The San Francisco call., 1899-07-02
Governor Gage Accuses the Board
Of Extravaganza.
Remarkable Letter Of Benjamin Ide Wheeler President
Elect, Discussed in Secret Session lie Bluntly
Demands AutoCfatiC Powers.

=. ~ f.. suited in defeat Of the prOpositio,
=: IL 10 -1aN THE Students, attending tn
-. nfVlsrsityr:. s(fovetnQr Gage mad
his debut as" " a presiding officer, OF. IN
d.aIjd HAD lH*he .coule4 do to keep: Il
his Ini1d a record Of I he Inotonsi resol4
. tfQnA.aj1id ssitbstttlIt tps~ presented. !.
: The following gents rGsponded TO In
:roll. cali! Ijeafenant Go1trn6r' JaGe.b III
! NefT; Speaker Alden .AnGitrsQn~ .Superip
%.sa.l &t5Ilt o T Instruction. r. j. Kirk; w II
: j.. Barnes john E Budd, IT. ;. t@ote' \
IS: Ff;illidfe: j: Il II Homght0n, George Z
=:Fardte-, J r b.. Re{hstein, Arthur Rodgers
x (il:stc.l. IZJ5gjlll II, wv Slack ". T. Wal
.lce,. .5jaIles 4, Nalmire. Stephen NJ
@.IVhf5lg and II erlT!.:'F.* Gage Among tn
is Pee t8fors. 'yy5-Se. ::eN-Regent columbus
.B@flIttt And Nv. t.. Foley: the GoNernor
: pr waite: secretary. !. -.
: Slij}rtly @-after: ii: a. M. Regent Foot'
-s3gEg54,t-l ii Jihat..the meeting should come
iii! oTj{er. ana the lSUvernor "a ke the chair
: %C4oyeI.Iior +Gia4p". .haning prepared for th'
:iC5cjsi 5fltp fajId- the following speech;
: ,iaiit l131i;,li:.. You are probably aware
:. of. I8e irtsaSDn for this special cal OF
: !: f5ig IN eii1rtieT ~ of this hoard. 1nasmuch
!. as, tle.:0llj ept Of'.tRe CdIt Is stated III
: J fi5a 1l6ticeS mailed to each OF you.
: - 5ERa IIt4Aelft: action of the Board OF
3D.. Pager [ - ;JslEuOSi Eg- a registration lee
: i3pij5l, ali %tudGnts OF the State ! MYERS
&: I<l< for TEX. ensuing term Is 50 IN lPoi' u
: fS13fs Il a.; The people Of the State, in so
>, .5,ai as, II: tlelgarts from the settled policy
:. :Wfijth Has heretofore been pursued by
!. if{js 'Fj,ls gents :rhat too careful conSIuerA-
GsIHTOt .hta given TO the matter
=. Eri- reQTieStlng this RECONSIDERATION
;1-hti.e:iS not. the slightest intention on
!. rll:,sI4art 10 reflect in any degree upon
: .Thia nlGtf4.tS of the distinguished. re
!: sieiltS W-h0 favored this new departure,
= fog am. .i0utident that all the regents
; are .entit!ed. 10 the highest respect Tor
rlfefra unseliish efforts in behalf OF the
!. :.MIlii,z / am satisfied that every re
: .gelIt has: been impelled by noble mo-
: lives and has had warmly at heaFt
.:..tfE .Dest 'SnterestS of the university, |
=. ami. = Hex Grt heleSS- strongly convinced
III Ea te:f he new policy OF assessing me
Z STUDENTS Tor the maintenance Of the
= unfvGrSity+sf policy of doubtful legal
: .ICytEWill 6e fraught with great danger
- TO tllr. TrStit:utiOn and will destroy the
= public GphaGenCe@ in. its government,
T -. IL e. am ab5olutGly. opposed 10 any
metlloG which. will. destroy the uni
: fQ{-151!ty Uf our pablo educational sYs-
+ TEN. which, being upheld by taxation,
3. rests upon the principle uf free sChOI-
+ grship from the Kindergarten to the
d. graduating class OF the university.
3. We should not impose a tax upon our
r. struggling young men and women
while seeking educational OpportunI-
- ties. especially in view of the fact that
: the people Of the State are annually
taxed for the maintenance OF this in
.SutBtlOn- No real or imaginary dill
..scultieS can justify such d policy. which
strikes, in my judgment, at the very
life OF the university.
