The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-07-26
NOT ALARMED AT. +.
THE GOPHER SUIT
VARSITY SENIORS QUESTION
+ ..~.. THEIR LIABILITY. sgH>
Glass Widely Scattered and So Far AS
Known Summonses Have Not Been
Served-The Faculty Position in the
Neutrality-suspicious. Of Graduates Now
in the CITY, ~: 2 y. =,

University seniors sued by. Byron 8
Willard. a printing firm, on the, debt
contracted for the publication Of their
class annual, the Gopher, do not mani
fest great dismay at the prospect of
having to appear in court and show
cause why they should not pay the $3.50
still due. .-.-... 49,. .... -.
be 4y aa za al psri0a Rf Of the hs class
ly scattered and may still not know that
a suit has been instituted. J TO the
many who are still without either prop
erty or employment, the idea Of being
sued for $3.50 or for IS cents seems
humorous. eff they can find any
money on me they are welcome to. It
it more than 1 can do,0 said one mem
Der Of the class. -.
Question Liability: ,,,u
-. Many classmen are inclined to CUES.
tion their legal liability, and seem con,
WINGED that morally they are not re.
sponsible. They assert that it appeared
not only from the investigation con:
Quoted by, the class committee, but also
from the faculty investigation, that the
its dealing with E.. C. O'Brien and
Charles Salisbury, the managing editor
and business manager who were found
responsible for the s.Gopher' short.
age, and that in consequence the firm
should look to them for the money due
on the contract: .--C
Mitchell says = dc dc n S3ts Care na to dis s.
cuss. the suit, but I wish to say, most
emphatically, that the class was not try
ing to take. advantage Of any, legal
technicality in refusing to lew an as
sessment to pay the debt. The question
Of responsibility is complicated and not
as as simple as may appear at first sight.
investigation and consideration, that
the class was bound neither morally nor
legally and that the money should be
recovered from those who had signed
shortage =,
One girl admitted that she: had been
afraid to answer the doorbell for fear
added that she did not think that she or
any other member Of the class should
be made to pay the debt.
One prominent alumnus stated that
WINE OF course the class ought to pay
Its Just debts, he was convinced that a
majority Of the class would not have
voted to leave the debt unpaid had they
not had good grounds for thinking they
were not morally bound by the contract.
Faculty Opinion.
"A member of the faculty said that
the faculty had never advised the class
either to pay or to repudiate the debt,
but had left the question open. The
only action taken by the faculty has
been to refuse to act as a collection
agency for the publishing house.
While, SO far as known, no member of
the class has been served with a sum-
mons, several have sought legal advice
and are confident that the. can but up
a successful defense If the case is
Brought to trial. 1t is probable that if
the suit is pressed against any member
the class will raise a defense fund and
carry the case. to the supreme court to
obtain decision, which will definitely
settle the legal status and liability Of
university class organizations.
The case Of the defendants assumed
up by one member of the class seems
a strong one. He said: "In the first
place, we are not morally responsible
a1for the debt contracted by the Gopher
management; in the second place, a
friend OF mine who graduated from The
law department. this spring and is work
ing in law office downtown tells me
that they will have to prove that I wa.
of age when the debt was contracted
and that ]. voted in the Gopher election.
II they can prove all this thew will still
have the task Of finding something To
levy on. I don It own thing IN the
world except few clothes, nv watch
and my frat pin, and.a girl has that.
| Dept think they will get rich suing