Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1853-07-23
Richmond Medical College asaIa-the old foe IN new
IulSe.

1 -N--N"' 49, ~ -~''
guise.
For some two weeks or more there has been
mighty rumbling and grumbling and good deal OF
underground thunder in these parts. Ii was said,
the Doctorsof Richmond were going to hold meeting
to blow up the Medical College-that they had held
the meetng--had appointed committee to demolish
their advcrsaries-hat the committee had reported
their report adopted and all was with the poor
Medical College for good and forever Well, some
twenty of the so or 90 Doctors Of the city have put
forth pronoacidmento which appears in our coll
umns this morning.
To mere oltsider and dsinterested spectator, this
proceeding suggests variety of reflections. Occu-
plying that position, shall express that occur
tous We not du raft in matters of professional
etiquette;- the Intervention of these gentem,
docs wear an uugracious aspect How would it seem,
| if the bar Of Richmond Charlottesville any
other locality Of the State should volunteer to dictate
the appointment of law professor the University?
Such occurrence has taken place-and it
may be owing TO ignorance the part of the Legal
proe sion of the true principles of professional pro-
priety. But the Doctors labor hard to Justify their
intermeddng. They taxpayers, they say
the State has loaned the Medical College $4,000
and they therefore have an interest in the proper
management and of that money They tar.
| payers and therefore have a right to speak But
do they appear Taxpayers rirdi Doctors ,
| There's the rub. Ii Taxpayers, why were
not Others invited to join i'll the proceedings =. =
Are they the only persons who pay taxes {: But as
injured tax payers, they have not adopted the right
mode of proceeding Their recourse is t. their
represeHtdtire-the Legislature, which loaned these
gentlemen the money and have their individual bonds
for t-besides mortgage on their property. IL the
Legislature acted uuwisely, they the responsible
party. But we take it that this is preext to
cover professional eaousywhich nevertheless sticks
out most disgustingly in every part of this pro-
| ceeding.
We do not intend to enter upon consideration OF
the various allegations contained in this memorial -
leave them to others better qualified to expose
their allacy But what must strike every is that
many of those who have thus, with nice sense Of
professional propricty thrust themselves into this
business have been, from the beginning the open,
unqualified and relentless enemies of the Medical
School. They oppos, it at the sart-and they have
warred against it ever since. 1t their right, no
doubt and do not intend to dispute it. But it is
fact which speaks strongly against their mpartiri
y. and argues much prejudice, that taken in
ncxon with their avowcd interest in the matter it
any court of Justice in the Commonwealth. B At after
carrying open waragainSt the College for tld
longer time than the serge of Troy continued and be-
ing unable by direct assault to batter down its walls
flor the College has prospered more and more, and
grown in popular favor every year. they have chan
ged their mode Of attack aud adopted the tactics Of
the Greeks, who, baied in the same way, sought to
circumvent the enemy by introducing awOOden horse
into the citadel. These original, ever active and in
dcfitigablc enemies Of the College It's patrons
anl friedS claim TO dictate the appointment Of its
professors aad 10 control it, destints-and actrg
ia conjunction with portion Of the Board Of Trs-
tees of Hampden hydney with whom heretofore there
has been noparticular friendship II an ominsus con-
junction, and might well exercise the wits Of curious
people to ascertain its motives. Do the Board Of
Trustees in violation Of go ,d faith, and in disregard
Of the rights Of the Medical Department, propose to
surrender hat Department its nvcteratc foes with
out any constipation! That >upposition would be
unreasonable. What then was the consideration on
their part And the Doctors why i.aye they all at
once rcupunccd their ancient eumity, aud set them
,clycs up the patron, and main stays of this ns-
tuition? Is il an ingenious device for obtaining an
opportunity to give their old foe a IL ath hug Or
have the hgh-contractng parties united their forces
for the purpose Of dividing among themselves the
spoils, which tire members Of the Medical Faculty
have accumulated by fifteen years Of labor: We
leave these questions to others. he d>ntercstcl
public will Judge Of motives by facts, and they will
ascribc a reas Enable and sufficient motive for every
Transaction which comes under their observation
II is singular and cannot fail to the attention
Of the most careless tina; while these Doctors asSal
the Medical College as "aco's c,rP1ration'-"a Sc!
dpyoufiHg ANIL seifp erpctnHtiHg organization
base most of their slang. whanging upon that fact
their gcw.f3un1 allies the Board Of Trustees Of
Ilampdcn sydney, 10 whom they earnestly appeal
to "Open the doors" to them o. OgnOSious 10 The
sery same charge They constitute 'ciosg coipo
ration" IN the srictcsi sense Of the word They are
"sclfappointing aud sclfpcrpctuatng." TIey ele't
them eiye. o@d the range Of their selection is con.
tiled almost entirely b; irlc religious sect. Thu
IS probably some Of t'e old hunJg, 81 the Doctors
preparcdn former years, when they were wasngwa.
against therPregen allies, and remountcd now, without
ndycrtng to the fact that rit had any eject 1t wouId
play havoc With their own ranks But there ia moth
ing in it, close corporation Of this kind Is no NO
nopoly. # excludes nobody else from pursuing th,
same profcssi,n-which circumstance is of 'hc ycry
essence Of a monopoly Any six Doctors in Rich,
al school and 10y industry aud ability, they prov,
10 the zlisartigp Of the Legislature hat they AZ,
loirg good lubc 8cryicc, the Will obtain Legislative
aid This was the way in which The present schoo
was founded II was entirely an indvidu, enterprise
Il was carried on for SIX years at individual cost
without aid from either city or Statc;-but when .
proved by its fruits tia it deserving support,
received assistance from both State AMI city As be
iween a close corporation composed Of any one rcli
spus sect, and q clUsr corporation composed Of mcd
cal men, vino have the strongest possible mot We.
those Of pccunay interest and professional reputation
to make good appointments, no man, it seems to Us
who's" Judgment not warped by prejudice %
j1undiccd by notifying professional jealousy, coul,
hesitate.
The womorial profcsses TO speak from the record
aud the record suiy sgi yet Il asserts that the Ned
zeal Col eye "nursod aHd fsa Cd from ~ Dftucy