The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1915-02-15
LEE COUNTY
rs INTERESTED
Change In School Books Would Cos,
100000 II Passed by the
Legislature.
Especial to The Gate City. ]

Especial TO The Gate C1ty.
DES MONIES. Ia. Feb. 15.-A
gigantic contest by school book COM
panies has commenced in the Iowa
legislature with the prospect OF cost
ing the tax payers in forty-six coun-
ties the neat sum of 100000.
A bin has been introduced In the
senate by Thomas of Union county
and in the house by Anderson of
Montgomery county. proposing revo-
luton in the method Of selecting text
books such as would necessitate a
change in contracts for school books
in half the counties OF tn, 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
county uniformity. There is no method
provided for returning to the old sys-
tenn once uniformity Is adopted. The
remaining counties have refused to
adopt county uniformity. 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 contracts for
most of the business in city schools,
but have lost out in tn, country
schools. Now their so-called county
uniformity bill provides for uniform
ity In all the country schools but
leaves out all town and city schools,
where they hold contracts. They go
even further and provide county
boarss 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 1t
would nullify all their contracts In.
cfdentally did it become . law, uni
formity would necessitate complete
change of books in the forty-six open
! counties which is estimated would
mean an expenditure Of 100000 OF
the tax payers money for new books,
| This is one means Of the book com
panies trying to legislate new bust
ness in Iowa.
Senator Thomas. who has intro
duced the bill lives In county tina,
has uniformity and its passage can.
not affect his people. The fight over
| the measure Is manifestly but one be-
tween book companies in which the
people have nothing to gain and stand
chance to lose Nothing Is proposed
but can be attained at present by .
voice Of the people, II their voice is
stilled by this measure 1t mreely
means that they must contribute to
the school text book trust over .
quarter Of million dollars for new
books.
The counties which the proposed
law would force to have compulsory
uniformity are: Allamakee. Audubon,
Bremen, Buchanan, Calhoun, Carol
Cas-, Cedar, Clarke. Clayton, Clinton.
Crawford. Decatur. Delaware. Dubu.
que, Franklin, Fremont, Hamilton,
Hancock, Henry, Humboldt, lowe, Jack
| son, Jefferson, Keokuk. Kossuth, Leo,
Lucas, Lyon, Marion, Monroe, Mont
gomery, Osceola. Page, Palo Alto. Pc.
cahontas. Pottawattamie. Poweshiek
Scott, Sioux. Story, Van Buren,, Wap-
clio, Wayne, Webster and Winnie
bago.