Louisiana capitolian., 1880-07-24
LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY
PROTEST OF THE ALUMNI.
OF THE ACTION OF THE SUPERy1s-
ORs IN REMOVING THE PRES
IDENT, FACULTY AND
OFFICERS OF THE
UNIVERSITY.
Communicated to the n. O. Democrat.) J

Communicated to the n. @. Democ;at)
in view of the fact that at a recen
meeting of the Board of Supervisors o
the Louisiana State University ant
Agricultural and Mechanical College
held in Baton Rouge on July 2, 1880, 81,
members Of the said board voted to re
move the president of the said college
and the entire faculty and officers o.
the said college, without any specific
charges made against them, we, tne
alumni, graduates and ex-cadets of said
Institution, residing in the city of New
Orleans, beg. leave. through your paper
to enter this our solemn and public pro.
test against the said unwarranted, un.
just and uDprecented action Of the said
six members of said board, there being
no just cause assigned the public or us
for the said action; and also to make
manifest our entire approval of the ac-
tion OF three of the members, who re-.
fused to participate in said action,
either actively or tacitly, and who, in
accordance with what they considered
TO be their sense OF duty and of right,
retired from the said meeting, after
having earnestly endeavored tu prevent
the said action upon the part of the
other six members of said board and
we desire to make this our protest.
against said action, and our disappro-
baton of the same for the following
reasons:
!. We consider the action of the said
six members as unwise and unjust and
unwarranted generally, for the reasons
laid down in the published statement
of three of the members, who refused to
participate in said action, published in
the Baton Rouge CAPIToLIAN of July 13,
1850, and for the same reasons we high
ly commend their conduct and the mo-
tiyes that woull not permit them to
participate iu the action of the said six
members.
q The board being an entirely new
one, with the exception Of two or three,
we DO not consider that the members
were in a position or were sufficiently
acquainted with the affairs of the said
college, to thus by a resolution, which
contained no specific charge against any
one, to cut off by wholesale the heads
of the president and entire faculty, and
to endesvor to disgrace them thus With
out hearing or al opportunity to ex-
plain or defend themselves, the more
especially as these six members were
new members, and unacquainted with
the detailed affairs or faculty of the
University.
3. We consider that the resolution of
the said six members Of said board con.
tains no specific or definite charge-in
fact, no charge at all-and that Justice
and the methods of civilization demand
ed that notification should have been
given of the said premeditated action,
and opportunity offered the said presi.
dent and faculty to come before same
and explain and vindicate themselves,
and that time should have been given
the said president and faculty to pre-.
pare themselves for the said explana-
tion or defense:
4. That the removal and election of a
president from or to the presidency of
the largest institution of learning in
our State is an important matter one
that should be thoroughly canvassed
and ventilated in public print ere the
same is executed, the more especially as
it involved the removal of a president
who had been professor in said insti-
tuition previous to the war, and its
president since the war-a period of
over fifteen years-and the removal of
man who in the days of it's adversity
kept ic.np and alive by bis own indivi.
dual effort and energy, and at his own
personal sacrifice, and to whom We con-
slider the State of Louisiana is indebted
for the existence of said institution to-
day. Having presided so ably over the
said institution in the days of it's adver-
sity, we have been shown no reason
why he will not preside ably over it in
the days of it's prosperity. And we con-
slider, from our relation to the institu-
tion, that we have right to require a
good reason for the removal of man
who signed our diplomas and presided
over US with dignity and respect in days
gone by.
5. We believe, and have every reason
to believe, that the sentiments and
opinions expressed in this protest are
those Of each and every alumnus and
ex-cadet Of the fifteen hundred or two
thousand of them scattered through
this State, and we of New Orleans call
upon them in their various sections to
make public their opinions and senti-
ments in regard to the recent action of
the said nine members of said board.
6. And we would respectfully call the
attention of the Governor of this State
to the fact that under the charter of the
institution the law requires that three
members Of the board should be '.titled
graduates and that the present board
is illegally constituted, for the reason
that there are only two members on said
board who are titled graduates" and
we, in all respect, request him to correct
the said illegality.
7. And lastly, we call upon the said
Board Of Supervisors to reconsider the
recent action of fthe,slx members in SO
unceremonionsly, and We think uniustly
and without cause, removing the said
President, officers and faculty of said
institution without a hearing on their
part, and that in Justice they be accord.
ed the same. And we call upon all the
good people of the State of Louisiana to