Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-03-26
Agricultural Interests of State
Demand Curtiss For Presi-
dent of Alnes College
THEY PRESENT MANY REASONS
The Late Or. Beardshear's Indorse-
ment of Him is Given As One Strong
Point-if Governor cummins So De.
cides, curtiss Will Be Selected, and
If Not, the Choice Is Unknown.
Special to Times-Republican.

Il
made very plain to the members of the
board of trustees of the agricultural
Icollege, at the meeting held in this city.
| that the agricultural interests of the
tstate are in dead earnest in their de-
termination that president of the coll
Ilege at Ames shall be selected who will
Icontinue to make that one of the great
est college of agriculture In the country
The committee meeting was a success.
| 1T was well attended. Not only were
| the members of the committee present.
but there was a fair representation of
| the agricultural and allied interests.
4 The agricultural board was we'll backed
! up. The men who took part were such
men IS Packard, Morrow, Schisling.
Phillips, Ledgerwood. Wentworth,
Forrest and others who are right in
| touch With the farmers They present.
ed the matter fairly and fully to the
committee and in the name of the great
agricultural interests of the state asked
| that the board elect Professor Z. r..
Curtiss for president.
Professor Curtiss will be president
liz Governor Cummins so decides. This
| is the statement of more than one of
those who attended the conference.
be pretty evenly balanced and that If
the governor throws the weight OF his
influence toward the agricultural de-
partment that will settle 1t In favor OF
Curtiss. Otherwise nobody knows VINO
| will be selected as president.
The members of the committee found,
| on opening up the question that proml-
lnent members of the board had fully
determined that Acting President
Stanton should be the president, and
| further that at one time at least nine
memeess OF the board had expressed
a willingness to vote for Stanton With
out any desire whatever TO antagonize
Professor Stanton. but solely because
| they believed that Curtiss Is the man,
!, they went to work to show that there
is reason for the demand that the ag-
ricultural department. shall be placed
lin the front 1--WE took down the CEN
| sus books" said Ex-Governor Packard,
..and we showed that there are In Iowa
l,some 100000 as those who are classed
as farmers or engaged in agricultural
pursuits. The next largest list IS the
| day laborers some $4,000 or more, and
NEXT the 49, 900 teachers. All the others
are in small classes. This Is an ag-
l.ricultural state. That college was es-
tablished and is being maintained as
| college of agriculture and mechanic
arts. The farmers claim 1t as their
| own. They can make 1T university
( if they want to, but that is not what
Iit is for. They can keep agriculture In
the background. but we told them that
1.-THE thing which has made the college
great and has given 1t It's immense
lprestige in recent years, Is the agrlcul-
tural department. We all know that the
credit for that is due to Professor cur
tiss and his boys he has there with
him. That fact should be recognized
and the men who are today making that
college great and enabling it to do the
best work in the line of educating our
farm BOYS that has ever been done,
should be kent right in the college and
rewarded for their work"
Professor Curtiss has never stated he
is a candidate nor even signified that
he would accept the place of president;
hut there is no doubt he would accept
the place. It is understood that he was
offered not long ago the pres
idency OF an agricultural college
in another state at good salary. He
was certainly offered fine position
with an agricultural newspaper at a
handsome salary before the death OF
Dr. Beardshear, and Dr. Bearosnear
prevailed upon him to remain. To
friends DIR. Beardshear stated frankly
that he wanted Curtiss to remain be-
cause he believed he should become
president of the institution as he
(Beardshear) did not anticipate ne
would be long there. Almost one OF
the last things DR.. Beardshear stated
to the editor Of Des Moines news
paper before his death was MS neile1
and hope that Curtiss should succeed
him. 1t is the belief of many that un-
less Curtiss is made president II VIII
be only a matter of time until ne shaii
have been offered position so natter
ing that he can not refuse to accept
and when he gees others OF ms de-
partment will go with him. rms was
urged upon the committee OF trustees,
in no sense as a threat but as pro-
phesy-something that would be re-
garded as "a calamity to the college.
The college trustees meet at Ames
today. This is probably what will hap
pen: postponement of the election OF
a president until some later date, with
a resolution to the effect that the trus-
tees are unable to make a choice, con-
tinuing Professor Stanton as actlng
president, and discharge of the commit
tee. The college is getting along very
well as at present number OF the
trustees expressed regret that 1t mas
come to the point where seemingly they
must either choose between two mem
bers of the faculty or go out INTO the
unknown to get a man VINO at pest
would be only an experiment. IheS
regret now very much that they d1d
not take up the matter long ago ana
dispose of it in some way Like the
average postoffice fight or other scrap
for an appointment it gets worse the
longer 1t is allowed to drag. The con-