Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-04-08
G. v. j. ALUMNI DINE
Degree-C Comforting University
Here Opposed.
GRADUATES TOLD OF FIGHT
President Needham's Address at the
Annual Banquet.
STRONG STATEMENT OF CASE
Efforts to Secure Designation of
George Washington University
Under Morrill, Acts.
STRONG STATEMENT OF CASE

| Portraying the opposition arrayed with
| great strength against George Wash
| ington Jniversity's effort to obtain for
! itself the benefits of appropriations under
| the Morrill, acts, President Needham told
| the universtys alumni last night that
| the one common reason for the fight
was the objection to a degree-conferrins
| university doing work in all departments
| The speech was made at the dinner
of the George Washington Alumni As
ISOLATION, at Rauschers.
President Needham made a speech
which those who heard him will not
| forget. 1t was not cut-and-dried
after-dinner set of remarks 1t was
| the heartfelt cry Of man who is in IA
big fight for all he is worth. He did
not mince matters. He did not belittle
the efforts of the university's opponents.
He described the struggle as a gigantic
one, the fight of a single institution
against many others of the country. and
yet there was a dominant tone of OPP
timsm which seemed to say that as long
as George Washington University shall
exist it will continue the fight Tor the
appropriation which it believes 1t should
have in the interest of the District S
educational progress.
Tuition Fees insufficient.
He said "A university must have
money in addition to it's tuition fees. 1t
cannot carry on work upon tuition fees
alone. Even the universities which have
million or more endowment and no
| debts find it impossible to do their work
| without an annual deficit. Often this
| deficit runs from thirty to forty thousand
| dollars a year, and has to be provided
| for by special contributions. No insti-
| tuition in the country can show a greater
economy of management than the George
! Washington University 1t has but a
| small endowment and is carrying a large
Indebtedness. The deficit this year is
| S55O0O, and over $4,000 of 1t Is for in
terest on its bonded and other debts. Its
educational deficit, therefore, is only
about $4,000.
'Ihe university is aiming to be true
university, serving the District in all de-
partments of university endeavOr. With
a college Of liberal arts. a college Of the
mechanic arts, with courses relating to
agriculture, departments of law and med
icine, a college of the political sciences
and teachers college, 1t is endeavoring
to serve the pressing needs of this Dis
trict. To carry on the agricultural and
mechanic arts work, it has asked Con-
greSs to give to the District the benefits
of the Morrill, acts and designate the
university to administer that fund for the
District.
1T is a strange spectacle, that through
the efforts of q few educational leaders
outside the District, the whole country
is made to appear as being against the
development of higher education in Wash
ington. / am continually asked what 1t
really means. l desire to have the alumni
understand the real issue. In the first
place. 1t is not personal to me, nor IL it
| simply a crusade against the university.
l have letters from the men who are
carrying on this opposition stating that
| it is not personal. There is well or
| ganized line of battle drawn up against
us. Why do not these people, let me ask
| rise up in protest against the states Civ
| ing the benefits Of the Morrill, acts to
| Institute of Technology? Why is the fight
centered upon the District and the
George Washington University? Why
did the Carnegie Institution take action
| sity without hearing and strike blow
out of a clear sky while they have given
| plenty of time to the consideration OF
| similar cases outside of the District OF
| Columns a?
A Thirty-Year Effort.
I'm answering these, let me say that for
more than thirty years there has been an
organized effort to prevent the establish
ton At the time when Senator Edmonds
was in the very zenith of his power he
tried to pass through the Senate a bill
for the establishment of a national uni
versity, but the Association of American
| Universities prevented the passage of that
bill Later the Association Of Presidents
of State Universities manifested an inter
est In the establishment of a university
here. They were invited to join with the
friends of the George Washington Univer-
sity and under its charter to carry on
work at the capital. This was declined
because they did not want degree-con-
ferring university or to do work of college
grade for the District. Their ideas were
later crystallized in a bill introduced at
the last session of Congress which pro-
vides for g. partial university, one oolne
work for the doctor of philosophy degree
requiring a master of arts degree as a
! condition of entrance, and expressly stip-
ulating that this so-called university
should not grant any degree for the work
done, thus compelling the students to 60
back to their universities in the states tC
secure their degrees.
1.-The fear of a great university at the
national center is the cause OF this wide
spread opposition. The University OF Ber-
the German universities, has from thir-
teen to fifteen thousand students, while
the others have only about six or less
| This is because students and professors
/
! ter of the empire. 1t will be true in
| this country when a university Is estab-
| iished with sufficient money to do scien-
tific work in all of it's departments that
students will come from many parts
| Of the country and the world to do work
| here But this fact should not allow US
to overlook the local needs. The District
| of Columbia has fine body of students
that must be provided for. They must
be fitted for scientific and professional
work in all of the callings Of life. and the
fear that well equipped institution to
do this local work will grow in num-
bers and Importance should not be per-
mitted to prevent it's permanent estab-
| lishment."
] President Needham told several stories
of his negotiations with prominent men in
connection with proposed or hoped for
endowments, the point OF each story
furthering his argument that there is a
we'll defined and organized opposition
against the establishment of a true uni
versity here. He promised, however, that
with the money from the Morrill, appro-
priation and the contributions which were
+ already being made and would be soon
completed toward the maintenance fund,
| the George Washington University would
be permanently established upon its pres
ent plans and do all I'M its power to
serve the District in all departments of
higher education.
Addresses by Others.
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