Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1893-04-06

Editor Gazette; At the meeting OF
The Board of Trustees Of Delaware College,
Tuesday last. when the president of the
college, Dir. Raub. had made his report,
was about to submit few observations,
which thought were pertinent TO the oc-
CASTOR, when | was cut off by the techni-
cal rules Of parliamentary law. do not
complain Of the ruling of President Lore,
for he was then and always has been Just
and impartial. HUT as il seems to me that
the administration of the college is q
matter of interest both to the members of
The board of trustees, many of whom were
not present on Tuesday and to the public,
for whose benefit the college was cstab-
lishcd and endowed ] am compelled to
avail myself Of the favor OF the public
press to make % statement.
There are certain practices and ten
denotes growing up in the board of trustees
which in my Judgment are dangerous to
the welfare Of the college. Some Of these
| have opposed for more than three years
past. One Of the practices to which call
attention is that Of referring subjects TO
committees with power to act" con.
rede the convenience and even the neceS-
sty of appointing committees to put busl-
ness in shape for the action of the body
but do not believe il is right, or in some
cases lawful, for de!iberative body to
hiycst itself of its powers to the extent
this has been done b. our board.
Even when the board has retained the
power TO pass upon the action of the COM
mittee it is too often the case that such
retention is II mere matter OF form. The
reports of these committees are generally
accepted without question, and any one
who presnmcs to doubt them is regarded
us II useless consumer of time, an Ubstruc-
ZIONIST who keeps the trustees from their
respective homes.
Moreover these committees, as usually
constituted, have the president of the col
lege as n member, and he, Of course, exer.
Uses great influence with them, and the
effect, therefore, may be to make the
government of the college Il monarchy.
There is, however no objection to have
the president as a member of many OF
such committees, provided they are given
limited powers and the board takes suifi-
cient time to consider their reports.
But there was one committee Of which
Ihe president of the college should not
have been chairman, nor even a member;
mean the committee on the read uStment
of salaries and duties of members OF the
faculty. That committee, at least, should
have been constituted without him. If
the COMMITTEES needed information or
counsel from him. it could very readily
have called him before il. But for him u
be chairman of a committee which was Ia
pass upon the question of increasing his
nwn salary and to be present and presiding
when the vote was taken, it seems to me
was to say the least of it, gross impro
priety. That fact has caused unfavorahlt
comment and has undoubtedly injured
the college Now, the action of thai
committee is not material to my
point, but it added 81 200 to the salary
Of the president, making it $1,000, anC
$500 to that of each of the other mem
hers of the faculty, making theirs eaCi
Sl,T50 The sum of $4,000 is not too much
for the presidents salary, provided thu
trustees have the means 10 afford ii, btl
the increase is excessive as compared witt
that given to the other members of tn
faculty. 1t is. in fact, an injustice which
the board ought yet to remedy.
But TO return to the general subject o
committees Power grows by what it feed
on. Two, at least, of the committees, no
content with the large discretion givel
them. have venturcd to assume almos
plenlry powers. One of them reported a
the meeting on Tuesday that il had az
pointed an Constructor IN elocution am
Oratory" for the college and had fixed hi
compensation. Now, the board had take
no action whatever in regard to this sui
ject and had not. Of course, given an
such authority to the committee. But til
board not only approved the action Of tn
committee without remonstranGe, bu
actually empowered the committee TO cor
tinue the engagement indefinitely. y
time was given the members OF the boar
TO examine the qualifications of the IL
struetor' and no testimonials were pre-
sented nor vas the president Of the colles
inquired of as to whether or not the iii
etructorn had discharged his duties accepl
ably. The board simply went it blind,
or took the whole thing on the ipse dix
of the committee. Now, ask what 81:
this but allowing o committee TO establish
profesSorship, fix its salary and fill tn
office? The gentleman may be goo
CO. far na / knnUt biIt that mn in
is lmmaterial to my objection. ] maintai
that this is power which the board itse
ought to exercise and cannot delegate to
committee, much less can committee a
sumo 1t.
But another committee appeared at ii
same meeting, and, not to be outdone
usurpation of authority reported that
had put mp a building at cost of mo-
than $4,000, and to that extent had il
volved the college in debt. The buildiu
is said to be very good one, but the con
lnittee had not II scintilla of authority
erect ii. In consequence of this illegal a
the board was put to the humiliating II
cessity of tborrowing" from funds whic
the act of Congress says shall be kept i
violate for other purposes.
As precedents these cases are aggravat,
by the fact that the gentlemen cOmposil
these two committees are of the hight
character.
.. A kindred matter may be mentiont
here The board of trustees complained
a want of funds. but IL had enough
establish a profcssorship and to ill il ut
salary of 81, T5O, although it turns out tn
there are only two students in that depal
ment. When a member of the board !
quired how this professor managed to k
time, the president of the college answer
.'the question is hardly u fair one, t
gentleman has been assigned to 9th
duties" The only other duty mention
was the teaching Of French" On readi
the presidents report afterwards 1t W
discovered that there were two students
French. We were not enlightened as
what the regular French teacher was dol
without his 1.-TWO boys" The commit
and Dir. Raub know and thar is enSus
II is none of our business. The profess
ship and the $i,T5O are continued I'm
further orders--by some committee.
may refer to another fact by way
showing the condition Of the college. Q
year ago at the spring meeting il was d
covered that no one of the professors "
residing in the college building and
students were left alone at night except
far as the members Of the faculty mis-
visit them during the evening DIR. Ra
said nothing about it at the late meet
of the board. but one OF the profess
stated there had been no change in this
gard. Last year the trustees seemed
Think it was bad thing to leave
students severely alone after this fashit
bnt nothing was done and nothing see
likely to be done.
AS lhayc called attention to the dilig
exercise Of authority by some committe
even-hapded justice requires that sho
pame one modest committee which
done absolutely nothing for the last seN
years. The committee on eXaIninati,