The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-08-13
DrG1Cn from a photograph.

ton to the winds and told the story of
Justice McKinstry's retirement from the
standpoint of the trustees.
1t is quite an interesting story as it is
told by Mr.. Hayne.
The trustees think that the story has
another point of view if not 1.-the other
side" Mr.. Hayne says in effect that the
trustees endured for two long years the
independence and contempt of the eminent
jurist, and then they reached the limit Of
endurance and at the same meeting threw
McKinstry out and offered the vacancy to
Slack.
Judge Slack will hereafter be the head
of the faculty of the Hastings College of
Law. Yesterday afternoon he formally
accepted the position rendered some weeks
ago His salary is raised from $270O a year
TO $4,000, and he will retain his position on
the Superior bench. McKinstry's salary
was $1,000. Judge Slack will have two as
sistants of the grade of instructors who
will at the start receive 500 month.
Heretofore the instruction has been given
by Messrs. McKinstry and Slack at total
expense for. salaries of $7700 a year. Now
the instruction by Judge Slack'and his two
sistants have not yet been selected, and an
increase of salary will depend on the
ability they display.
The trustees seem to think that they
have been wronged by Judge McKlnstry' 8
friends, by the press and perhaps by the
students. They laugh with some trace of
bitterness at the unfounded rumors, born
of gossip, that the removal of Judge Slack
from the bench in the interest of some
phase of the Fair litigation, the desire of
some of the trustees to acquire the posi-
tion and reported social squabble be-
tween Mrs. Catherwood and Miss McKin-
stry, had variously figured in the sensa-
IL ~, f.o
before given out, that the position was
rendered to Judge Slack as soon as it was
made vacant, and as to one of the board
taking the vacancy trustee said yester-
day: "Do you suppose that any trustee
would be such an idiot, or that the trus-
tees would be such idiots as to let one of
them be such an idiot? And do you sup
pose that the trustees of the Hastings Law
College were governed by any tea-table
quarrel that might or might not have &C.
CURED ?"
This is the story of McKinstry's dismis-
sal as it was told yesterday by Robert Y.
Hayne:
1.-The members of the board think that
you gentlemen of the press rather jumped
on us about this thing, and do not think
you would have done SO if you had known
the facts.
81 admit that the reporters did not know
the facts, but the members of the board
had motives of delicacy for not wanting to
talk about it. / said so to a reporter who
called. They thought, perhaps, it would be
disagreeable to Judge McKinstry to have
the community know that he was removed
from his position. If nothing was said, it
would be supposed that he resigned. And
for that reason it was understood among
us that nothing should be said about it.
But inasmuch as the whole thing seems to
have got out, and as L understand that
Judge McKinstry has himself given an in
terview upon the subject, see no reason
for further reticence.
LAS a matter of fact there has been
misunderstanding between Judge McKin-
stry and the board. | was not memb Der
when he was employed, but those who
were, informed me that it was the under
standing when he was Employed that he
should give his whole time to the duties of
the college. No doubt Judge McKinstry
did not understand it that way, because he
is not man who would violate an under
standing. But the board so understood
1t and it was with some dissatisfaction that
1t saw the extent to which he was engag-
ing In private practice.
I'm that condition of affairs the two
professors of the college, Judge McKinstry
and Judge Slack, appeared before the
board about two years ago and asked that
an assistant professor be appointed, and
offered TO contribute towards the expense
of his salary. They appeared before the
board about two years ago, namely August
8, 1898, and stated their views and then
withdrew. The professors Withdrew, after
they had said everything that they had to
say, and the board desired to discuss the
matter privately. Bear in mind, now,
that this was two years ago. In response