Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-06-20
Says Statement In Des Moines
Papers About Testimony on
MacLean Report Was False
REAL SITUATION is EXPLAINED
Decrease in Attendance Due to Causes
Over Which President Had No Con-
troI--sims Regarded as Disturb
ing Element Little Evidence of
MacLean's Alleged Insincerity.
Special to Times Republican.

has returned to his home in Des Moines
after attending the meeting of the
board at Iowa City, when action was
taken on the MacLean controversy.
In an interview for an evening paper
here he said:
There has been vast amount or
stuff printed about our meeting that
was not true" said Mr.. Wright. For
example the Register and Leader stat
I'd that all members of the faculty
but one testified before us to the effect
that MacLean was deficient in many
particulars. There was no truth in this.
Member after member of the faculty
was summoned and not one of them
sg gave any substantial foundation for
anything that has been said against
MacLean. One would say he was in
sincere. We would ask how he knew
or who said so, and he would be I'M
able to answer. We would ask IL ne
8 had ever deceived them or made a
promise which he didn't intend to full
I'LL. and they had to admit that he had
not. Perhaps the man whom they
claimed to have heard making COM
plant concerning MacLean was the
very one who had just preceded him
on the stand and had claimed to have
said nothing.
II have no doubt that President
MacLean made promises now and then
in regard to liberal expenditures in
some particular department which he
was unable to fulfill. But it was not
his fault. He thought he could do
what he promised, but when it came
to showdown he was unable to do
more than make the recommendation
to us, and we would have to turn it
down for lack of funds.
s'In view of the agitation and tale
bearing that was going on in the fac
ulty we had no alternative but to dis
cipline It. The activity of Professor
Sims in this matter made it impossible
to retain him unless we would contrib
I. ute further to the disorganization. We
had virtually already decided upon the
resignation of Professor Andrews on
an entirely different basis. 1t had been
proposed to consolidate all the chem
= istry courses under one head, and this
necessitated Andrews removal. His
part in the controversy over President
& MacLean was purely incidental.
University Growth.
" You ask why the university hasn't
grown as its competitors have, and I'll
tell you. There ire many reasons. In
the first place. have been extremely
unfortunate in natural causes. The
death of DIR Middleton, for years the
popular head of the medical depart
ment. was blow from which it was
difficult for the department 10 rally
This was followed by the destruction Of
the old medical building by Ore and the
loss of much of the apparatus, leaving
our equipment in extremely poor condi-
ton. This accounts FOR the falling off
in this Department.
SO In the law department our veteran
chancellor, Emlin McClain, resigned to
become a member of the supreme court,
q and Professor Richards, one of the
strong members Of the faculty In this
department, left because we We're un-
able to pay him what he was worth.
When you add to these misfortunes
& In our professional departments the
fact that we raised our standard of re-
z qufremerts for admission and the
length Of the courses, you have men
toned factors more potent than any
possible defect in President MacL4ean.
Then, too Iowa has more really ca
pahle small colleges than any of the
states in which her successful COM
petitors are located. The University of
Michigan has no such competition as
Iowa has from the numerous excellent
small colleges in this state. Chicago
university and Illinois university are
likewise less handicapped.
a very important handicap in Iowa
IS the fact that the state college at
Anes IS giving degrees to graduates
who have not completed anything like
the course we require for a degree at
Iowa Our standard for admission is
much higher. and for graduation it is
comparatively much higher.
Under the circumstances 1t is sur
E prising that Iowa has progressed so
we'll. The changes in the presidency
are In marked contract with the stabil-
ity in the presidency of Michigan and
Chicago universities. President Shat
fer, former president of Iowa, exper-
fenced a fight with the faculty similar
to that OF MacLean, but he outlived it
and became immensely popular 1t
was unfortunate that we lost him, but
it was not his successors fault that
we have not grown as rapidly as our
rivals.
Maclean Not Blamed.
Il have never been known as IL Mac
Lean sympathizer In fact, have been
popularity supposed to be opposed to
many of his most cherished schemes.
But perfect fairness compels ME ID say
that he has been blamed for much that
the board of regents was really respon-
sibIe for. For example, we decided that
the auditorium and gymnasium should
be erected ahead of the science hall it
wasn't at his request that we so decid-
ed The majority of the faculty blamed
him nevertheless. He suggested careful
reconsideration and out of our recon
sideration came a happy solution OF the
difficulty.
1T is preposterous TO think that he
entered into compact with President
Storms of state college whereby he was
to oppose improvement in our engineer
ing department On the other hand, he
has always been urging liberal action
on our part and that of the legislature
with regard to the engineering depart
ment.
IF he was unpopular with the appro-
priations committee of the legislature,
didn't know 1t. The fact remains that
the senate and house as a whole We're