Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-08-27
ACCUSED OF TEACHING PROTECTION
AND SOUND MONEY AT VI. L.
AN INVESTIGATION UNDER WAY.
Dir. HICKS Is PROFESSOR OF POLIT-
ICiL ECONOMY.
Charges Against Him Were Brought
by Congressman VI. T.. BENTON
Political Views OF Professor
Hroyvn Also BEING In-
quired Into.

Columbia, No. Aug. 26-(Special) There
nay be a vacancy in the department of
political economy of the Missouri state
university. if the investigation of the head
professor in that department results ad-
versely to him. DIR. Frederick Charles
Hicks, formerly professor in the University
of Michigan. but since 1892 a member OF
the Missouri university faculty, is charged
by ultra free silver men with teaching er-
roneous doctrines TO his students.
The accusations against DIR. Hicks are
threefold. IL is alleged. in the first in
stance. that he is at heart 4 protective
tariff advocate. and has taught this doc
trine 10 his students. In the second place
1t is charged that he is a believer i'll the
gold standard and has used his position to
indoctrlnate his classes with opposition TO
free silver. Lastly, he is said 10 be HAM
:ltonan, and to decry the Jeffersonian the
DRY of republican government at every
opportunity.
These charges have been indefinite and
somewhat uncertain. No one would as
sumo sponsorship for them until at re-
cent meeting of the board OF curators OF
the university. Congressman N. r. Benton,
of Neosho, a member of the board. brought
them up. After some discussion the board
decided 10 appoint a special committee OF
investigation. This committee consists OF
Judge Noah NJ. Givan, of Harrisonyilie'
Hon. Campbell Wells. of Platte City. ana
Judge o. d. Jones' of Edna. Messrs. Givan
and Wells are free silver Democrats ana
Judge Jones was the late Populist candi-
date for governor of Missouri. This COM
mttee has been busily engaged in securing
facts for use in its report.
Inquiry was first made as to the text
books used in the political economy de-
partment. No textbooks were named in the
university catalogue, and il was found
that none We're employed in teaching. The
friends of Dr. Hicks, who make emphatic
denial of each of the charges against him,
Claimed that his purpose in not using text
books was TO give the students advantage
of all the different authorities. The anti
Hicks people, on the contrary, declared
that this was simply his shrewd method
of indoctrinating students in way that
could not be detected.
The personal views of DIR. Hicks upon all
the economic questions are not known with
certainty. He has never taken part in
political campaigns. Since residing in Mis-
souri, he has voted the Democratic ticket,
state and national until the last election.
For the past year he has been in Europe
upon leave of absence studying and hence
could not vote.
In 1892 at the time of his election 10 his
present position he was stated 10 be a JEFF
fersoEian Democrat and an advocate of
low tariff. The financial question was not
then generally discussed and there is no
record of any opinions expressed by him.
In an article published in the Columbia,
Mo-. Herald in January. 1895, he stated in
cidentally that the monetary system of
the United States needed revision and re-
formation. His friends persist in assert
ing that no matter his views ne has
not obtruded them in the class room and
that from his teaching no one could as
certain his individual belief.
- The absence of DR.. Hicks in Europe is
taken by his opponents as another reason
why his resignation should be asked. Why,
they say. should an American teacher go
TO Europe TO study political economy?
In seeking testimony upon the question
of DR.. Hicks teaching the committee heard
found them indoctrinated with gold stand
and and other Republican economic views
upon their return from school. In reply
letters We're presented from a large num-
Der of students of DR.. Hicks setting up a
denial and claiming that his teaching had
been eminently fair and non-partisan.
Among the graduates of this department
who have written the board of curators
the large majority are free silver Demo-
Gratis: Without exception they deny that
Dr. Hicks undertook to warn or unsettle
their views. Kimbrough Stone. of St. Louis.
son of Ex-Governor William ]. Stone. one
of the Democratic leaders of the state
wrote: Il can say that neither in or out
of the lecture room have | ever known
him to try to influence any student in his
show great misrepresentation"
Along with the investigation of DR.
Hicks teaching the same committee is TO
investigate charges against Dr. William G.
Brown, professor of chemistry. DR.. Brown
is said to have indorsed. IN vigorous FASH
ion. the discharge of the employees of d.
Crawford &; Co. for being free silver DEM
ocrats- He is also said to be native of
England who has never thought it worth
while TO become naturalized in America
He is also charged with being n goldhug
and out of sympathy with the South and
West.
No charges of incapacity are made
against either DIR. Hicks or DIR. Brown
DIR. Hicks has been a member of the fac
ulty nearly six years. He is 81 years old.
a native Of Michigan and graduate from
Ann Arbor. He is a member of the
American Economic Association. the Po-
litical Science Association of the MissIs-
sippi Valley, the American Statistical As
sociation, the British Economic Association
and the st. Louis Academy of Sciences.
DIR. Brown has only been connected with
the university about year. He is SO years
old and came here from Virginia
The committee which will make inves-
tigatiou of the charges against these pro-
fessors will meet in Columbia next week.
THE final decision will be by the fun board
of curators, which meets September %,
There are nine members of the board, di-
Vided politically as follows: Five free sill
1lrr nor trtn II;