Rensselaer Republican, Volume 21, Number 49, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 August 1889 — THE STATE CAPITAL. [ARTICLE]

THE STATE CAPITAL.

Two county superintendents a schools have made requisitions upoi the Superintendent of Public Instructioi Era* the new school books. The fin order came from Fort Wayne, and wai i f° r I*soo books. The second from Wash ington, Daviess county, was for 701 books. The employes in the StaU Superintendent's office not understand why the requisitions should be Bo small. In Fort Wayne there are 11,615 pupils, and in Washington over 2,00 C children of school age. It will thus be seen that the requisitions are for lea than one-fourth enough books to supply the pupils in the two school corporations, although the Attorney General holds that the requisition must be foi enough books to supply all the children of school age. The superintendent! may make additional requisitions daring the year, but the State Superintendent Is opposing that plan because it will impose an enormons amount of unnecessary work on his office. In a circular to superintendents, just sent out, he kdvises that: “The requisions -from the varions corporations and connties be as complete in the first instance as possible.’ The fact that the Legislature failed to make any appropriation tc meet the increased expense of the department by the school law, compel! the Superintendent to meet this expense

personally. Somebody Beems to be responsible for the small requisition! being sent in. A circular signed by Baker A Randolph, and sent to all Superintendents advises that trustees order Dnly about one-fourth of the book! needed at this time. The firm is doing work for the Indiana School Book Company, and Mr. Baker says the order was inserted in the circular at the request of the school-book company. Some of the Republican politician! think they have discovered that the bill passed by the last Legislature, appropriating 15,000 for a series of farmers’ institutes in the various counties of the State, is to be manipulated in the interest o! the Democratic Free Trade Organization, They are led to believe this because Professor W. 0. Latta, of Purdue University, who is said to be a free trader, has been appointed lecturer and general superintendent. The State Board oi Agriculture has been asked to assist in making the institute a success, but hat refused to do anything so far, because of a dislike of the plans for the meetings —lndianapolis News,