Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1899-07-07
KANSAS WAR ON PROFESSORS

In the Kansas Agricultural College
the Populist board Of regents of two
years ago elected as president Profes-
sor Will, and as professor of economies
DR.. Edward W. Bemis, and as professor
of political science Frank Parsons OF
Boston. These men are noted for their
fearless speech against uncontrolled
private monopolies and in favor OF
equal rights and government by the
people. The first thing that the Re-
publicans did on coming back into
power in Kansas was to file trivial
charges against two Oh the Populist
regents of the Agricultural College, de-
posing them and putting into their
places two men who are the tools OF
the monopolists. This new board have
discharged the professors who were
educating the students and the people
that the distribution Of wealth is as
essential to their welfare as is the pro-
duction of wealth. In every priva.e
university, for example, Yale, Column
bia and Princeton. no professor Is re-
tanned by the board of directors If he
talks against private monopoly and in
favor of public ownership, but in the
state universities there is more free
dom of thought for the professors IN
the science of wealth, although moth
ing like absolute freedom.
In Kansas, the reason openly as
signed for the discharge Of the profess
sors in economics and political science
and the president of the college, was
that their teachings did not agree with
what they-the northumberland
to be the policy of the state. They
admitted that the teachings in the edu-
cational institutions are Of vital i'm
portance and that they are bound to
control.
But Professor Bemis and the others
were judicial in their method OF in
struction, giving both sides and leav-
ing the scholars to form their own
opinion. Where one side, however,
will not bear the light, as in the case
Of private monopoly whereby the peo-
pie are taxed for private purposes, the
only way for the monopolists to con-
tinue in power and thereby retain their
special privileges is to continue to
hoodwink the people. This they are
trying to do by ousting every profes-
sor and college president who exposes
the evils of private monopoly. The
men whom they put into their places
are termed Sound" and safe men.
These were the terms applied to the
professors who were put into Galileo's
place and who told the students that
the world was flat-they were Sound"
and safe" men. The muzzles worn by
the professors in Galileo's time have
been handed down for use in the
economic departments of our univer-
stiles and colleges, and have been
used ever since the establishment OF
our government. But in recent years,
however, there are several professors
who have slipped their muzzles, and it
has awakened our people to the con-
dition of things, and as they have the
ballot they will soon change the law
so that only those institutions can
grant degrees of learning that have in
their statutes provision whereby
both sides Of each class question will
be presented to the students The war
fare of theology against scientific truth
resulted in triumph for truth, and so
in the warfare of monopoly against
truth the victory will again be with
the side of truth.
GEORGE H. SHELLEY.