The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1855-06-22

II will be gratifying to the Mis.ssippians in Washing
and the entire democracy Of State It in the
"Union1
Very respectfully, your friend and obeden servant
MISSISSIPPI.
TO THE PUBLIC.
Rumor seems to be such veraeious dame in the es-
nation of many editors Of this State and of the neigh
boring States and busy Is she just Mt this time and has
she been for years past with my and character that
deem it due, both 10 myself and the Institution over
which preside her right before the public In
doing shall prove 10 the satisfaction Of all that possess
least four qualifications for the place which hold in the
University of Mississippi viz frankness fearessness truth
and independence shall present my self to the public ia
such faithful proaure that need hereafter resort to
to learn precisely what sort Of heads this in
stution Bear with my prolxity, for have long ao
count to settle.
Professor Harpes letter to Senator Adams-or rather
sentence in it--brought down upon him swarm Of
editors headed by the Aberdeen Conservative This jour
nal not content to conine its censures 70 the professor at
tackled the trustees in this language "We have heard the
complaint frequently made that university was
gazed and differed upon strict party principles that each
time chair has been created incumbent has been
sought only among Of peculiar distractions; this
may possibly account for the chair Of geology being filled
by n cosmopolie TO the exclusion OF native talent.p
A trustee answered the discoureous attack and
showed the satisfaction ofhe CONSERVATIVE ITSELF that
member of the faculty had been elected with reference to
his politics For the benefit Of those who parunize coli
eges from the political complexion Of their faculties il
may be well TO state just here that at the opening of the
university this faculty consisted Of four persons of whom
three were wings, and democrat The democrat
retired and upon The urgent recommendation Of tho
@hgs Of the board his place was filed by another demo
GRAFT Thus stood matters for two years. when the chair OF
assistant professor of mathematics created and it
filed by democrat At the end Of year Two he
tired and his place was filled BY democrat graduate Of
The unspersy The next professorshp created was that
of modern language, and it was filled by democrat At
the end OF a few years he displaced, and wing
put in his chair The next vacancy was OF the chair Of
chemistry and professor Of unknown politics was placed
in it, The next OF the chair OF mathematics which
filled by whig The next of the chair Of chem
istry again, to which gentleman Of unknown politics
elected In the time the proiessorships OF geo
ogy and chemistry separated and the first las have
good to believe, by the influence of whg of the
board was filed by democrat Finally, the professor
ship Of law created, and ii filled by gentleman
who through life had voted with the wing party, until
1850 when he voted he has since donewith the dem
ocraic party He is State rights wing. So regarding
him. there has been majority of democrats in this
institution from its foundation to the present time
Would wing board have been more liberal The Con
sentative being corrected upon this head would have
supposed that If editors do not feel themselves exempt
from ali the rules of rankness courtesy and fair dealing
it would have acknowledged its error been thankful for
the correction and dropped the subject Not So however
It dismissed the trustee respectfully and then proceeded
"There responsibility Somewhere and justice to the pub
lie well as TO the university itself demanded that it
should be dragged from its lurking place gem
teman of our county fine since declared that he
almost withdrew his from the university because of
his being there indoctrnated with political dogmas and
warped and biased by peculiar distractions. Young gem
temen whose veracty have heard questioned
students of the school, inform that professors have
proper nerlard their with political abstrac-
tons In confirmation Of its views the Conservavequotes
from the Memphis Eagle and Enquirer" the Lexington
Z" Advertiser" The "Prarie News" and the "Natchez
Courier"
The first ercr alice 10 he interests Of the iprsi and
apparently solicous to shield it from harm by the ndis
cretons of its inexperienced head speaks this wise
The Aberdeen Conservative administers rebuke TO Mr.
Harper which will doubtless have sautary effect upon
him. If it does not prove entirely corrective of disease
which have taken fast hold OF the uniyersitythe
disease of having and hen presidents and professors
who will dabbe in politics"
The Natchez Courier holds this anguagei |" Mr.. Har-
pers epise will strengthen feeling which has been in
creasing time back in the minds of all attentive OBJ
serversand that is that the State University is more and
assuming thecharacer of political nursery The char
acter of its professors the alleged teachings bore its classes
and the encouraged declarations Of pupils have given
very strong conviction that those in charge of it were
impressed with the belief that State-rights political doc
nes were as much in its proper field as classics or mathe
matcs'
In one thing these magnates all agree with wonderful
unanimy, considering their caliRgand that is
that politics is exceedingly dirty business In
to the memory of Clay and Webster whose exclusive
business for thirty years politics protest against
their being held up to the world laboring all that
time under loathsome disease" The disease Of dab
bling in politics" do not precisely understand but
understand what dabbiing MEANS and protest against
such term being applied any Of the great and good
Of country whose lives have been spent in poll
tics As respect the example of those patriots than
the precepts Of these lecturers shall respect politics
on them when please. For my part consider man
who has politics poor patriot however amiable he
may be as Such one regard rather unfit for
place in college The people in this country
egu and he miserable representative of sovereignty
who s incompetent To cast judcous To be sure
the order" is making efforts TO save the masses the
trouble Of preparing themselves to exercise the elective
franchise with prudence, by ordaning select body
odnres of their conscience and directors Of their ballots
AZ labor-saying and Notwithstanding company, this
body admirable but until its working better under
stood must still maintain my old opinions But let me
return TO the charges against mel say against for they
apply TO other member &c the faculty The pro-
cssors of mathematics, languages chemistry, astronomy
aud geology have opportunity Of ecturing upon pot
cal distractions State rights politics In any OF the
term and all the other chairs filed by myself until
last july when the proessorshp of law taken from
my department the sins complained Of date back before
that time; il that the Conservative has length
found man to fix its floating warrant Of responsibility
upon.
Now boldly assert that in the fifteen years and more
that have been at the head OF colleges man, no
student would have known TO what political party
belonged from nyhng that fell from in lecture
room when my text book led directly the dis
cusson of questions at issue between the
OF the country have discussed the policy OF proec-
tive tariff, do ali the text books upon political economy
and have discussed the power Of the federal government
to charter banks The nation has given Judgment in my
favor upon both these questions And here is the length
and BREADTH height and depth of all my eeturng upon
political subjects in the disadvantages, mean
which have divided parties Upon the bank question
delivered my opinion to my classes until had 6rst
read TO them carefully and csnddIy Chief Justice Mar
the odds against me but could not yield my honest
victons to the authority Of great published my
argument in Washington CITY, mot quite complete from
acodent begged to 1t for the sake Of the youth