The independent., 1903-04-23

institution, maintained by the
state for the non-sectarian, public
and open instruction of all those
who desire to enter. AS such it
is the pride of the state, the same
as our public schools. Whenever
private individuals, with more
money than means of spending it,
contribute to the support of such
an institution, this pride is great
ly lessened, and the wholesome
influence of the school deprecated.
If John ID. Rockefeller can give
to state universities, he can give
tG the public schools, and the time
may come when all our institu-
tions of public instruction will be-
come dependent, in whole or part,
upon the charity Of the rich.
Rockefeller's money would pol
lutte the pure stream of public in
struction. Let the temptation be
resisted and the stream kept pure
from the fountain head where in
rocent, prattling childhood lisps
its first syllables at its mothers
knee, on down to the broad stream
of higher education which flows
into the ocean of human action"
Col Bowlby of the Crete Democrat
wonders If there is a. man in the
state who would contribute a dollar
if BARLEY should propose to give two
hundred thousand of the money he
ste le from the state to be used in
erecting magnificent Y. M. G. A.
building in Lincoln, provided others
should make up another hundred
thousand, and continues
"The Standard Oil company
may not have stolen its money,
hut to get and hold monopoly
Ct the oil product, it has done
things much worse than BARLEY
is charged with; then, why should
orr great state university, which
has been supplied by the people
with all the money it needs, be
creased with the Standard Oil
sick? If Mr.. Rockefeller wants
to return some of the money he
has taken from Nebraskans, let
him reduce the price Of his oil
to cents a gallon, which would
distribute it among those who
contributed it. All the people of
Nebraska ask of the Standard Oil
company is to sell its oil to them
at a reasonable profit They don't
want donations, nor aims"
Yes, it doubtless Is "matt& of
politics." but what about this "froth-
ing denunciation" from the State
Journals other self-the Lincoln Ey-
eEing News
ut is gratifying to observe that
some Nebraska newspapers are
not in favor of receiving sixty-six
thousand dollars from man who
has made them and the rest Of
his dollars by running the business
of other men and thus forcing
them to sell their holdings to him.
The moral affect of Nebraska's
receiving few thousand dollars
from twentieth century Black
beard for the erection of semi
religious building would be unfor-
tunate. 1t is sometimes said that
churches and schools will take
any kind of money and be thank
fuj to the donor and silent there
after in regard to his crimes. That
churches and institutions are be-
ginning to think more of their
institutional self-respect than to
accept blood money is one of the
cheering signs of the times. A few
years ago Rockefeller's offer to
the state university would have
been accepted without question.
The reign of the money power is
still supreme, but states and in
stitutions are beginning to enjoy
their dignity and to be very chary
of connections which will lessen
it. Mr.. Rockefellers merciless
seizing Of the oil fields, his de-
struction of the value of the hold
ings of other men, his cowardIy
scheming to bankrupt them while
hiding behind others, the constant
rise of the price of Oil as soon as
he had destroyed his competitors,
should preclude his connection
with an educational or religious
institution. To organized society
he bears the same relation as
Blackboard of colonial times"