The Oskaloosa herald., 1915-02-18
TEXT BOOK FIGHT
HAS COMMENCED
IF BILL PASSES IT WILL COST
TAXPAYERS 100000.
FORTY-SIX COUNTIES AFFECTED
The Contest is ManifestIy One Be-
tween the Various Book Compan-
les in Which the People Stand
Only to Lose and No Gain.

Des Moines, Feb. Ia gigantic
contest by school text BOOK compa-
mics has commenced in the Iowa leg
islature with the prospect of costing
the taxpayers in forty-siX counties
the neat sum of 100000. 49,
A bill has been introduced in the
senate by Thomas of Union county
and in the house by Anderson of
Montgomery county proposing a revo.
luton in the method OF selecting text
books such as would necessitate a
change in contracts for school books
in half the counties in the state.
This is the so-called compulsory
county uniformity bill" -
Under the present law passed in
1891, county uniformity may be had in
any county If the people vote for
such. Since the passage of that law
. fifty-three counties have adopted uni
formity. There is no method provid-
ed for returning to the old system
once uniformity is adopted. The re-
naming counties have refused to
adopt county. uniformity. r. Now some
of. the school book agents of trusts
are backing bill to compel uniform
ity in those counties even against
the expressed wishes of the people
They are being opposed by other text
book companies. The reason is very
plain. The companies urging the
new bill have been able to get con-
tracts for most of the business in the
city schools but have lost out in the
country schools. Now their so-called
county uniformity bill provides for
uniformity in all the country schools
but leaves out all town and city
schools, where they hold contracts.
They go even further and provide a
county board of education to select
the books with a majority of the
members from the city schools which
are not to use the books adopted.
Naturally the school book companies
holding the rural contracts oppose
the bill as it would nullify all their
contracts. Incidentally did 1t be-
come law, uniformity would rieces.
state a complete change of books in
the forty-siX open counties which 1t
is estimated would mean an eXpend-
iture of 100000 of the tax payers
money for new books. This is one
means of the book companies trying
to Legislature new business in Iowa.
Senator Thomas, who has, intro
duced the bill lives in a county that
has uniformity and its passage can
not affect his people.
The fight over the measure is man
ifestly but one between booK COM
panies in which the people have moth
ing to gain and stand a chance to
lose. Nothing is proposed but can
be attained at present by voice of
the people. If their voice is stilled
by this measure it merely means that
they must contribute to the school
book trust over a quarter of mil
lion dollars for new books. ...
The counties which the proposed
law would force to have compulsory
uniformity are: Allamakee, Audubon
Bremen, Buchanan, Calhoun, Carroll,
Cass, Cedar, Clarke, Clayton, Clinton,
Crawford, Decatur, Delaware, Du-
buque, Franklin, Fremont, Hamilton,
Hancock, Henry, Humboldt, Iowa,
Jackson, Jefferson, Keokuk, Kossuth,
Lee, Lucas, Lyon, Marion, Monroe,
Montgomery, Osceola, Page, Palo
Alto, Pocahontas. Pottawattamie,
Poweshiek. Scott, Sioux, Story, Van
Buren,, Wapello, Wayne, Webster and
Winnebago.