Bryan daily eagle and pilot. [volume] (Bryan, Tex.) 1909-1918, 1911-03-23
CALLS ON COLQU|TT
FOR AN EXPLANAT|O
Prof. Harris Wants the Public to
Know Why He WasSRemoved
from Presidency of San
Marcos Normal.
[By Associated Press ]

l. Dy AsSDtldltu GItSSsI
San Marcos, Texas, March 29.-
Prof 7. G. Harris today issued a long
letter to Governor Colquitt asking him
to make a public explanation OF the
cause of Harris removal as president
of the Southwest Texas Normal Insti-
| tute.
The letter follows:
Harris Letter to the Governor.
San Marcos, Texas, March 20, 1911.
Governor 0. B. Colquitt, Austin, Texas.
| Dear Sir-On the tenth day of this
month the Austin correspondents of
the great daily newspapers OF Texas
+ reported to their several papers that
the state board of education, OF which
you are chairman, haa on that day de.
cided by vote of two to one to re-
move me from the principalship of the
Southwest Texas State Normal School
at the close of this school year. These
correspondents further stated that you
and your secretary OF state (McDon-
add voted for my removal and that
! Comptroller Lane voted against it,
While | have received no official noti-
fication confirming these reports,
presume they are correct, as | have
seen no contradictory official state.
ment. ~"'IEs E. ET Ilsy
Just a little bit OF sober thinking
leads me to the conclusion that you
have either done too much or too little
in this case. If you had no valid
ground on which to base such action.
then you have done too much. If, on
the other hand, you had such reasons
! ~ frYa hl~a
have done too little In this latter case
you owe it to the people of Texas to
make your reasons public. From my
point of view, no thinking citizen of
Texas can question the correctness Of
the conclusions have just stated.
But you may possibly not think my
point OF view correct. In fact, there
seems to be evidence that you and
do not look at the administration OF
public affairs from the same stand
point Let us see. When you and
were young men that great democratic
leader, Grover Cleveland announced
this doctrine: "A public office is a
public trust" For a quarter of cen
tury | have not only believed that
doctrine to be thoroughly sound in
every way, but have regarded it as a
fundamental principle in representa-
tive government Do you endorse this
doctrine in theory and in practice? If
so, all right. We agree once, and are
READY now to take another step. Let
tus see if we can step together. From
Cleveland's doctrine these corollaries
are easily deduced:
l. All public institutions belong to
tha pnnn1o w hlfsh aud
them. and not to officers or employees,
elective or appointive.
2. All governmental rights are in
herent in the people and are inalien-
able.
3. The people have a right to know
what motives influence and determine
the public acts of their officers.
This last named corollary is appli-
cable under all ordinary circum-
stances; but it has peculiar force and
signifcance~ when a public officer re-
sorts to extreme measures OF an un-
usual character. AS you of course
know, since the first state normal was
established in Texas in the admins
tration of Governor Roberts, no incom-
ing governor has disturbed, or sought
to disturb. the organization of any
normal school in this state. Hence
your action in removing me from this
position must be characterized as both
extreme and unusual. To justify your
action in this case you ought to have
reasons that will satisfy the honest,
intelligent, patriotic citizens of Texas.
If you have such reasons it is your
duty to make them known to the peo-
pie whose taxes pay for the support
and maintenance Of this school, and
TO the people whose sons and daugh-
tiers have attended or may attend this
school. l repeat, in other words, that
the people to whom this school and all
other public schools belong have a
right TO know what considerations in