Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-03-25
COLLEGE ROW ALL BUT REACHES
BREAKING POINT AND
HosriLlrlEa
SERIOUS EFFORT MADE
TO REACH SETTLEMENT
Alumni, Source Of Entire Trouble, Be.
ing Modified For Final Contest
State University Crowd Best Organ
ized-charse Ames With Exceeding
Its Purposes.

Special to TimeS-Republican.
Des Moines, March 25.-Will it be
war or peace between the colleges
Ultimatums have been issued. Diplo-
matte notes exchanged. All has been
done but breaking off of friendly rela-
tons.
Today a serious effort is being made
to effect a settlement of the difficulties
between Ames and Iowa City.
In the first place, President Pierson
and President MacBride are to be here
and will get their heads together. They
will counsel with friends of all the
state educational institutions.
This evening group of members of
the house and a few others will be the
guests at dinner invited by w. o. Fink
bine, who is head of the university
alumni and is general manager of the
university forces. Representative Coast,
of Johnson county, will be present.
At the same time the peace confer
ence" referred to the other day which
has been the talk of the legislative
Hobbies for several days. is to be held
at the home of Harry Wallace, where
he has invited dozen or more men,
bers of the legislature and some
others, to reception in honor of
Presidents MacBride and Pearson. It
meeting, of course.
Alumni Modified.
Now, as has been stated before.
neither of the distinguished presidents
has been drawn into this fight, nor the
OF 70 I'd 0f o1,
working the soft pedal to the limit: but
the alumni crowd has been mobilized
on both sides, with perhaps the best
organization and surely the most ag-
gressive forces on the side of the uni
versity.
Just at present the warfare is heavy
along the border line of the use being
made of the millage tax which was
granted Ames last session. This
amount to $4,000 a year. The Iowa
City hackers are insisting that this be
cut off entirely, unless they are to get
the same The state hoard Is asking
for a smaller amount. Against it is
being urged that it is largely going for
duplication of work which should be
exclusive at the university. But in de-
Tense Of this millage tax fund.- or it's
equivalent it is urged that the allow
ance is well scattered among the de-
partment and that upon it depends abb
solutely continuation Of the short course
work thruout the state. If 1t is cut off
the college extension work which pro-
ceeds from Ames and Families to every
part of the state will be practically
abandoned and almost every depart
ment at Ames will be crippled.
Ames Going Too Far?
But this extension fund provided in
the millage tax is not all that is in
controversy. The claim is made by the
university alumni that a great deal Of
the expense of the institution at Ames
is due to the fact that they are going
too far with their educational work, in
arts and teaching German, English
history and lot of things Of that sort
which engineers and farmers and do
nestle economists have no use for
Equally it is denied on behalf of Ames
that there is any such duplication. of
work; so far as they are concerned,
that calls for any unusual expenditure
on that account.
It is stated that the latest proposal
is to cut off the Ames millage tax for
extension and refuse any of the askings
for additional support either at Ames
or Iowa City. That would leave Iowa
City with about 100000 more of annual
support out of the state treasury than
Ames. Under the present arrangement
Ames has the best of it, at least on the
face of the records.
But anyway there are to be two
meetings tonight. The Wallace meet
ing is advertised to be a get together
proposition and to contemplate creating
a better feeling between the two insti-
tutions. Just what is going to be done
at the Finkbine conference is not clear.
Some of the legislators have all but
thrown up their hands at the muddfe.
The critical stage has been reached.