In thus expressing my earnest wish
=. that you should Vacate the order re-
p Gently made imposing registration
O. Zee upon the students. I assure you
. that ! am sincerely moved by the high
. est regard for the welfare of the State
= GniVerSity-mOVed by the cOnTiction
e.. that its interests Will be imperiled by
the enforcement OF such an assess
ment against the students.
o.. / am appTehensITe that a persistent
. adherence TO TINS recent order Of the
board VIII estrange the people of the
:. State from the university and arouse
. against it a spirit which can only re
suit in unfriendly legislation. possibly
b. directed 20 the repeal OF the acts levy
: ing , per cent ad Valorem tax upon
3 the people for its support. The people
have in the past willingly and liberal
. ly contributed their money to sustain
the'university. upon the understanding
. that. as a part of the States educa-
: JiOEal system, the tuition should be
. forever free,
J. was approved imposing an additional
!. per cent ad ValOrem tax upon the
taxable property OF. the: State for the
support. of the university, 1t was un-
=. :.derSt0Od and agreed that In cOnSidera-
. 'Tioni @f this Illegal award. the uni
- NeTSity would lie sufficiently MAIN
: .tafnad aIEd economically managed and
. thas no further demands upon the peo-
, .ble:s bounty should be made IN the
: way of taxation;
: The people: are already advised Of
:. the great cost Of the university, and
: while they have hitherto ungrudglng-
p ". consented TO liberal appropriations
because the university was free, they
T.. will resent further allowances When
+ mistaken. policy seeks 10 tax the
: student for the educdtlOnaI advantages
:. afforded by. this institution, founded
ard maiIftaIned by and at. the cost OF
.. til q, ;faet well known that the cost
to. %ihe 3Jeggjle Of this State of sup
.porting the University is much greater
= than .tle"cOSt 10 the people of -Michi-
: gar: for Tnafut aiming their-Splendfd uni
: :Versiey at Ann ArboT- .
. BY "a. report given. to me. by the sec
- ret airy of, this. Board of Regents it ,ap-
=: pears. that;.f4r the fiscal year ending
. J irle. 30. 1895. the number. OF students
in CaliforniR.s -Iirfy ersitI. was 1865. and.
the school EeCtiVed from the. State and
= other: sources the very large sum Of
S6l34I2 So and expended. for the. same
-year.fhe sum of 1921 ,234 90
=. During he same fiscal year there
were }223 students in"the L University Of.
Michigan the total incqme for which
year was 1872 900 and the total eNpendi-
t1Irt.s We're $554 900; Including 100000 for
buirdinGS.=' The expenses Of our own
UNIVERSITIES are; therefore shown TO be
more. than: twice. greater per capita
thar that of the great University of
Even. The very .. expensive private
University of Columbia lin the city Of
New York. with its numerous and eX-
cellent: departments :of knowledge, is
run :at.au-e EXPENSE mulch less. per capita
than our own. l.: shall not now: go on.
with further disadvaptag geous conpari-
I believe that our university should
be Hberally but not laVishfy maintain
ed. I am heartily in favor. of raising
the standard :of the uniyersity-in ia
g. Vor Of paying large salaries for great
serNi ices: :iand1l believe in substantial
appr0pr priatiors. for that pRrposeS but L
am positively opposed to any tax upon:
the~students: while the university is.de:
pendent upon State aid = {:
In view OF the past. and prOlJa Bile
liberal. future support Of the university
by. the people ! believe that it can fur
ther"adVance .un{il IL will vie wEth.the
best c0llegeS:in the world5 but WithaE
I am of the~tirm :opfnion that In order
to dO-:So our. university must live
within ITS means. -:
Whatever may haze been the cause.
Of. the present difficulties, there must
be devised some method for. tiding over
the present apparent -tInaRcial :stfain
other than the desperate resort to the,
imposition OF ajax Upon the Students:
which can, in my opinion, have no
other { fleet. than< TO destroy the: char
aCter0f the university as a. free public
institution and thereby lose the: conf
dence@and support of the. people.
Cientremen,.F L am. DESTROYS of hearing
your Views upon> this very IMPORTANT
question: -:
Regent. Kirk obtaining: the recognition
of the chair, moved a. reconsideration o
Tho slei i'm ba 4,rax-fp1iSl,: o,4pJitaJ 10