The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-12-03
BASSETT COMMITTED THE UN-
PARDONABLE SIN.

In his long argument before the board
of trustees in the Bassett matter, Dr.
John c. Kilgo took occasion to refer in
vicious terms to the attitude of those
newspapers that have expressed them
selves in opposition to the policy pursued
by himself, Bassett and others who hold
like views He made an elaborate argu-
ment in favor of the retention of Bassett
After he had nearly concluded, DR.. Kilgo
used as the climax of his argument four
editorials from the Raleigh News aud
Observer-a paper that he would do we'll
to quote more frequently if he wishes
to get right and stay right. In reading
these editorials DR.. Kilgo was on solid
ground for once.
The editorials quoted were sound when
written. They are sound now. They en-
unciated eternal principles-good yesterday
today, tomorrow, forever. They were
written about the time that President L.
Benjamin Andrews was driven from the
presidency of Brown University because
he was in favor of bimetalism. The trus-
tee . Of that institution, if cur recoIlec-
ton is correct, gave him the grand
bounce" because they said he alienated
brother Rockefeller the rich Baptist head
of the Standard Oil trust. They said
would hold and advocate views accept
able to the men who could give big money
to the institution. Inasmuch as PresI-
dent Andrews would not on Bonded knee
ask Mr. Rockefeller, please, o, Mighty
Trust Magnate, may 1 think that BIZ
metalism is better than mometaHsm? %
he was forced out of the presidency OF
that institution. At Trinity college the
complaint of thousands of the friends
of that institution is that the president
of that college and DR.. Bassett do per-
NIT their opinions to be shaped by rich
Methodist trust magnates, and to defend
or apologize for or overlook illegal and
cause its rich men give large sums to
the college.
There is no analogy between Dr.. E.
Benjamin Andrews on the one hand and
DR.. Kilgo and Prof. Bassett on the other
DR.. Andrews had the ANTICIPATED notion
that college president ought to think
as he pleased and to instruct his pupils
independent of what an uneducated trust
millionaire desired him TO think. That
was very old fashioned. Has anybody
ever heard of DR.. Kilgo and DR.. Bassett
having an opinion that FLASHED with the
opinion of the head of the tobacco trust !?
II they ever have any such opinions,
they have been careful to conceal them
so that nobody could suspect them of the
crime
President Andrews was kicked out be-
cause he refused to do what the trus-
tees thought necessary to get donations
from the standard oil trust magnates.
Are President Kilgo and DR.. Bassett re-
tanned, IN defiance CT Bassett's inexcusa-
BILE article and Kilgo's championship of
Ills cause, because III Is De1eVed their
retention will secure increased donations
to Trinity college from the tobacco trust
magnates and their expulsion would mean
a lean treasury?
DR.. Kilgo sought to show an analogy
between the expulsion of President An
drews from Brown University and the
demand for the resignation of Dr. Bias
sett. Let us examine them both and see
if there is any analogy. President An
drews wrote an article favoring bi-metal-
ism. His advocacy of it could not affect
the mudsills of civilization in Rhode
Island or New England. Good men were
divided there upon the relative merits
of monometalism and bi-metalism. 1t
was purely a financial question, not
touching at the very existence of society.
For that sin President Andrews was vir-
tually expelled at the behest of the over
bearing owners of dishonest wealth. In
North Carolina college and univer
sites, in the campaign of 1896, professors
who had always been democrats, favored
and voted for Mckinley because they be.