The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-24
Says Nebraska Teachers Should
 Not Accept Pensions
STATE SHOULD TAKE ACTION
MT. Bryan Argues That If University Teachers Are In Position to Ac- cept Carnegie Fund State
 Ought to Pay More.

Omaha, January 23.-(Special)-In signed communication to be published In the World-Herald tomorrow morning, William J. Bryan opposes vigorously any action on the part of the Nebraska legis- lature authorizing the state university to become a pensloner of Andrew Car negie and of the Steel trust. MT. Bryan discusses at length the pension system de- vised by MT. Carnegie and gives numer- ous reasons why, in his judgment, pro fessors of the Nebraska university should not be permitted to become pensioners under that system.
 MT. Bryan suggests that the state Itself increase the salaries of the teachers in her university after due consideration of their compensation by the legislature.
 After paying high tribute to the pro- fession of teaching, and to teachers as class, MT. Bryan declares that this state is not giving the college professor his just share of Nebraskas yearly in- come.
 Starting then" he says, with the proposition that our university profess sors ought to be better paid. we are pre- ' the state by legislative act declare It's willingness to have the professors of our university placed upon the eligible list for Carnegie pensions No one. of 1 eo,trse. can advocate the acoeptanee of 1 the Carnegie pension without admitting that our professors are underpaid. If they are in fact receiving incomes pro- 1 portioned to the work they do, the state can hardly be asked to authorize an in- crease of their salaries through outside aid. To advocate the Carnegie pension | fund, therefore, one must virtually de- clare that the state of Nebraska is either unable to pay it's professors what they ought to be paid or though able, is unwilling to do so Who is prepared to bring either indictment against the peo- pie of our state? Is it likely that our state will thus humiliate itself or that those who represent the taxpayers will i without express authority from them con fess the poverty of the people who en- joy the benefits of the university or even worse, confess that though enjoying these benefits and able to pay for them, they are unwilling to do so?
 But in the case of the Carnegie fund there are other reasons to be consid- cred. If the proposed pension fund come from a source the character of which was unquestioned, or was given with a motive that could not be impugned, there might be less objection to it. If the pro- fessors, in accepting 1t, or looking for ward to it, are stimulated to greater ac- tivity in behalf of the public, that fact action proposed. But from who does the gift come? From the gJeatest trust mag nate in the country, save one.
 Gan we suppose for moment that the taxpayers of Nebraska would be willing for a moment to ask aims of the steel trust when they have been fighting it., and expect to continue doing so. It is not a sham battle the American people are engaged in on the trust question: Nebraska needs the aid of all her citi- zens in this struggle, the highly educated as well as those with less educational ad- vantages the professor as well as the pupil. Will the university professor be stimulated to oppose the principle of monopoly by being put in a position where he looks forward to pension drawn from the treasury of the monopoly? Will he be melted to use the steel trust as an illustration of the iniquity of the trust systems, if he expects some day to draw yearly stipend from 1t.
 Knowledge of human nature leaves us no room for doubt that even the best of men would be unconsciously influenced by the gratitude felt for such a substan- tial addition to their incomes"