The Kinsley graphic. [volume] (Kinsley, Kan.) 1890-1940, 1895-10-18
PROF.. REMis. CASE

Stolen Booty Are veritable Upas Trees.
The New York World prints a long |
story regarding the retirement of Ed
ward w. Bemis, professor of political
economy at Chicago university. 1t is
alleged his exit is due to the fact that
Yerkes, Rockefeller and other wealthy
men who have contributed to the uni
versity were displeased with Mr.. Be-
mis- attitude on labor and social prob
lens. Mr.. Bemis' side of the story il
printed as follows:
Prof Bemis prefers not to speak at
present of his interview with the uni
versity authorities, but as the report
has spread that he was radical in his
economic views, he would say he was
in substantial agreement with such
economists as Seligman, Ely, Andrews
and Walker, though not going so far
in some directions as Prof. Ely. He be-
lieves university should be in close
touch with the labor movement and
municipal and monopoly problems. and
that it is true conservatism to intro
duce factory legislation, more honest
and just local taxation, and such meth
DDS of city government and monopoly
control as prevail in Glasgow, Biz
mingham and other of the best Euro
pean cities
AS one of the organizers and most
active workers of the Civic Federation
and secretary Of it's municipal commit
tee, he has been asked to investigate
the merits of several important new
franchises granted to street car, rail-
road and gas companies, and has taken
OF ,,,fl ,,, o1-l1
and corrupt granting of valuable fran
chises without compensation to the city
and for provision for city ownership
at the end of a moderate franchise pc
Rod. He has written a monograph of
the American Economic association
and some articles in the reviews on the
results of city ownership of gas works
in the United States. He holds that,
on the whole, with possibly one excep-
ton, the results have been favora BILE,
and believes such ownership should
gradually extend, and that for the
present street car franchises should be
granted on similar conditions to those
in Toronto, Can, where the city Sc
cures 4-cent fares and at certain hours
Scent fares and a share in the gross re-
ceipts, increasing from 8 per cent. on
the first $1,000. 900 to 90 per cent on
all receipts above $4,000, 600, besides
short hours for the men, and other val
liable privileges, such as the right of
the city to have the plant at the cost
of duplication at the end of thirty
years.
Treating upon this same subject the
Providence (R. H. Evening Telegram
says:
There seems to be right and wrong
on both sides in this matter of the dis
charge of Prof. Bemis, of the UNIVERSE
ty of Chicago. This institution is
very new one, with tremendous list
of professors and teachers, with large
amount of money at its disposal and
the prospect of a good deal more. Its
money has mostly been provided by
who can give it millions more and
never miss them. He is Baptist and
the university is Baptist. He is OPP
posed to agitation upon the subject of
monopolies and therefore the univer-
sity must be.
Now. Prof. E. W. Bemis is young
New England man who graduated
from a New England college a dozen
or more years ago and has since de-
voted himself to the study and teach
ing of political economy. He acquired
a reputation as scholar and liberal
and progressive thinker. and the young
university, being in need of such men,
engaged him. But Prof. Bemis did not
| understand that he was hired to defend
the Standard oil people. although his
salary came out of the money they had
made and given away, so he simply
went on telling the truth as he, stu
dent of sociology, saw it In conse-
quence he has been forced to resign
his situation and somebody will be Sc
cured who will teach the gospel of
Rookie 2eller and Havemeyer. People
are entitled to what they pay for.
This looks good deal like poison
ing fountain. A great university,
ranking among the first eight or ten
in the country, asks young men to
come and learn from the able scholars
whose services it has been made posi-
BILE for it to engage by the gifts of mil
lionaires. The young men go and they
find they cannot learn political science
which is at discord with the practices
of the Standard oil maCuates and the
greedy corporations III which they are
interested. 1t is poor beginning for
grea5 university. Better a fresh
water college whose instructors have
only small salaries. but who are not
forbidden to speak the truth as they
believe it,
That's the Talk.