The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1874-05-14
1.hs ErnIrernltt alaesllon.


In this paper we have published sob
server" on the State University, and the
Chanoellor's reply The force Of the
latter is not enhanced BY It's ferocity.
nor b. the sensitiyenezs which its au-
thor evinces al comment on the Cniver-
sity. II reminds u of the weakness of
the county poor TOR the poor house, and
of the wise rams saying that the "ats
brayeth when be has grass and the OK
loweth over his fodder" The Chan
celior must remember that the 1nstltu-
tons in which these comfortable things
are provided to his hand, is public
concern established with fund which
is held in trust by the people of the
State who are pledged to see that it isprop-
erly expended; and that it is kept up by a
yearly appropriation of large sum at the
cost the Of taxpayers, nearly all of whom
are impoverished, and many of whom toll
from years end to years end wearing out
their lives, to furnish subsistence to their
families.
Il may be .grievious" thing to have
ones serenity disturbed while enjoying
his "fodder, but it is a greater hardship
on the people to be required to furnish it
and then deny them the privilege of free
inquiry into "a matter about which
they have a right to be concerned.
We have not been able to bring our
selves to a confession that the comments
of the press and of Others on the Insti
tuition deserve to be regarded as
grievances and to be assailed in the ri
baldrous style of the Chancellor. Some
people thought it a great wrong under
| the new regime for the services of APP
proved men to be discontinued from its
management VIGOROUSLY because they
belonged TO one party, and others put in
because they belonged TO another, and they
spoke their opinion freely; but because
people protested against the introduction
of partizan influences into the Institution,
are they to becharged with uttering SIAN
ders," particularly after all their pre-
dictions of evil to the University as a
consequence Of such innovation, have
been verified.
Everybody knows the University is
not held in the same esteem in which it for
merly was-everyb knows that it has
fallen very low from its high estate-and
everybody knows the cause. The Chan
cellor knows it az we'll as we do, and he
knows why it Is so, though he chooses to
attribute it to those who have deprecated
! the cause rather than TO the authors OF
| it.
The disingenuousness of the Chancel-
| lor's plea is as marked as his loss of tenn.
per at what he seems to consider obtru-
sive intermeddling with his provand.
He says that previous to the war, from
80 to 81. ''the iucome of the Institu-
ton from all sources was not less than
$40, O0O" Why did he not say frankly
| that in the time mentioned the annual
appropriation from the State Treasury
was $40, 900; Revised Code of 1850.
And that at the present time, the an
nual appropriation from the same source
is $50, 900, besides the slice from the
Agricultural Land scrip fund improper
ly diverted to the Institution, and the
large sum drawn from the school fund OF
each ofthe counties?
The truth comes out at last that the
earnest protests of public journals and
correspondents, speaking for the people,
against the partizan innovation to which
we have referred, as much as they were
pooh poohed at the time, were not with
out effect. For we are told that from
this cause there was an amazing falling
off in the number of students; and if can
| dor had been practised, we might have
been told that this rapid decline would
| have continued until the number was
reduced to a CIPHER, if the University
/ had been left to stand on its own merits
as formerly and not been converted into
free school supported by forced con-
tributions from the people and by levy
on the counties in order to furnish an
actual bonus for the attendance of pu-
pills. As it is, this great parade of stu
dents obtained by extraordinary means,
consists in large part of little grammar
boys, who, to ''infate" his list, are classed
by the Chancellor as university stu
dents!" Catalogues sometimes lie, but
these are undeniable facts which could
not have been properly omitted from the
statement of a party who complaining
of others ''recklessness" had put himself
on the witness stand and from whom
the public had right to expect the
truth, the whole truth and nothing but
the truth
The present Governor may exercise
his faculties until the close of his term,
but they can conceive no idea bet
ter than the one he expressed in his
message, complaining of the exorbitant
cost of the University to the taxpayers;
and no suggestion wiser than that it be
reduced.
Deaf h of Rev. whitfield Harring-