The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-09-02

| lie? confess that such request amazed
me, but 1 had been abroad IL months and
could not tell how far political rancor
might have invaded the academic pre-
ciucts.
unable to comply with what seemed
Co me so extreme "a desire / decided to
surrender my Office and l deemed il ny
duty To proceed at once in order to give
the corporation all possible time TO elect
successor. III the action bore the ap-
pearance of haste this was wholly in
consequence of my desire to guard the
university's welfare. AS little am / in
FAULT touching the publication of the con-
ference committees minute, for this did
not proceed from my motion. It was the
wish OF the advisory and executive COM
mittee upon receiving my resignation.
that If had published this. / should al
SO publish the minute. Had l deemed
il possible to keep these matters entirely
from the public until September. as the
advisory and executive COMMITTEE ethought
desirable. L should certainly have at
tempted to do So but under the aggrava-
ting circumstances which existed, L am
sure that the attempt could not have been
successful. The contents of the doou-
ments were certain TO reach the public
mind in mutilated form unless given out
in the correct form. l therefore lot them
so.
NOT A REPUDIATIONIST.
"Gentlemen of the Corporation. I am
not repudi6tionist No member o.
your honorable body, not a citizen of the
republic insists more strongly than L
have always insisted that the principal
and interest of our public debt shall DO
paid in gold dollars OF present legal
weight and flneness, or in values equiv
alent thereto.
Moreover in oil that l have ever said
or written for international bimetallism.
the doctrine of the 1T. Louis platform
q doctrine which l admit have to a GER
tain extent publicly aCvocated-I have
alwVs held that gold as well as silver
shoriA be basal money in this country.
Any proposal which in nv judgment
bade fair to place the country's finances
on n monetary basis of silver alone /
ouldfdiscountenance; and in any move
ment by our country To restore silver
TO its .ancient monetary character l still
desiderate the cooperation Of other
nations. no less than l did previously to
1896 as earnestly as any man who voted
for the st. Louis platform. | have simply
changed TO the belief that United States
initiative is tho surest, If not the only,
way to secure such cooperation.
NEVER PUBLICLY ADVOCATED.
"But this changed belief had in June
never publicly advocated by so much as
a single word. That is, while on few
occasions privately acknowledging as mine
the theory of United States initiative. l
have been altogether modest and retiring
III this. in no sense champion or an
apostle, not even an advocate in the usual
meaning of that word. But for "a few
personal communications last summer.
made atS time whonsno one could have
anticipated the ferocity which the cam
paign developed, probably notf "A soul in
this country outside Of my family would
at this moment know that my views had
al tered. In respect Ia this modification
Of my onvictions-made | submit, not
from fickleness, but because tho essential
conditions of the problem had changed
in respect TO this as In respect to tho
tariff | have been reticent and careful
to tho very verge of self-respect8hilIty
That touching any Of these delicate
questions | nave been loud declainer,
paradlng my views nmbitiously or other
wise, | omphatioally deny. Unfortunate
| have been; iudiscroet / believe j have
not been.
TO BE A GOOD TEACHER
"Not only was / no protaeorist of the
policy so much dislikod, but | felt no
call TO become such. My sole ambition
was as 1t still IL. Co be a good teacher.
While Interested in politics, as OF course
every citizen ought To be, ana neither
ashamed nor afraid 20 take Sides | have
never been n partisan and havo never
sought public office or prominence No
doubt professor may at times, with
propriety. take the stump in political
campaign, and | will not deny that "a
college president might now and then
be justified in doing the sam0; but as
president of this university have never
thought IL fitting that | should 20 TO that
extreme.
"In conclusion, / would simply say
that have planned and wrought for the
university as we'll as | could. How little
/ have accomplished no one Of you appre-
ciatss so full as /: that it is so little
no one regrets rs keonly as l.
Respectfully.
"E. BENZ. ANDREWS. "
Sept !, 1891.
Aftor the reading Of the report Of the
committee and tho statement from the
president the discussion Of the resignation
itself was taken up. IL lasted six hours.
RESOLUTION TO ACCEPT IGNORED
ono resolution 20 accept the resignation
was presented by Follow but was
ignored
Several resolutions % ask FOR the
withdrawal II the resignation were pre-
scnted hy members of both bodies and
10 facilitate business these were all re-