The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1897-09-09
PRESIDENT ANDREWS REQUESTED
BY THE CORPORATION TO WITH
DRAW HIS RESIGNATION.
MISUNDERSTANDING rs 70 silver
The Corporation RESOLUTIONS Say
There Was No Thought to Re-
strict DIR. Andrews Free
dom of Thought.

ton containing the following:
ITO the President of Brown Univer-
sity-The corporation of Brown uniyer-
sity has this day received with the
greatest regret your resignation as pres
ident. 1t most earnestly desires that
you withdraw it. 1t conceives that 1t
was written without full knowledge of
the position of the corporation. With
the earnest hope that a statement to
you bearing the formal sanction and
approval of the governing body of the
university as whole may bring us
again into hearty accord, the corpora
ton desires to assure you that 1t in no
way sought the severance of our official
relations. which, so far as it knows,
have been most cordial from the time
of your acceptance of the presidency.
"Fhe only vote and only expression
hitherto made by the corporation bear
ing upon the question at issue was at
the last June meeting and consisted of
appointment of a committee to confer
with you as to the interests of the
university. The extent OF authority
thus given it's committee was that of
conference, which it fully believes you
would unhesitatingly admit was a le-
ultimate and friendly exercise of it's
privileges. relating in the terms of the
vote. to the interests of the university
which you and the corporation have at
heart.
ut is perfectly true that the vote in
question was occasioned by the differing
views entertained on the one hand by
You and on the other hand by most. and
presumably all, of the members of the
corporation as to the free and unlimited
coinage of silver by the United States,
SO far. at least. as affecting the inter-
ests of the university, and the fear that
your views with reference to it publicly
Il, ,s.r1k IL,
some degree be assumed to be repre-
sentative and not merely individual.
ut was not in our minds to prescribe
the path in which you should tread, or to
administer to you any official rebuke or
restrain your freedom of opinion or rea
sOnable liberty of utterance, but simply
to intimate to you that it would be the
part of wisdom for you to take a less ac-
tive part in exciting partisan discussions
and apply your energies more exclusively
to the affairs of the college.
Having, rs il believes. removed the
msapprehensions that your individual
the corporation and the university, for
which misapprehension you are not re-
spOnsible, and which it knows too, you
would seek to dispel. the corporation. af-
firming its rightful authority to conserve
the interests of the university at all times.
by every honorable means, and especially
desiring to avoid in the conduct of the
university the imputatiOn even of the con-
sideratiOn of the party questions or of the
dominance of any class. but that in the
language of its charter. in this liberal ami
catholic institution all members hereof
shall enjoy full, free. absolute and unin-
terrupted liberty of conscience which in
cludes freedom of thought and expression,
it can not feel that the divergence of views
upon the silver question and of its effects
upon yourself, the university members and
the corporation, is an adequate cause of
separation between us. for the corporation
is profoundly appreciative of the great ser
vices you have rendered to the university
and of your great sacrifices and love of it,
1t therefore rcnews its assurances of high
est respect for you. and expresses the con-
fidpnt hope that you will withdraw your
resignation"
The vote on the subject was practi-
cally unanimous and taken after speeches
had been made by nearly every member
of the corporation.
The early part of the session was
taken up mainly by routine business.
among the matters which came up being
the presentation of letter from ey-Sec-
to the faculty and bearing upon the con-
troversy between the corporation and
President Andrews. The letter is as
follows:
fess npS1 B"njamin f. f. CLARK. 'I Franklin
Jameson. Henry Il. Gardner and
Othcrs-G entlemen: thank you most
heartily for a pamphlet copy of that let
ter bearing your : gnalures and entitled
An Open Letter Addr ssed to the Cor
poraton of Brown University by Mem
l,,o ,,f thn Earulty nf That Institution
Nothing could have been better in
matter or manner. 1t presents the grave
issues raised by the unfortunate action of
the corporation with singular lucidity
and logical force. and deals with them in
temper and Yprit which are every way
admirable As you may know. do not
agree win what | understand to be DIR.
Andrews views respecting the free coin
age Of silver. ] strongly deprecatc the
acton of the corporation, indeed. upon
the precise ground that nothing could be
better calculated to give currency and
weight TO those views-just as nothing
would give greater impetus to the cause
of tariff reform than an attempt by the
authorities of Harvard college to disci
pine President Elliot for his well known
sentiments respecting free trade
The true objection, however, 20 the
course pursued towards DIR. Andrews by
the corporation of Brown university is
its implied inculcations of the doctrine
that an institution of learning should
above all things get rich and therefore.
should square its teachings and limit The
utterances of its faculty by the interests
and sentiments of those who, for the
time being, are the rich men of the COM
The demoralizing and degrad-
ing character of this doctrine your letter |
fully exposes and thereby entities you to
the gratitude not only of the American |
generally, but of all well-wishers |
to Brown university in particular.
81 remain, with great respect, yours |
very truly,
RICHARD OLNEY."
In addition to this matter, the now
famous protest of twenty-five of the
faculty of Brown university and a num-
Der of petitions, including one from col
Iege professors and public men, asking
for the retention of President Andrews.
were also presented. The last-named
petition declared that "the future iufu-
pnce of the American universities and the
interests of free thought and free speech
under a just sense of accountability
would be promoted by such action on the
part of the corporation as might natur-
ally lead to the withdrawal of the resig-
nation of President Andrews"
Among the signers were Daniel C.I
Gillian, president of Johns Hopkins uni
Charles w. Elliot, president of
c. X. Adams. president of the