Farmers' Alliance Declares War on School Book Monopoly
The statewide organization demands free, state-published textbooks and a shift in school funding away from corporate interests.
The second annual meeting of the Washington State Farmers' Alliance concluded in North Yakima with a platform focused on systemic reform. Key demands included a change in school fund laws to favor loans to individual homeowners over corporations, the abrogation of the existing school book system, and a mandate for the state to publish textbooks and provide furniture at actual cost. The Alliance also pledged support for any political party that incorporates these demands, signaled their opposition to the company store system, and moved to incorporate a publishing company for Alliance newspapers.
“We demand that the state publish all books and provide school furniture at actual cost price.”
The Farmers' Alliance was a powerful populist force that fundamentally changed Washington politics in the 1890s. Their fight against corporate-controlled textbooks and for public ownership of school materials mirrors modern debates over the cost of education and corporate influence in the classroom.
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