Democratic Sentinel, Volume 22, Number 35, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 September 1898 — THE SCHOOL BOOK LAW [ARTICLE]

THE SCHOOL BOOK LAW

A Monument Commemorative of Democratic Wisdom and Fealty to the Best Interests of the People of Indiana And In Its Operation Saving Millions of Money to the Laboring Men of Indiana In the Cost of School Books For Their Children. It is a well known fact that prior to 1889. the state of Indiana was in the grasp of a school book trust which was as devoid of- conscience as a hungry wolf operating in the midst of a flock of sheep. In writing .of this aggregation of insatiable meu, who for “years had mercilessly robbed the people of Indiana, it is designed to briefly point out to what extent these robberies were perpetrated upon Working Men Seeking to educate their children in the common schools of the state, and which, without let or hinderance, had gone on for years. This schoolbook trust, having ample means at its command, was able to debauch not only a portion of the press, but a large per cent of the school officials of the state, and bring into active operation whenever demanded, a thoroughly equipped army of henchmen to do its bidding and aid it in perpetrating its piracies. At this supreme juncture the Democratic Legislature resolved to put an end to this schoolbook spoliation and lift the intolerable burden from parents who had been compelled to purchase its books; aud there is not in the legislative history of the state a law more in consonance with justice and righteousness than that enacted by the Democratic legislature of 1889, which emancipated the people from the domination of the schoolbook trust. And here it is worth while to say that the Republican Party, as in the case of the Australian ballot law and the revenue law, took a position in favor of the schoolbook trust, and in flagrant opposition to the welfare of the people of the state. But as intimated, the purpose is to show to what exteut the workingmen of Indiana are interested in the financial problem which the Democratic law of 1889 solved for the state.

Enrollment of Schoolchildren. Officially stated, the number of schoolchildren enrolled in Indiana for the year 1888, the year preceding the enact> ment of the antischoolbook trust law, was 514,463. A set of schoolbooks as supplied by the trust cost $9.40, hence it appears that to supply each of the schoolchildren in the state for the year 1888 with a set of books would require the sum of $4,835,952.29. It is stated by officials connected with the state department of education, that a set of schoolbooks on an average, has to be renewed every four years, and assuming that on an average children are in school 12 years, the cost of renewing schoolbooks under the rule of the trust, would be $14,507,856.60. It is fair to assume that one-half of the schoolchildren enrolled in the state in 1888 (257,231) were the -children of citizens, laborers, mechanics and men working on farms, who were required to pay in' 1888, under trust rule, $9.40 for every set of books purchased for their children—amounting to $2,417,976.10. Under the operation of the Democratic schoolbook law passed in 1889, the cost of schoolbooks was reduced one-half, or 50 per cent. This resulted in a saving to the parents of the schoolchildren of the state, as stated, $2,417,976.10 in the purchase of school books. And if, as is assumed, oue-half, of the children enrolled in the common Schools of the state in 1888 were the children of parents who work for a living, the saving to them amounted to $1,208,988.05. And here, again, assuming that during the school age of these children, these sets of books have to be renewed every four years, the saving to wageworkers would amount to the sum of $3,626,964.15 during the 12 years. Under circumstances, as pointed out, and considering the immense benefits accruing to our fellow citizens whose incomes are derived from their labor the Democratic party has a right, predicated upon its fealty to the interests of Iftbor, to expect that workingmen will not overlook its labors in their behalf.