Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-07-12
A VERY thin EXCUSE.
CIRCULAR ISSJ ED BY AGRICULTURAL
COLLEGE REGENTS.
ATTACKS RETIRING MEMBERS.
IT l. THE WORK OF PRESIDENT
THOMAS T.. WILL.
AHimuS Of the Present FacuItS- Plain
I, Shown-AttcmPtS to Justify the
Transformation Of the AE-
riruiturai College Into
Pop Nursery.
ATTACKS RETIRING MEMBERS.

r-.-- I.a.rH ~ regents Of tie Kansas stat,
E-rl.l.raraL college SEQ The necessity o
attsEpli-E "a Further justification OF tEch
course l- making the recent radical chang
r~ fl faculty. curriculum and college gov
eminent and manage TueuL The latest ef
f0vl i1 this direction takes the shape Of NJ
,'-ht-gage circular. entitled. The R.Or.
.Z-r5r- o. EEe Kansas State AgTiCult'
urai college r. statement made by the
beard o. regents on lhe date Of the change
g. rho sdmiri-rratioa OF the college. July l.
-s7 an outline OF which is pointed out in
The Journal OF to-day.
The circular bears the names of the
board and i- shows the familiar earmarks
of Thomas 7. Will president under the
NV admin lIsTrati0u. The retiring members
ot tie faculty. whom IL attacks. without
exception indignantly characterize the
statement IN the main. as a collection
of mis@t tatemerts and half-truths calculat-
sd O. do them great injury among those 10
whom tn. facts are not known. Persons
tn the least familiar with the situation will
read between the lines the ahiynts Of the
statement as 10 what the board has done,
ane give credence TO its promises sucn as
they axe. only when they are fulfilled. The
stats meut follows entire: .- ...t
The board OF regents OF the Kansas
State Agricultural college. having been
duly invested by the people Of the state OF
Kansas. through their lawfully constituted
authorities. with fun power to administer
the affairs OF said college; and recognizing
our responsibility to the people of this
stste. submit the following statement of
reasons for certain charges we have re-
certify made ~ that institution. -
Following are facts which said board OF
regents are prepared to substantiate: o.
-First-The government of the institu-
uCn, which by law is vested iQ a board of
regents. appointed by the governor and
Cally assumed and for years exercised by
single emplOye of the board filling the Of
flee OF president Of the college, the board
having been reduced. meanwhile, 10 the
rank of a mere auditing committee. The
attempt OF the present board regularly 10
exercise our lawful functions was resisted
by him. and led TO his voluntary and IN
suggested resignation. r. ..f pei
''Second-The tendency in the past 10
swamp the faculty wlth half-educated men
has been so marked as 10 excite commdnt
or an those removed. one alone. who him
self has been succeeded by an ADLER ma
could claim TO have made fairly. respecta-
ble special preparation for the high duties
OF professor in college That thfs condi-
tion Of affairs was satisfactory to the out
going president is evidenced not only by.
The fact THAI these professors came, or at
least remained. by his sanction, but by the
following official declaration from his pen:
1t Is rare. indeed that so efficient corps
OF instructors can be retained as ours has
been tTenth and last biennial report of
page 81 Yet. Notwithstanding the now
ConSidera bly, reduced schedule of salaries,
and the false light IN which certain persons
AMI newspapers have endeaNored TO place
this institution and its present manage
ment men ahd women trained in the best
universities of America and Europe have
applied to us for professorships.
