Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1897-04-17
THE LATEST PoPULIsT OUTRAGE.


marily dismissing every instructor and
employee in the Kansas state agricul-
tural college. We do not believe that
a careful scanning of the history of
the United States or any other civ
iliZed country will reveal a parallel to
this outrageous performance The
vandals who have committed this act
make no pretenSe that their motives
were other than political. In serving
public notice of dismissal the board of
regents say they have no fault to find
with the efficiency of any of the in
structOrs. In speech which he made
to the students in announcement of
the wholesale removals, Regent Hoff-
man used the following language:
1.-THE faculty are not dismissed be-
cause of inefficiency on their part; not
because they are not good teachers;
not because they have not done their
part we'll; but because they differed
from the board"
Differed from the board in what? In
theories of agriculture? In system of
mathematics? In methods of science?
In example? In morals? In discipline?
be the serious lacking which calls for
the discharge of nearly fifty men who
have spent the better portion of their
lives in building up an institution
which is the pride of the whole nation?
They are not Populists, and that is
their only fault. There was no conceal
ment of this cause from the dismissed
instructors. They were called before
the board of regents, one by one, and
given to understand that if they would
espouse the cause of Populism and
agree to turn the Institution into a
Populist incubator they might retain
their jobs. This proposition was shot
straight into the understanding of
every one of the professors and en-
ployeS, and nine of them having given
satisfactory assurances they were
promptly reinstated.
With equal frankness the people are
given to understand that these dis
charged instructors are to be replaced
with others who will make it their
main business to teach the doctrines
of Populism. There is but one step
further and then the infamy OF this
complished. Let the board of regents
deny admission to every pupil who
does not agree to become a Populist.
1t will be useful in this connection
to remember how the Kansas state
agricultural college came into exist
ence. In reality it is not a Kansas in
stitution at all, but belongs to the
United States government, in the
sense that it was founded by the gov
eminent and is now maintained al
most entirely at government expense.
In 1862 congress set apart 80. 600 acres
of land as an endowment for the Kan
sas college. This was accepted by the
legislature, and the income from the
money realized from the sale of this
land is one of the largest factors in
the maintenance of the institution.
But this is not all. Annually the
government contributes something
more than $4,000 to the expenses OF
the college, and this, with the sum
arising from the endowment, is prac
tically all that keeps the institution
alive The people of Kansas have
done little toward maintaining this
CoilcSc UcyOu supplying Iuc OuiIu
ings, and in reality it is a nationa
rather than a state institution. Never
in its long history has the politica
belief of any of its professors been
under question until the rise of Popu
lism. When under the Lewelling ad
ministration, the Populists acquired
control of the board of regents. Pro
lessor Will was introduced as an in
structor in political economy for tn,
avowed purpose of teaching that
science from a Populist standpoint. L
raised tremendous disturbance, but
Will was retained and right well ha
he done his duty in resolving his de
partment into a political kindergarten
Now he is made president of the insti
tuition and Populists are to be intro
duced into every department.. witt
theSconfessed intention of making
political machine of the whole.
r eff us agree for the moment tina