Vicksburg weekly herald., 1870-10-22
letter from Governor AIooFn 90
the Faculty Of the state Unf-
veFaltY.
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT,
State Of Mississippi,
jackson, Oct. 4th, 1S70.l

jackson, Oct. 4tb, lSIO.)
DEAR SIR:-I have the honor to
acknowledge the receipt Of your
letter accompanying the letter adj
dressed to you by Judge Hudson.
In answer to your question touch
ing the reply made by you on be-
half of the Faculty to the enquir-
les Of that gentleman, I.take leave
to state as follows:
Your answer presents the form
of thesis. shall deal with its
propositions in the order in which
they have been made. Before do
ing SO, you will permit me to
promise that, when the political
power of the State rests in the
hands of one of two races, all
questions involving q forbearance
in the exercise of that power, in
volving in fact o seJ.denidl in
favor OF the other race, ought to be
dealt with in a spirit of prudent
and sincere tenderness.
That the University has always
been exclusively for the white race
is a proposition in which you travel
outside the inquiries Of Judge
Hudson. Inasmuch as it bears
the character of an argument rath-
er than of an answer, submit that
it had better have been omitted in
a case Of so much delicacy,
The second ofyour propositions
is unobjectionable in itself, save
only so far as it is n part of q
thesis that could, l suggest, re-
spectfully, have been very well
dispensed with.
Your third proposition is, it ap-
pears to me, q full answer as far
as lay in the power ofyourselfand
the Faculty, to give to the enquir-
les of Judge Hudson, and will, l
trust, be completely satisfactory
to that gentleman, when it receives
as it does here from me on my
own behalf, on that Of the Trus
tees in Jackson, and so far l am
aware, of every member of the
Board, q full concurrence.
Your fourth proposition not on
ly travels out of the scope o.
; Judge Hudsons letter, but does
so on a ground by which it il
Q made still more ineXpedient. /
= it were not an utterance Of men 81
grave and well disciplined a
yourself and your worthy col
$ leagues, / should have set tina
n declaration down as one of rathe
more than feeling. And if thi
!, judgment were just, it would, un
der all circumstances Of the case
: make the statement in question sc
# riously responsible.
o University education for tn
n colored people is, you are aware
:. held by one political party in til
} State, a question simply Of time
On the other hand, you mus
o know also that another politics
II party in the State scouts univers
, ty-education for the colored pee
pie, as an absurdity. The AZ
T. pearance of feeling which the eli
d quiry Of Judge Hudson ha
is brought out unnecessarily in tn
answer of the Faculty, leads me t
doubt for the first time, the pre-
q sent accomplishment of my pre-
It found wish to raise our university
d education out Of the injurious il
If tluences of party politics. Will
! l stand firm in my anxiety to mair
u tain the University of Oxford
Il subject of honorable traditions c
ID my own race, my conscienC
h would forbid, even thoug
u my ability could compass
:, its maintenance as such, if its az
Il ministrators shall be found fror
I'd time to time, outside the sphere {
IN their high and honorable dutie
re holding language inspired by til
passions Of race or party. I'll
affections of many of the brightei
intellects that adorn Mississippi
le cluster around your institution
e, but | must caution you those q
v. fections will be stung with eriefs
surely as to.morrow's sun wi
" rise, if the Trustees and Facult
a fail in the duty of purging i
ed halls ofthe old vice that has haun
Mt ed them so long-political factioI
n l have the honor to be, vii
assurances of the highest regar
T. Your very obedient servant,
y. J. L. ALCoRN.
K p. S.-The governing party
s. this State is committed direct
q. and by inference to the maintel
., ance Of the University of OxfoI
d, for the whites; it is so con
OF mitted in its acceptance
H. my messages; it is so cor
10 mitted in itspolicy on publ
NJ education; it is so committed
" - the men appointed by its own a
- and concurrence to administer ii
'i- affairs of the University as Tru
be tees. If any doubt can rema
n. after all this as to the intention
retaining the University for Il
~ whites, l can do no more to r
ed move the doubt than to tell ii
ed doubters to await legislative a,
,o ton in the matter Of estabisng
similar school for the use of IL
people of color. A.