The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-12-30
REPLY ToCHANCELLORDAY
SXRlCUSE UNIVERsITK ROW GETS
INTO THE CITF COUNCIL,

A hesitation Adopted Appeinting q Committee
to HnvesttEnte the UniversitSas Finnncos-
The REV. Mr.. Rockwell Replies 10 Chan
ceiier nay's Recent Letter 20 The Sun.
SYRACUSE, Dec. 29.-The rumpus between
Chancellor Day Of Syracuse University and the
Rev. w. ID. Rockwell got into the meeting Of
tho Common Council Just before midnight on
Monday night, whom Alderman Frank Matty,
President Of tho Council, secured the passage Of
q resolution appointing q committee to investi.
gate the university finances. When the univer-
sity was founded the city issued 500, 600 bonds
to aid In creating an endowment fund. Presi.
dent Matty said that It was currently re-
ported that n solemn testimentary contract
had been repudiatod or violated In tho
case of Mrs. Peck. and. under the circum-
stances, he thought an Investigation regarding
the city's contribution was warranted. Presi-
dent Matty, Of course, has no grounds for this
suspicion. as the 100000 furnished by the city
was expended In tho early days Of tho univer-
sity. His animus in proposing tho invcstiga-
tion lay in the fact that about a year ago Chan
cellor Day, In a political speech aimed at Matty
and the City Hall ring, said that he would not
trust them to shovel snow from the walks on
tho university campus unless the doors of the
buildings were locked" Chancellor Day Ia at
present in New York, but w. W. Porter, the
Treasurer Of the university, said to-day that
the books were open and Investigation would be
courted.
The Rev. w. d. Rockwell to-day publishes an
open letter In response to Chancellor Days letter
to THE Sun. calling attention to some alleged
errors Of the Chancellor. Mr.. Rockwell says:
"The Chancellor says that I left a pastorate
whore I was receiving about $4oo a year to
enter Mrs. Peck's home. Now, had he cared to
state facts az they were he could very easily
have referred to the year book Of tho con.
ference, whore he would have seen that
I was receiving $3.50 q year in money DO.
sides q comfortable parsonage, with dona.
tions. sc. To be sure 1t was not a large
s saarSc. e and d siRddG not sSea 10 e 5Se faithful ,ims tb to %S ny.
longed to It In attempting to mako political nd.
dresses. He also ~enlnrges upon tho many com.
with the use of horse, carriage, SC. But here
his argument lie, unfortunate again. The Torso
Peck, and I was only too glad to afford her the
pleasure Of riding out as long IS she was able;
BY Mrs. Peck to come with her, 's SO that she
could have a comfortable home; but 1t was no t
till she became sick and absolutely needed bet
complying with the Bishops last request. that /
follow him to tho other side. The Chancellor
says that her nephew. the Rev. ]: X. Peck. of
plniRs from r his s aunt. t I ami ne sn nHss ee nsard t { s1% he
did not see Mrs. Peck during the last three
years or her life, and since this controversy
began he has written a long article, published in
the ,Wilkesbarre Times. in which he says that
he has recently written, a history of Luther
Peck and his live sons. which is being Published
by the Methodist Book Concern, and that he
wrote to Mrs. Peck asking II she desired to SUBJ
scribe for the work. Her reply was that while
she accorded the book her most cordial support,
she was unable to subscribe for 1t, owing to lack
of means. and Mr.. Peck goes on to say: Five
est on tho original $4,000. and it Is gener-
ally believed that a stigma. will rest on tho
management of Syracuse University until tho
unjust treatment of Bishop Peck's widow Is sat
Observation-Disclosures away
Tho Chancellor says I did not try to get Mrs.
Peck's allowance increased from the Book Com
mittee. ! admit / did not. / know what the
increase her allowance. They said that as tho
university has all Of the Bishops as well as her
own money, 1t was the business Of the uni
versity to care for her. The Chancellor strongly
insinuates that he knows that Mrs. PECK had
more money than I have steted. Before the
portunity to present all the evidence he has. I
have simply stated what 1 believed wero
facts. In a long letter last week he ex-
Of annuitants, and became almost eloquent as
| he described how well satisfied they all are and
how one person moro than 70 years of ago be-
came an annuitant and was 50 happy that he
once thought that was q long time to draw an
income from the university, nearly thirty-three
years, but then when we remembered that the
university had only been in existence twenty
six years, and as It would hardly be expected
that this man became an annuitant the first
| Dlv Actlon Z"