New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-02-19
AN EXPLANATION NEEDED.

posltiy ely what the coming spring ulsy uutoio.
AN EXPLANATION NEEDED.
When on Saturday. We recorded the weghty
testimony just rendered ss anss slave catching BY
the people Of Massachusetts,, through their rep
resentatiyes, in the rejection Of Edward e. Lo-
ring as . teacher in Harvard College, We eK-
pressed the hope that he might not be allo we'd,
through some side aperture, to creep back into
position from which he has now been 50 justly
elected. But We are compelled to say that this
hope is not very strong, unless the Board Of
Oyerseers exhibit litte more spirit than they
have yet got credit for, in indicating their own
rights and depressing the arrogant assumptions Of
the Corporation. To Judge from the past, the
probability would seem to be. that not withstand
ing the vote of the Overseers, Mr. Lorins will
still be continued 10 office and will still be paid
q very large and disproportionste salary there
for.
The pat facts of the case, as they appear from
the records Of the Board Of Overseer', are - fol-
lows:
In 1852. Feb. 5, at an adjourned meeting of the
Board of Overseers, the President of the Univer-
sity prese nte the vote of the President and Eel
lows (who constitute the CorporatiOn) appoint
Ing the Hon. Edward G. LOring Lecturer in the
Law School for the remainder of tho present
academical year" On the 10Th February this
appointment was consented TO by the Oyerseers
By a vote of Is to Z, and one blank; and it ap.
pears from the Treasurer's Report that for the
year ending August 81, l552-the acsdemical
year, We take it, above spoken of-Mr Loring
was paid $500 for his half years service as Leo
turer.
At tbs. time. T. would seem, nearly two years
ana half ago liz. Lofing's conneOsion with the
College, 90 far ss the approval Of the Ovefseers
was concerned, terminated; and every cent 81 CO
paid him would appear to be 80 much money
wropgfully distracted from the funds OF the Coz
lege, and applied to a private use; misapPllca-
lion of the College funds and an abuse OF the
trust OF the Corporation, which, if the Overseers
have Lot courage enough to inquire into it, We
hope may Jet be investigated on wri! of qao
warrants.
If the records of the Overseers are to be trusted,
the year 1853 passed without any reference to
that Board for its approval Of any appointment of
Mr.. LOriDg as Lecturer. Yet the repor. of the
Treasurer of the College for the year ending
August 81, 1853, shows that be was paid 81 900
of the money of the College, as We suppose, for
"Lyceum" Law Lectures delivered In the course
of that sear, but 10 the delivery of which the
Oyeneers never consented, and about which, if
their records are true, they were never even con-
suited
In 1854, Jaa. 6, after Mr.. Loring had thus held
the Office of Lecturer for sixteen months, un
sanctioned by the Overseers, the Corporation
made their nomination Of him to new Profess
sorship, created for his benefit and arranged for
his convenience. The pettifoggng pretense for
that proceeding and is abandonment by the
Corporation, when they found the Overseers would
not sanction it, have been already fully stated 10
our columns. The nomination Of Mr.. Loring as
Professor was withdrawn. No nomination was
made of him as Lecturer, yet as Lecturer he
seems to have been continued, and with an in-
crease of salary, too, since it appears By the
Tressurers Report for the year ending August
81, 1854, that during that year $l,750 Of the
money Of the college went, with no warrant for
its payment, so far as the Oserseers were con-
cerned, into Mr.. Lorings pocket.
Such have been the liberties with the money Of
the College and the rights Of the Overseers taken
by the Corporation hitherto, whence the probable
inference for the future would seem to be that in
stead Of appointing any new Lecturer, Mr.. Loriag
will still be continued in that Office with an in
crease perhaps, Of his salary to 1880 or $1,000,
which last is the sum paid to each of the two
Professors, though for . mere "Lyceum" Lee
turer the latter amount might be thought little
eIorbitant
Such Are the facts as they appear on the rec
ords Of the Overseers; such are the facts az they
are trembliDsly whispered in Boston; but - to
which nobody there seems to have the courage
to set on foot any Investigation. 1t is possible
that some satisfactory explanation may be given
of this-on the face Of it-ge" abuse on the
part of the Corporation Of the sacred trust com.
mitted to it. II so, the sooner that explanation
is forthcoming, the better. Al things stand, they
have very ugly look. A Cambridge degree Of
Doctor Of Laws, OF Doctor Of Divinity, even
the place Of Fellow Of the College, is net gen.
orally thought to discharge from the obligat to
common honesty; and if this matter is suffered to
90 unexplained, We fear the technical term used
to describe the members Of the Corporation will