Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-03-25
Bids to Be Opened Tomorrow
On Construction of New
College Central Building
THE PRESIDENTIAL SITUATION
The Committee on the Selection Of
College President is as Much at Sea
as Ever-Proposton to Elect an Out
side Man and Arguments Setting
Fourth Advantages of Such Selection.

Special to Times Republican.
Des Moines. March 25.-The mat
ter of the presidency of the state coll
ege at Ames has somewhat overshad-
owed the important matter of the let
ting of contracts for the permanent
improvements at the college. 1t is not
generally realized that at the trustees
meeting tomorrow the bids will be OPP
be the finest and most expensive coll
lege building in the state. This is the
central building of the college which
was provided for by the last legislature.
The building will be placed on the cam
pus on the site of the old building which
was burned, and this means that it will
be located in the center of the most
extensive and most beautiful college
campus in the state 1t will be mas
sive stone structure, four stories high,
in size 110 by 220 feet The exterior
will be of OHIO stone. The floors will
be of cement and tile, and there wilt
be practically no wood in the building.
SO that it will be fireproof and endur-
ing. The building will be for general
purposes. The first floor will be the ad-
minis;rative part of the college. 1t will
hav spacious offices for the president,
secretary, trustees and officers of the
fnr u OY, hsa
be the rooms for the department of
English. On the second floor. or just
above the administration part there will
be the departments of mathematics.
history. and some others. On the third
floor there will be botany, elocution and
similar studies. There will be green
houses in the attic. The building will
cost so it is estimated. without the
heating and plumbing, about $225,O0O.
1t will be about the same size as the
main buildings at Iowa City and Cedar
Falls, but more expensive. 1t is noped
by the trustees that the bids will be
such tns.t the contract may be let at
onoa Messrs. Proudfoot & Bird. the
architects. state that at least ten firms
are engaged in preparing bids-tWo. of
Des Moines, two of Columbus, Ohio;
two of Chicago, and one of Minneapolis,
besides some others. Prices have in
creased slightly since the plans were
adopted and the work planned, but the
work on this building need not be done
for nearly three years. AT the same
time there will be bids opened en- a
fireproof addition to the agricultural
hall to cost about $4,000; a judging
pavilion of brick to cost about $4,000,
and two separate greenhouses. The
work other than on the central build
ing is all to be done this year.
The situation in regard to the col
lege presidency does not clear as 1t
was hoped it should. An important
meeting was held here today, that of
the board committee on presidency, to
prepare a report for the full board.
This was called by Governor Cummins.
The committee has never held formal
meeting and has never taken very much
concerted action. But the committee
representing the state agricultural de-
partment and the farmers institutes
desired a hearing before the committee
| in the interest of having Professor Cur
tiss selected as president, and the meet
ling was called especially for this pur-
pose Whether the committee will be
able to make any definite and salts
factory recommendation as to the pres
idency is still a matter of doubt. The
situation has not been the same all
along AT first there was much talk of
going outside the state for a college
president, getting man from the east
or some of the great technical schools
or someone recommended by the big
educators of the country. And so, as
matter of fact, informal inquiries were
made at Washington and in New York
and Boston and elsewhere in regard to
a suitable man for president of the coll
|lege. The result was not encouraging.
Later the sentiment was turned to-
ward the selection of an Iowa man and
one whose capacities are Well known in
educational circles in the state. Sew
eral candidates bobbed up and were
considered. Objections also bobbed up
as fast as the candidates. The net re-
suit is that the board is at much al sea
row as when it first undertook the task
of finding college president.
Some of the members of the board
are strongly in favor of Professor stan
ton ana sOCnSrS IdNoI iiOlSs'soi NSs'A 49,
These two men alone are considered
as possible in the line of promotlon
from the faculty. The movement Tor
each one has proceeded not from him
self but from outside. On behalf OF
stanton it is urged that he is a man OF
great capacity, is thoroughly familiar
with the college, has shown ms apilils
while acting president of the college,
that he has the confidence OF the mem
bers of the board. that he Is Favored
by a great majority of the students
and many of the leading members OF
the alumni, and that his selection
would cause less of Il disturbance IN the
onward course of the college than that
of any other person. Several OF the
trustees have felt very confident ali
along they would be able to elect Stan
ton at any time. Another thing IN
favor of Stanton is the fact that he is
very capable as lobbyist in the legis-
lature. For years he has directed the
work to be done before the legislature
to secure the necessary support OF the
college and he has done 1t successfully.
The movement for Professor curtiss
opfira1v from those who