Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1883-07-09
West virginia University.

'r'|tt'Ftti d"'F pt''Nt''t
Every citizen OF the State should feel an
interest in the West Virginia University,
and take pride in fostering and building
it up. The press OF West Virginia espec-
ia!ly should give the institution a cordial,
hearty and earnest support, for if this
mighty influence is turned against the
school it can never hope to attain that
eminence aud degree Of usefulness intend.
ell by its founders. This being the case it
is a matter Of surprise and regret to every
friend of the University that por.
ton of the. Republican press of the State,
ed by the Wheeling H.teliigenccr, should
re So iUfluenced by partisan motives as to
50 all the School in a ruthless manner for
he pitiable purpose of manufacturing
title political capital. The Inte!Egencer
and those that copy after il, offer no just
Or reasonable excuse for the attack. They
make no specific charges of mismanage-
ment in capacity or partisan influence:
they furnish no facts upon which TO hang
4 tale of dishonor or build an argument
for q change in the course that has
been pursued. These Republican papers
present nothing tangible against the uni
yersity, but simply howl, Bourbon"
Bourbon" and cry that the institution is
being wrecked. In their eagernes and
hsste TO tear down and destroy the CHI ief
seat Of learning IN the State they do not
hesitate to declare what is untrue in re-
gard to il. As an instance Of this the In
ts'iigeqccr states that the university closed
viii about seventy students, many OF them
in the preparatory department. This is
not true, and the editor Of the paper, be-
ing on the ground when the article was
written, had the best opportunity for
knowing that it was not true. Yet it is
given out to the world as an indication of
the decline Of the school.
Now, what are the facts in the case?
The Catalogue for the year 1928 shows
that the enrolment for that year was 15S
students-of this number As were in the
Preparatory Department. This enroll
ment has never been exceeded but four
times in the whole history OF the Univer-
sity. The year lS69s70 shows a total OF
l6l; the year lS7O-l total of leo; the year
1901 total Of 1872; the year 1872 total
of III. These are the four years when the
totals exceeded the year that has just
ended.
During the year 1867 the school was en-
tirely under the control and direction OF
the Republican party. The President, Vice
\ President, all the professors and instructors,
and the entire Board of egents were pro-
| nounced Republicans In that year, of the
whole number of students enrolled one hun
| dred and forty three were in the Preparatory
Department. In the year 1871, of the 166
students, one hundred aud thirty four were in
the Preparatory department In the year
| 1872 there were ls9 students, and of this
number eighty one were in the Preparatory
Department.. All Of this time the School
was thoroughly Rspublicsn-in fact No
student with Democratic procli Tities was
allowed % feel comfortable or at home in
the institution. Ii appears from this that
the University was nothing more at that
| time than q high school kept up by the
state at an an annual expense of $4,000
for the benefit of the people OF Monongs-
liza county. DIR. Martin was then the Pres
idept, and be complained of the frequent
changes in the board Of instruction" This
is q very significant straw to show how the
wind set when the University was run by
the Republican party. A we'll managed,
prosperous school does not have frequent
chsnge in the board Of instruction"
Since the Democratic party came into
power there have been very few changes