The Green Forest tribune., 1902-12-20

than before. And right here, I would say that there is no one principle that should like to see recognized by our legislature more than that the state cannot afford to go into the insurance business and carry the risks of loss upon her buildings. The mechanical building of the Uni versity, as well as the Deaf Mute school which was burned recent ly,-were wholly unprotected by insurance and their loss was a complete one to the state. The money necessary to replace them would have insured every one of the state's buildings for twenty five years. Insurance is a prop osition that every modern busi- ness man recognizes, and the state should be equally as busi-
 ness like as her citizens in the conduct of her affairs and the protection of her property.
 sIn many other ways the Uni-
 versity needs legislation. The school is becoming, and in the past ten years has rapidly be- come, an immense political ma- chine. The power it yields, how
 ever, is not it's own, but that of the particular chieftain who hap pens to be at it's head. This pow
 CT is not necessarily, at all times, used improperly or unWisely, but l hold that a great institution like the University should not have as dictator any single man, as is the case in Arkansas. The board of trustees having charge of the school, are all appointive by the governor, who is himself ex-of- ficio member of that board. Even were actual instances of bungling with the Universityss affairs, as 8 result of such a sys-
 tenn, wanting, the possibilities of such bungling and misnanage-
 ment are so patent, that the state should no longer tolerate a one-
 man rule in her University. Such a system is un- American and to be tolerated only from necessity, or as 8 temporary makeshift, and instances of wise and intelligent one- man control do not make the system right. Whether elective or appointive the trustees of this great school should be men of high scholastic attainments, broad culture and business abil-
 ity. The present law does not re- quire them to be either, and past history shows that in the appoint
 ment of members of this board, our chief executives have chosen
 men whose qualifications in either respect would want much of at
 taining to mediocrity. Men of this class as members of a board, upon which rests grave responsi-
 bility, are simply so much dead
 weight to the efficient members.
 And when to this IS added ten-
 dency in such members to view
 each action respecting the Uni-
 versity from a political point of view, and as to how itmay or may not affect some particular politi- elan or policy, their influence be-
 comes not passive, but malevolent and demoralizing. The people
 sometimes err in their selection , of officials, as they find too late, , but upon the whole, their choice is generally right, and their judg- F ment safe. This University board should be elective, and re- sponsible to the people for it's ae-
 lions. As it is, two thirds of the , voters of the state do not know we have University board, nor whether their actions are wise or otherwise. An airing of Univer-
 sitv affairs every two or four years would be we'll for the purity of that institution and serve to bring . it closer to the people and the people closer to it. l would hke , to see the University raised to one of the first t-class; one that our sister states will acknowledge IS , as strong as our patriotism urges us to maintain that it is. With 3 president, who, in his short term | of service, has shown that he IS lacking in anything rather than
 energy. expect to see credita- , ble showing for the present years work of the University Many ,oinor noints touching it's interests