Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-10-30
Now Proposed to Continue Both
Colleges Under Management
of One Board
NEITHER COLLEGE NOW STRONG
Graduating Glasses of Past Two Years
Have Contained From Three to Six
Members-state Baptist Association
to Appoint Members of Board Of
Trustees, Under Suggested Plan.
Special to Times Republican.

from an entire different source and
a campaign to educate the state is
to be started at once. 1t is understood
that the trustees Of Des Moines col
lege are favorably inclined to the
scheme and the trustees OF Centrai
University at Pella are mot opposed
to 1t.
For more than fifty years, or since
1853, there has been trouble over the
Baptist college situation in Iowa. The
two institutions are not beholden to
the state organization of the Baptist
church. They are laws unto them
selves and yet the only efforts to set
tile the alleged" question has been
started by the state Baptist associa-
ton The state association has set
tied 1t several times, but has been en-
tirely without authority or power to
enforce its DEGREES, so the situation
tho settled" has gone on unchanged.
Ii Is proposed now to have the
trustees Of the two Institutions turn
over their property to the state assoc
citation so that it will have some at
thority to act and then allow IL to
act. Back In the early times It looked
as tho it was folly for the state to
have two colleges and the state asso-
citation appointed committee to cam
vass the situation and report. This
committee reported In favor of con-9
itinuing Des Moines College and throw
Ing the assets Of the Central J1niver-
sity at Pella to Des Moines for the
benefit of the institution here. The
state association adopted this report
but there was no authority to COM
pei Pella to obey the report and so
Pella didn't - first because its arti-
5eles Of Incorporation provided that
the property should be used for q
Baptist institution of learning at or
near Pella, and 1t held that the prop
erty could not be moved to Des
Moines.
Ten years later when the national
Baptist association had appointed a
committee to assist smaller educa-
tional institutions this committee was
asked to look over the Iowa situation
and give advice as to what to do. The
committee, decided that there should be
but one school and that at Des Moines.
The state association adopted this re-
port but the trustees at Pella explained
that they had no authority to move
the institution to Des Moines and so
did nothing. Later on third COM
mittee made the same report with
the same results. Then this year a
fourth committee on seeing the fall
ure Of the others adopted different
course and announced without au-
thority, 1t Is claimed), In advance that
it would recommend the institution
that raised 100000 endowment. Des
Moines College made no effort to raise
an endowment but Pella did and raised
$4,000 and rich friend guaranteed
the rest. The committee reported in
favor of Pella and this report lacked
twenty three votes OF two-thirds
majority.
That there is not enough room in
Iowa for two Baptist institutions
maintaining a college Of liberal arts
is evidenced by the fact that last year
and the year before Des Moines Col
lege graduated only six pupils each
year and has not at any time had a
class of respectable size. Pella last
spring graduated three and the year
before two, and has never had
class Of respectable size. 1t cost about
ST., 900 a year to run each institution.
Des Moines College raises $1,000 Of
this from it's endowment fund, $4,000
from the students tuition and $4,000
in subscriptions taken up largely in
Baptist churches. Pella raises it's fund
much the same.
The one difficulty that stands in the
way Of the union Of the institutions is
the statement in the articles of incor-
poraion Of each that the property
must be used for Baptist institution
of learning in or near the place where
the institution Is located and neither
institution can be persuaded to aban-
don teaching the liberal arts branches
and become only an academy.
It is now proposed to begin from an
entirely different quarter to settle the
proposition and the first thing is a
1t is the ultimate intention to first Sc
cure the acquiescence Of the trustees
of the two institutions. 1t is the
purpose instead of having two boards
of trustees to have but one board with
the express provision that this board
shall manage the two institutions in
accordance with their articles. Of incor-
poration and not close up one of the
institutions and move 1t to the other
town. This new board is to be APP
pointed by the state association, one
member from each of the twenty-nine
districts of the state, and this board
of trustees to have the management of
the schools for ten years. If at the
end of that time the problem is solved
TO the satisfaction Of the state assoc
citation well and good. and if not the
trustees are to resign and the insti-
buttons to be given back TO the state
association to do as It pleases.
Capt Brown and Senator Stoolley,
of Decatur county, are in Il contest
as to who is to be the candidate for
state senator from the Decatur Union
Ringgold district. Both candidates are
from Decatur county. Senator Stookey
is the present incumbent He wishes
to be a candidate again and Captain
Brown has intimated to his friends
that he proposes to be candidate.
Under the state wide primary if both
come out in the same coun-
ty some candidate from one OF the