The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1883-07-14
TgEE WEST virginia UNI.
VEIkSIET.
How 1t Appears From n Dis.
tamce.
Spirit Of Jefferson,

III tS now manifest tnat concerted
and determined assault is to be made
upon the University by the Radical
press of the State, and no stone is to
be left unturned in the effort to de-
stroy its usefulness.
The occasion of this unlsguisetl
hostility is manifest. For many
years every paid office connected
with the institution was filled by a
Republican. A local clique at Nor
gantown had taken possession Of the
school, and claimed an indefeasiblG
right to reap its emolumehts, and
control its destiny. The men com
posing this clique were personally
unobjectionable. They were not,
however, men who were fitted either
by education or opportunity to de-
eide upon the needs of q University.
They did not even know the meaning
Of the term, and seemed to imagine
that its chief business was to com
pete for patronage by an easy curric-
nlum, and low standard of gradu-
alton. They were fully impressed,
moreover, with the idea that the college
belonged to Morgantown and not to
the State. All of this rural simple
ity, and contracted proyincialism
might have been borne with, had it
not soon become apparent that the
institution was to be made foun-
tain head Of Radical propagandism,
whence the youth of the State were
to imbibe mortal antipathy to the
Democratic party, and u correspond
ing love for the Jacobite principles
of the party falsely called Republic
can. This fact was not at all dis
guised, but on the contrary openly
avowed, and, las has been charged,
boosted Of by the then president OF
the University. The Morgantown
clique of Republicidcs seemed to
forget that this State was Democratic,
and that the annual appropriations,
which alone supported the institution
were drawn from the purses Of Dem
ocratic lax payers, who could not
afford to keep up an institution for
no better purpose than to corrupt the
political principles of their own chill
dren. But the new Regents appoint
ed by Gov. Matthews, with such
men as John A. Robinson and Thos
j. Farnsworth at their head ),grappled
at once with the anomalous problem
Of Radical propagandism emanating
from q State institution. They
equalized the offices between Repub-
licides and Democrats. They res
euad the Executive committee from
Republfeielal control They recon
ciled the Legislature TO the institu-
ton, and increased the annual appro-
priation. They added two new chairs
TO the faculty, and appointed compe-
tent professors to each. In fine,
they laid the train which eventually
rescued the University from the
control and paramount influence of
the Mofgantown clique of Jacobites,
whose influence was enough to kill
any institution in a Democratic
State The work of reform was com
pleted under Governor JacRson's adj
ministration, and eliminated in
electing as president Hon. w. u.
Wilson, the ablest and most popular
president the college has ever had.
His resignation, brought about by
his unsolicited nomination to Con-
gross, resulted in consigning the care
of the institution for one year to Prof.
Berkeley, as chairman of the Faculty.
His eminent qualification for the po-
sition is admitted by all, and the
only objection urged against him is
boldly and insolently placed on the
ground that he is Democrat.
Now, since the University is sought
to be destroyed solely on the ground
that it has been rescued from exclu-
sive control of narrow minded Jacob
tics, and has been conformed in adj
ministration to Harvard and the
University of Virginia, we exhort the
people of this wealthy section to give
it new encouragement, and additional
patronage. Send your sons there
and not out of the State. Their
principles will no longer be subjected
to the influence Of Radical propa-
gandism.
The Republican party has past of
which it is not ashamed.-New York