Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1894-08-21
PROFESSOR ELY ON TRIAL.
He Is Accased of an Improper Atti-
 tude on Labor.


 tnde Labor.
 MADISON, Wis, Aug. 21.-The trial of Professor T. Ely of the University of Wisconsin commenced here yesterday. The ease is one without parallel and will attract attention in university and college circles throughout the world. The judges are a committee of the board of regents and superintendent of public instruction. 0. E. Wells is acuser and prosecutor Professor Ely is dean of the school of economics, political science and history He conducts his own de- fense.
 The charges against Professor Ely are outlined in the following letter written to the New York Nation by Superin- tendent Wells about month ago:
 ''Your statement in the last Nation to the effect that there is a sort of moral justification for the attacks upon life and property based upon a theory which comes from the colleagues, libraries and lecture rooms, and latterly from the churches, is supported by the teaching and the practice of the university of Wisconsin. Somewhat more than year ago a strike occurred in the office of the Democrat Printing company, the state printers. An agitator or walking del egate came from Kansas City to coun-  sel and assist the strikers. He was en- tertained at Professor Ely's house, and was in constant consultation with him. A little later strike occurred in another printing house ill the city in which Professor Ely was also an abettor and counselor. He also demanded of the prol rietor taat their office should be made union office, threatening to take his printing away if they did not com ply. Upon their refusal of his repeated demands Professor Fly withdrew his printing, informing them that he had always been in the habit of dea.ing with union offices. In conversation with one of the proprietors he said that where skilled workman was needed dirty, dissipated, unnarriel, aud unskilled tramp of union man should be em- ployed in preference to the industrious, skillful, trustworthy nonunion man, who is head Of family He also stated that the latter would have no ground for complaint, as he could easily remove the objections to him by joining the union, and that conscientious scru- pies against joining the union would prove the individual to b. a crank
 The prominence of Professor Ely as an enunciator of and instructor in the the theories Of socialism anl political econ- omy and the direetness of the charges against him have attracted widespread attention all over the country. Prof. By came to Wise5nsin from Johns Hop kins university TWO years ago and in the winter lie delivered q series of six lee lures ill Plymouth church on "Social- ism, drawing large audiences. The lectures We're under the auspices of the Milwaukee Peoples institute, and the proceeds were to be devotel to the es- tablishment of a fellowship at the uni- versity in the school of political science. Dr. Ely also gave the course at St. Paul during the same season. At one of the lectures Professor Ely stated that his talks were not intended to indorse the various theories of the German and French socialism, which he expounded. The lectures We're considered the most able of the kind ever delivered, and the audiences included some of the most in- telleetual people in Milwaukee.