''Thirl-Despite the imperative need for
p strong agricultural department IN the
aeriCulturaI college of a state whose lead,
ing interests are agricultural: and despite
the tact that the land grant colleges were
nffaFa and 70 GFf rua 10
special benefit Of the agricultural and in
dustrial Glasses. the ineficiepey of the agri-
ments of the college is notorious, both at
tho college and throughout the state. New
oIefs LID. SatbsST Nv &
Crpasing its work, or by filling it with Il
more capable professor. has been until now
president. other departments whose work |
should be of great practical value 10 farm |
err. fruit growers, and stock .ralsers nave |
similarly been characterized by incapacity |
well known to those familiar with the COLI |
..Fourth-whiIe some departments have |
thus been crippled by the inefflciency of |
their heads, others have been neglected by |
professors and superintendentS who have |
regarded their Offices more as sinecures |
,hau as fields of labor; the work of a GER |
tain department having been left. not oc- |
Casionaily, but habitually. in the hands of |
an assistant that the head might witness |
.sEiffb-The distribution, OF work among |
the professors has been such that while /
=, me have been left for an entire term
practically without duties or responsible |
lies. and certainly without teaching. others /
have during the same terms been over
whclmed with their own work, and even \
with that OF other departments.
'-SiNth-The conduct or the experiment L
station has in cases been seandalous: so
much 80 In fact as to elicit warnings from
friends OF the outgoing administration, and
p vehement attack by the leading Repuh-
lican organ OF the state. (See Topeka Capt.
tal: February ;, iSs'. page 4 coiHmn s.
february i. 1877. page = columns 3 -
W nile certain lnetn9tis ol 'te std1lpn cOuIl- ctI
ell with their assistants; have done the
work which has enabled the station 10
m-intain its standing at Washington. oth,
erS with their assistants have sdushed
an, r1selves primarily with drawing their
salaries. one department having published
nothing 20 show for its work and receipts
since lis separate establishment I'm Septem-
1,or lSq4: and its head having done appsr-
sntiv almost nothing in the way of expert
mental work and publication since 1880, II
NOT since ISIS
..scventh-In. addition TO the preceding.
there exist ertBin Differences mot POLITICAL
between the board and The retiring admiuis- !
trztiuu-dinerenceS regarding the degree OF
freedom which should be accorded 30 stu
q, nts In the choice OF STUDIES. in the eN-
Trcssion OF opinion. through the college |
paper. and i'm the opportunity to become in
measure acquainted with the college
we differ in part from the outgoing ad-
miuistration on questions OF the admins
tration OF discipline, the board believing /
that i'm certain well defined cases students |
have been provoked by professors into acts !
gi INSTRUMENTATION. anu lleu punished. said I
professors escaping uncenSUred, save by |
public opinion.
we diner Fundamentally, moreover. with
respect 20 certain aspects OF the work OF
an agricultural college. Hitherto the at
rar1pt has been made in this college 10 i'm |
mart 10 students the rudimsuts OF n general |
education. TO supplement this with a meas |
1Ire OF Instruction Of college grade. 20 train |
the hands In Industrial work and 10 pre-
lla~a tho students for the function Of wealth |
producers All OF this. generally speakIpg |
and 9o Tar as ID gOes. We, indorSs. We hold |
however. that the time has come when such !
an education no longer sUffiCeS Tor the
wants either OF the SUDDEN; or Of the agri-
,iTusion Of popular sduCat tion has practic!li-
'y destroyed the scholars monopoly. and 1
Z be college graduate D. found in the ranks I
~ the uuemplol ",i Further. to seek 10 adj
- boy teaching them. simply to produce
rrO~a ahuudartiy no longer meets their re- I
gtfiremcntS. for. by common consent they I
are already ovrrprodnuinE The staples and !
iu "a larcc part, the luNuries Of life; such
uverproductiOn. accompanied by- a core
spending underCoDSumption on the part of
"A majority OF the population resulting i'm |
low prices, and in RlutS and In |
dustral stagnation. We believe the time
has rully come when the producing classnS |
must Crapple scientifically and Intelligent
Is wIth the principles governing distrihu- |
ff0u and exchange. This necessity how |
ever. the retiring administration would NOT |
soucpdc Attempts made in the past 10 en- !
not on part isan, but on scientific lines have
been steadily and vigorously opposed both |
lv the president and by an overw helrning
mi forifv Of the faculty. With The Issue |
that either the board or the president and
faculty must give way.
I'm view OF the foregoing facts. this board
at its April meeting to take a. l
-. .E.,v.