The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1875-03-04

Report o. 'he .sorut Commrt,ee
DisOrganiz -lnsubOrdiuatiOu- Prof
legacy and Corruption.

!
the University and at jackson. We
found the buildings and grounds Inn GOOD
condition, aud well adapted 90 thc pur
pose for which they were appropriated.
Most of the buildings have been repaired
some are still undergoing repairs. and
good fences have been built Al the time
OF our visit, there We're i'm Attendance
about sixty students, number of them
being students whose parents reside n
the vicinity, and should properly be oI-
ucated in the district schools ut the couu-
". A large number OF the students haI
left the University before our arrival.
and others We're preparing to leave
Those remaining were OF the grade found
in our ordinary district schools, studying
such branches ms English Grammar
Arithmetic, Geography, Reading, etc.
But two or three members ut the ada
vanced classes were upon the grounds.
and these were awaiting funds 10 return
TO their homes. We found that durIu.
the month OF October last, serious dis
turbance broke out between the students
and officials The students refused to
attend Rotations tor two weeks, and ap-
pealed to the Executive Committee uf
the Board of Trustees 10 remove three
Professors and the Superintendent.
The committee settled the matter by
compelling the entire faculty to tender
their designations three of which were
Immediately accepted. They also prom
ised to remove the Superintendent within
thirty days, thus compromising the mat
ter with the students in order TO suppress
the rebellion; but afterwards decided d.
retain the Superintendent Three OF the
Professors who We're compelled 90 place
their designations in the hands of the COM
mttec, did SO when no charges
were preferred against them. It seems
that a general dissatisfaction with the
management had prevailed in the college
for some time previous 10 tho rebellion.
and this outbreak was the result of chat
dissatisfaction. Want Of discipline among
the students, want Of harmony among tho
various officials and bitterness Of FEELING
toward the superintendent the students
were the prime causes of the outbur-t
There appears to have been a continual
warfare between the Superindent and
the late President Or, Revels.) DIR.
Revels was great tav0rite with the
students, and they were highly incenscl
at his removal. II is significant fact
that eight Professors and one President
have left the University within the space
of eighteen months. The committee had
before them a number Of students, all of
whom, but one, complain of treatment
received at the hands Of the Superindcut
at the boarding hall, and at other times
and places which the testimony sets forth
Charges Of profanity, lcwdness and
drunkenness were found to be true against
several Of the officials We found %
President of the University whose solo
duty seemed to be to hold evening prayers
at the chapel, and perform services ON tho
Sabbath, at salary Of twenty-five hum
bred dollars per annum. The President
should be required TO have at least ono
class under his own immediate supcrvi-
sion. The Superindents Office should bc
abolished alone would save annually
thirteen hundred and fifty dollars 90 the
University fund. The Treasurer office
should be abolished, and the State Treas
urer required TO perform the duties of
= that office without extra compensation.
Ono party has been SupcrentcndCut,
Treasurer and Trustee at the same time.
| The Treasurer Of the University receives
into his hands over sixty thousand doll
lars per annum, and is required by law
to give a bond Of not less than five tbou-
sand dollars.
The annual expenses of the University
need not exceed fifteen thousand dul-
lars. This would include salaries and
contingent expenses. Tho Ireasurcr
reports about thirty-ive thousand dollars
in the Treasury, in warrants and currou-
CIV. The act Of Congress donating thu
agricultural scrip makes provision lor
the establishment Of one or more agricuI-
tural colleges in the State, and had tho
| Agricultural Department no Alc1m
University been established with % provI.
sion allowing poor students 90 earn their
/ board on the farm, it would have been ul
material benefit 10 many deserving young
men. There seem 10 have been uD an-
ton taken by the Trustees 10 comply
with the requirements of this act of Con.
grcss, which, if persisted in, may bc the
cause Of the State FORGETTING this part oi
the fund.
There has been n farm conducted by
hired labor, but the students were uar
materially benefited by it,. The farm if
conducted at all, should be worked by
the students. The boarding department
has been partly supported out of the au-
nual appropriation TO make up for do-
! ficits Oh account Of free scholarship. lu
| the opinion Of your Committee, the Board
Of Trustees has ample power and mean
necessary to the iulhIlment Of the object
| for which the Institution was established.
| But we find that some Of them have
never visited the University, some hnFa
not been there within the last two years
and those who have been there, hlgo
been unable 10 secure the confidence Ol
the patrons Of the school by their m1u-
agement. Although we have examined
the President and several of the Irus-
tees, the Treasurer alone could give uuy
account Of the finances Of the University
The Treasurer's books show that Doe
received, during the year 1874 sixty
nine thousand, seven hundred aud .iEty-
nine dollars and fifteen cents. lie dis
bursed during that year, ftty-Ouc thau-
sand, one hundred and eightyu.ua
dollars and sixty cents, leaving "a balance
for that year, in favor Of the University.
of eighteen thousand, five hundred and
seventy-nine dollars and i0rty-fiye cents.
Your committee found one account iu
the hands of the superintendent which
had been allowed him as q voucher. from
the house Of Roberts d Co., Ina New Ore
leans, which account, although itemized
as TO the articles purchased, yet had uo
price affixed to any item; but at the foot
Of the account the sum of seven hundred
and ten dollars was placed and rcceip,el
for.
Your committee regret that their
limited time and the insufEiciency Of the
appropriation prevented that thorough
examination into the finance of the JuI-