The age-herald., 1900-12-20
THE UNIVERSITY
 TROUBLE REVIEWED institution Has Reached Greatest
 Crisis in Its History UNDERGOING A REVOLUTION There Is Something Wrong Somewhere, But There Are Differences of opin- ion as to Where-Somethng
 Must Be Dcnc.
UNDERGOING A REVOLUTION
BY w. ]. BoWLES.

| weeks are but outcroppings and may be I repeated at any time. The revolution may
 result in good to the institution; 1t will so I result if the proper effort is put forth to 1 remedy the things that are wrong. l There Is something wrong somewhere but sentiment or opinion is divided as to 1 just what that thing is. Some say the the fault lies in the military features, others say it is due to the manner in which the rules and regulations are administered. l One thing is certain--a large element of the l students are dissatisfied with present con- ditions They are unable to state definitely l just what it is that does not please them, but they know there is something wrong. Neither President Powers nor Com | mandant West is directly responsible for the recent disorders. They are merely in- cidents. The students had grievances, but they could not locate them1exactly. The charges they preferred against President Powers and Commandant West, and espe- cially against the latter, were mostly of a frivolous nature and not worthy of seri- ous consideration, but that was the only way in which the students could get a hearing, and it was therefore adopted by them. They admit that the charges are mostly frivolous as they appear on the rec ords, but behind it all there is a deep-seat- ed grievance which cannot be stated. There was something they could not exactly grasp but which they knew existed.
 Most Serious Charge.
 The most serious charge they made was that they had no confidence in President Powers, but they failed to show why they did not consider him worthy of confidence. He is not popular with the students, a condition for which he, more than any other person. is largely to blame; yet he has never, so far as the records go, done anything which is not strictly sanctioned by the rules and regulations governing the university. But there are other things which are to be taken into consideration when dealing with several hundred boys and young men, things which no book of regulations or discplie can define, and in this he seems to have been lacking. He did not inspire the sympathy or good will of those under him, and therefore failed to have that influence and control over them that the president of a great institution should exercise over the persons placed un- der his charge.
 But as Dr. Powers has resigned from the presidency of the university that element of discontent will pass away with the present session. Whether he is to blame for the troubles that recently occurred time will tell. Those conversant with the situation are divided on the question: Some lay all the blame on his shoulders while others exhonorate him of the charge.
 Records of the Faculty.
 Some idea of the complaints made against President Powers and Comamndant West can be formed by an investigation of the records of the faculty meetings held for the purpose of Investigating the demon stration of December 6. The records are voluminous but summed up they show sub- stantialy the following:
 On December ' a court of inquiry was convened to investigate the disturbances of the preceding night. This court sum- moned number of the cadets before it for the purpose of giving testimony. They refused to take oath and testify as pre- scribed in section s, chapter 15 of the laws and regulations of the university, which reads as follows:
 When any violations of the regulations are made known to the president, and the parties committing such violations are not known, or when known, the evidence against them is unsatisfactory, the presi- dent may at his discretion appoint court of inquiry, which shall be composed of the same number of members and in the same manner as courts-martial Such courts shall have power to summon before them all persons connected with the University, either as officers or cadets, and such per
 
 to any matter under investigation. The court shall keep a record of its proceedings and report the result of its findings to the president"
 On the refusal of the cadets sumoned before it to testify regarding the demon stration of the night before the court of inquiry sent them to President Powers, with the recommendation that they be dis missed from the University
 The following named cadets refused 10 testify before the court of inquiry: A ". Cohn, M. -E. Brown, s. H. Bailey, T. o. Gillespie, R. H. Dudley, w. J. Conniff, c. H. Young and E. R. Lett.
 Did Not Dismiss Them.
 President Powers did not dismiss any of these cadets. Why not is best known to himself. II is known, however, that dur ing the session of the court of inquiry he was informed that there existed among the students an oath-bound organization with fully seventy members, the purpose of which was to secure unanimity of action on the part of the students. The eight who had refused to testify were supposed to belong 10 that organization. It was stated that if one of the boys of that agree ment should be dismissed for his participa- tion in the rebellion that all of the seventy or more students so organized would hand in their resignations.
 If they lived up to their agreement and one member should be expelled it meant that more than half of the cadets in bar racks would leave the University and go home. This was the condition that con- fronted President Powers when the recom- mendation of the court of inquiry reached him. It was a crisis for the institution and for it's executive head. It was evident that somebody must suffer before the nor nal condition could be restored
 pr. Powers was asked to state his reason for not dismissing the eight cadets recom- At.z quiry, but he declined to make any state- ment. The only thing he would say was that, '"The thousands of men and women whom have taught and with whom have associated in a reasonably active career know what manner of man l am, and I am willing for the communication ad- dressed by me to the Board of Trustees