The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1907-03-14
The University of Maine.
The Untruthful Attacks Upon This Insti-
tuition, and the Result.

1 y
The Untruthful Attacks Upon This rr.t;-
tuition, and the Result
For two years the people of Maine
have witnessed the unseemly spectacle
of educational contest in this State
almost without parallel in the annals Of
education in any State, aimed at the
life of the University of Maine and in
| stigated by the presidents of the three
other colleges in the State-Bowdoin
Bates and Colby. This contest has had
for its main purpose the degradation of
our State University at Orono. the he
liittling of its work, the injury of its
character and the curtailing of its finans
ciai ability to carry out the objects for
which it was established. This contest
has also been assisted by some of the
leading newspapers in the State. which
have published The most uncslled for
unfair and untruthful attacks upon the
University as State institution which
ever emanated from the columns of a
state press, whose duty it should be.
hrst OF all, to support every institution
IN Maine which is trying to make us a
peter State and our people more in
telllgent and capable citizens.
Whlie the Commercial does not in
tend TO review this whole contest.
!whlch Is not necessary at this juncture)
it cannot do better as a starting noint
and to show the real animus of this nm
molly warfare against the University. to
say it began on May 23. 1906. at the
hearing before the so-called Potter com
mlttee in Portland, when President
Hyde OF Bowd0in college made his
mighty attack upon the University. In
that attack he said he spoke for all
three OF the older colleges in Maine: he
SAID the b. A. degree as given at Orono,
was inferior to that given at Bowdoin.
Bates and Colby; he said: 81 am sim
ply stating fact when | say at the
time the law school was established
there was no public need for it, vet the
trustees established it and charged its
expense to the x-payers of the State"
he said, Il warn you against the dupii-
cation of the B. A. degree at Orono
which is an inferior course to that of
the other colleges and the entering
wedge OF expense which its continuance
imposes upon the people''-with other
\ statements as completely absurd.
AT that time President Fellows
answered and refuted every charge
made by Dr. Hyde as false. Three
years before the trustees of the Uni
yersity established the school of law, a
demand from the young men of Maine
was made for it, sand Dr. Fellows
showed it had never cost the tax payers
one cent, but had in the year 1905, as it
has since, paid its own expenses, while
In that year it placed $1,000 to the
credit of the University. Every other
charge made by President Hyde against
the University was Squarely and fully
| answered and refuted by President
Fellows.
The contest against the University
which commenced two years ago under
authority of the Potter legislative
order ''to ascertain the just obligations
of the State to the University of
Name which slumbered little dur
| ing the interim of the legislative ses-
sions, developed again during the can
vasS of 1906 when Senator Potter of
Cumberland county came up for re-
nomination. Although permitted to
write EEK" before his senatorial title
as the result of the election of 1906,
Mr.. Potter. as President Hyde's spokes-
man, continued his contest against the
State University. A resolve referred
l
the present legislature has been the oc-
casion of several hearings and of many
articles in the press of the State in re-
gard to the University.
The immediate history of this meas
ure is too we'll known to our readers to
require any particular reference to its
various stages down to the final vote
upon the same in the house of repre-
sentatives of Wednesday. 1t is known
to all our readers what strenuous work
has been done by the enemies of the
State University to cripple and degrade
that institution. The main feature of
this contest has been that the Univer
Sty should not be allowed to further
confer the B. A. degree or teach those
studies in the liberal arts course upon
which this degree is based. In other
words, having been given authority by
the State to confer this degree and
having been allowed that authority for
ten years, the three other colleges in
Maine, for which President Hyde was
the leader and Mr.. Potter the spokes-
man, demanded of the legislature that
this right should be taken from it, or
that if an appropriation for its main
tenance was made by the legislature, it
should be contingent upon the abroga-
ton of the B. A. degree.
Was ever so narrow, so Jealous, so
undignified, and so spiteful contest
against an educational institution ever
made anywhere by those connected
with other colleges because the insti-
tuition against which it was made, was
simply duplicating the work of the 9TH
ers and was trying to do that work in
the best way? Yet this is the position
of the three liberal arts colleges in
Maine against the State university.
Pitiatle and contemplate in the ex.
IRENE.
That contest was brought to close on
Wednesday, when the house of represen
tatives decided by vote of 123 to - to
maintain in its noble distinction and its
authority the University of Maine. Its
'just relations" to the State have been
clearly and positively defined, and de
fined, we trust, to the satisfaction OF
Pres. Hyde, Mr.. Potter of Brunswick
and to the people of the State. This
illegal relation has been established
by life of nearly forty years, in which
its record has been an honorable one
but, by the action of the legislature OF
1907, the people of Maine also hope
: that it has been decided once and fol
all for the coming years of its usefu
cat, "a