The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-07-12
TIE UNIVERSITY or VIRGINIA
To Have a President at Last--Jer ersOn
Opposed the Plan In 1870.


WASHINGTON, July ll.-After lapse
of nearly eighty years the question
whether the University Of Virginia should
have a president now seems in fair way
to be decided in the affirmative. and the
alumni of the institution founded by
Thomas jefferson are taking great inter-
est, not only in the proposed change in
its government, but also in the person
atty of it's first president
The mana cement of the university all
this time has been vested first, in board
of visitors appointed by the Governor
CT Virginia. That board in turn ap-
pointed the faculty, which elected chair
man, or proctor who was the virtual head
of the university, although the rector OF
the board of visitors exercised general
supervision over questions Of policy, sub
lect, of course, to the majority OF the
board itself.
The university came near having
president in 1928, William Writ then At
torney General of the United States, be-
ing elected despite the protest of Jefrer-
son: hut he declined the office. Jeffer-
sons reasons for opposing the creation of
the cfrce were on both legal and economic
RrOUnuS, ara so plttIlI was Vic ioi'hNi
point that no successor to Writ was ever
named and the passage of special act
by the Legislature of Virginia was deemed
! necessary to confer authority for the
charge.
This act wss recently passed, and the
! board of visitors at its meeting last month
| took the preliminary steps for putting
the affairs of the university in the hands
cf a president, end offered the place to
John Bassett Moore, formerly Assistant
I Secretary of State. and now professor
cf international law at Columbia Univcr-
sity, Now York. An adjourned meeting
, of the board is To he held on July rs to re-
! Ccve Mr. Moore's reply and to arrange
! the details attending the change Of gov
, eminent
Mr. Moore was born in Delaware " wears
ago. He YVES graduated from the Uni
versty of Virginia in 1880 and studied
law at Wilmington, Del. In 1885 he WAS
appointed law clerk in the State Depart
ment under the civil service rules, and
| n wear later was made Third Assistant
| Secretary Of State by Secretary Bayard
! He resigned in 1891 to accept the chair
! Of international law mt Columbia Tniver-
| sitv, but returned to the State Depart ment
7 "A
! afterward acted pS secretary ard counsel
| for the Peace Commission at Paris. He
! * n rec, CniZed authority on international
| law, both az home and abroad, and his
/ writings on the subject are accepted
| stG ndHrds.
! J.fcrsCnS CbIectionS to the creation
Of the office Of president Of the university
are set forth at considerable length in the
| minutes of the board of visitors at a meet
/ ing held On April 3 and a, 1925. They are
here published fer the first time. Both
the minutes end the protest are In Jefer-
meeting Of the board which he attended,
fer he died three months later. They
follow;
Al meeting held at the University on
Monday III" sd and tuesday The 4th Of April
lN?c, at which We're present Thomas Letter
A. Ills meeting the following resolutions
| were paSsrd:
r soircd That there he. established the
cnrrr of President OF the University with a
snlary Of 800 dollars per ,annum to be paid
out Of the annuity of the University, and as
| such charged with a general superintendent
of the execution of all laws made for its gov
| srnmcnt .,, ,,..
| Attorney General of the United States, be
! ?ppointcd President of the University and
PROT of Law, and that if he decline the APP
GriCr Of President be null and void"
From the rnactmcnts establishing the office
of Prcsi,icnt the Rector dissented. his dis
and is in the words following; ,,-,,..
The subscriber Rector of the University,
fuzzy and eypyCSely GW2n ,s in the ap,
school of Law. dissents from. and protests
against 80 much OF these ennctments as go
to III" establishment of the Office OF President
Of the University, for the reasons.
"Cil Because the law establishing the
UNIVERSITY, dclneating the organization of
and governed, and placing at its head Board
| OF Rector and Visitors, has enumerated with
great precision the special power It meant
to civ" to that Board, in which enumeration
! il not to he found that Of creating u President.
| making him u member Of the Ficnlty of Pro-
, Iessors, and with controlling power over that
! Faculty: and IL il not conceivable that, while
! descending. IN their enumeration 10 give
| specifically tn" power of appointing officers
| OF the minutest grade they should have
omitted to name him OF the highest, who was
! to govern and preside over the whole. If this
, is not among the enumerated powers, il is
! believed that il cannot be !sgittmately In
/ irrred by construction, from tine words Civ
| ing a general authority TO do all things ex-
prdnnt for promoting the purposes of the
| nugdtOiv tn" whole enumeration. and con-
fer on III" Board powers unrcstrained within
",9j Because he is Of oninion that every
| function ascrib"d I" the Pr"sid cnt by this
"nnotm"4t can be Prr, ,M Ec ara Is now now
! established by law,
| "t3l Because We owe debts NJ this time
OF mt least II 900 dollars hes ond what can bc
| paid by any means We have in DoSssSSOn or
! NAV command within any definite period Of
| time: aud fixes on us ,pernlr"ntiH an nd
| ditiun.,l expense Of 800 dollars per y ear,
| 100 Because he thinks that 40 Fundamental
| IL chnprr In the OrEan2a ton of the INsttu-
| tiuH uu sht aOt 10 j." mad" hr n thin bOlrd
| two uE the s"yrl constituting it, being now
| absent,
For these reasons the subscriber protests
| agar At both the cxpediencr and validity of
4 h.. = AL IizII nj
THOMAS JEFFERSON.