book commission was abol-
islled and a commission was constituted
in cach count t. select the books used
in their respective counties and to han
die the details of the contracts, distrib-
ution. ana the like in pursuance Of the
law"
inferred that the law was not work
ing well and a change was deemed advis-
able in Kentucky. Does Mr.. Husband
want it understood that legislatures ad-
vocatc and secure sometimes changes In
laws just "to be doing something and
not in accordance with well defined de-
,,,,J, nf ,,1;vbtopo1 n,,tlio nOirjnnc
Personal opinion letters, such as Mr..
Husband used in this case, are easy to
obtain, but I submit they are not as val
liable or reliable when bearing on this
question as the report Of the commission
er of education, from whom l got my
information regarding the status Of az
fairs in Kentucky.
Mr.. Husbar1 mai: s his one plea for
this bill on the ground OF "cheapness."
1t is "~cheapness' that follows under uni
formit". Cheapness in mechanical con-
struction, %cheapness in composition.
ask is this ''cheapness' economy? / buy
a suit Of clothes for $40. 90; my %neighbor
pays $40. 90 for his suit. BY comparison
neighbor has been swindled out Of
$3.50. Rank robbery! He has a suit
of clothes. l nav a suit Of clothes. His
cost him $25. 90 more than mine. Mr..
Husbands answer is that / saved $25 90.
neighbor was skinned to the tune
of $25 90.
Mr.. Husband quotes, as does every ad-
vocate l have heard who favors :nis
bill, from the Indianapolis News in which
appears a communication from a pOliti-
clan holding office as state superintend-
ent and who. was then a candidate for
re collection, in which certain figures are
given as to the cost of text books In IN
diana and the cost OF books in the same
subjects in Michigan. (Note. please,
that the article compares prices of gcog-
raphics. urithmetics, etc, but fails to
state that they are not the same book.
That they are the same books is infer
rcd by the politician to mislcad the poo
pie, and he has mislcd MIR. Husband
This particular politician knew that there
were three kinds Of lies: lies, blank lies
and statistics. MIR. Husband will find
this out if he follows this matter to its
ultimate co%nclusion.) The prices quot
ed from the indianapolis News are Us
follows:
Book Michigan Indiana
Cumplctc Arithmetic ....S .65 $ At
Advanced Geography 49,. 1.25 IL
American History ..,.... LOO Is .6I
English. Book /. ......... .65 .2t
English, Book II. ........ .65 .iC
The paragraph following these prices
gives the delightful information that;
I'm this article lists Of other texts arc
given with the prices in Indiana ant
Michigan and it appears that the pa
irons of the schools of Indiana have beer
saved over $500. 900 in the past twenty
years in the prices of text books alone
Now this sounds fine. I'll admit that,
from Il certain standpoint. this is great
dope" to use during a campaign, or when
preparing for campaigns .'lead. 1t is a
,lauuablc ambition for any man. cS.
pccially a legislator, to earnestly try tC
make lighter the burdens of his people
and 10 10 whatever &c can 70" their hap.
rincss and prosperity. But a desire tc
serve should not mako us blind to a few
fundamental facts. / coulu not give full
facts to support every proposition in my
former article, but l stand ready to prove
by what / consider unimpeachable LII
tllority. every material statement ! have
made and l want to give "A few fact.
bearing on the Indiana case.
Indiana is the only state Of any impOr'
lance, educationally, that now retain!
uniformity. Tie others mentioned by
Mr.. Husband are either the western
80, ..c1 les, .H .,ottfo1 H =. nl~, ~, %1n cnt,k1
where education has not progressed. II
the letters I quoted were represented The
leading educational states OF the union
and this even Mr.. Husband cannot deny
and he is entirely mistaken IN saying
that 1 quoted from states where uniform.
ity had not been tried. 1t has beer
tried in some form in most of the states
at some time. A
The comparison Of text books prices II
indiana and Michigan does not fairly
compare. The state superintendent OF
Indiana must have known this. but per.
haps Mr.. Husband had not thought Of
it. 1t is as illogical as the comparison
gave about the two suits Of clothes. TIC
take n example in Indiana-geOgraphy
lin order to get a book cheap enough
to suit the law Of that state. CHM ant
company lad to compile a book especial
~ for Indiana. This they did by cullinl
and eliminating material from their regu
lar Biographies until they had asibool
that they could put out for the price In
diana would pay. The case Is sinila!
sto-the dry goods merchant who keen
hats worth 81. y. So and IS. A custom