The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1897-07-24
A PUBLIC DANGER

The growing menace to free govern
ment, at the instigation of overgrowI
wealth, is every day forcing itself more
and more upon the attention of tht
and away paramount to any mere party
question, and its solution has interest,"
alike for all men of all parties. The diff
fculty of removing it or of mitigating
its evil effect by adequate legislation is
great, in view of the fact that it has
largely sprung out of our political sys-
tenn, and, to a. certain extent, is en-
trenched behind our constitutional and
statutory provisions. Yet way must
be devised to cut out this cancer from the
body polite 1t is a danger that a free
people must in self-defense effectually
remove, or submit to be destroyed by
ito pass by sure, steady and certain
fate from freedom to bondage.
The most recent manifestation of this
menace to the existence of free institu-
tons comes, of all places in the world,
from New England, the cradle of polit-
ical liberty in the United States and the
congenial home of freedom of thought
and speech. 1t is widely known that Dr.
E. Benjamin Andrews, one of the most
cultured of men, is president of Brown
university. Providence, Rhode Island.
1t is also known to the reading public
that DR.. Andrews is a pronounced BIZ
metallist and that Brown university, in
common with other leading institutions
Of learning in the United States, favors
the double standard. 1t will be remem-
bered that during the presidential cam
paign last year, DR.. Andrews was out
spoken in his economic views, and made
no secret of his favoring the restoration
Of the silver dollar to its legitimate place
in the currency system of the United
States. These facts became gall and
wormwood to the wealthy gold-bug
patrons of Brown university, and they
insisted that a rebuke should be admin
is'tered to the venerable and learned
president. The trustees, therefore, ODE
diently met and appointed committee
to notify DR.. Andrews that the officers
wished him to refrain from teaching
economic doctrines! This impudent and
dictatorial invasion of the rights and
privileges of university president, at
the behest of vulgar wealth, created
much indignation in the New England
states. Only the other day Professor E.
w. Bemis of the Chicago university,
whose economic teachings We're alleged
to have given offense to Millionaire
was dismissed for that cause
from his professorship. An exchange
mentions another item, trivial but sig
nificant, indicating the drift of this in
tolerant coercion of institutions of learn
ing for corrupt and selfish purposes by
the single gold standard magnates. 1t
seems that leading Chicago merchant
was recently informed by the authori- |
ties Of an eastern college that they had |
invited Professor A. to fill one of the |
like to ask whether the connection ot |
Professor A. would injure the institution
in the esteem of men of wealth. And |
he answer was that it would, where
matter and Professor A. did not get the
chair to which he had been invited.
upon these ominous signs
# the times the Journal IN. " says:
Other illustrations of the coercive
purposes of professed benefactors (of
colleges) has been furnished within
week in the refusal of a New York
merchant to attend the commencement
of college, to which he made heavy
benefaction, merely because a man for
whom the American people had cast
6,500,00O votes for president had been
invited to deliver the commencement
GRAFTON. 1t had still earlier exemplifi-
cation when the same trust magnate.
whose millions are now to be used to
gag the president of Brown university
forced professor of economics out
OF the Chicago university for the high
crime of urging municipal ownership of
gas works when the Standard Oil COM
pany was interested in that local mo-
nopoly.
And in this connection the Republican
springfield, Mass.) tersely says that
freedom of thought and instruction in
he college IS a matter Of vastly more
Importance than the political opinions of
Us officers. Unless" says. the Republic
can, that can be maintained in our in
situations of learning they had better be
closed. A college where instruction is
'haped particularly to suit the vhins
Ind prejudices of wealthy class is
college which is engaged in poisoning
he fountains of knowledge and is a
'urse rather than a blessing to society"
This is subject of the very highest
interest to the American people. The
acts show as clear as day a purpose
upon the part of certain millionaires TO
poison public sentiment touching the
currency question at it's very fountain
read. That these plethorically wealthy
men are in this faithful representatives
If their class, no man with sense enough
o come under shelter when it rains will
eor moment doubt. Nor can one for an