New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-03-08
THE INQUISITION AT COLUMBIA
An Alumnus Protests Against the Trustees
Proposal to Investigate Disloyalty
n the Editor OF The Tribune

To the Editor Of The Tribune.
Sir: Your paper prints this morning
news item concerning the appointment OF
special committee OF the Columbia trustees
ito inquire and ascertain whether doctrines
which tend TO encourage a spirit or DIS
LOYALTY to the government Of the United
States. or the principles upon when II Is
founded, are taught or disseminated by ON
GERS Of the university" President butter
has told US not 10 believe anything we reau
in the papers about Columbia. have there-
fore the most august authority for DeheV'ne
that this resolution was never passed.
But, assuming for the moment that truth
has percolated out of Morningside, cannot
help registering my protest, as a Columbia
alumnus, against such an abuse OF power Oh
the part of university trustees. Such an l.
quiry would be one of the profoundest humll-
iations that Columba-instructors and stu
dents alike-could suffer. Under the loose
vague and demagogic phraseology OF THIS
resolution almost any liberal expression OF
opinion from any professor could be indicted.
At the present crisis sucn an inquisitioh
would mean only an effort at intellectual ter
rorism 1t is undoubtedly directed at the
slngularly brave and devoted group OF 90
lumbia instructors who are working 10 keep
the nation from blindly drifting into war
whose implications no one knows, ana from
which we could derive only the evils OF inlH-
tarism, without any OF its so-called purllyl"s
power Such men-as the noble let1er OIL
Professor Muzzey, printed recently IN you.
columns. .hows-are needed, as the flame OF
clearly the sinister and oppressive forces be-
hind tho nresent war spirit than this pro-
posed inquiry into "subversive' doctrines al
Columbia.
Such trustees represent only the Tory class
from which they come. They do not repre-
sent the free and liberal intellectual spirit OF
Columbia. the shirt that stands out in these
Younger men against militarism and reac-
ton. Norman Angel some time ago pointed
ont that war meant CONSUMPTION not only OF
man mower but Of opinion. This inquiry Is
evidently an attempt to choke out unortno-
dox opinion at Columbia and thus give inc
false impression that the university presents
q solid chauvinistic front. II follows logically
from President Buffers action In handing the
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Of individual opinions
and preferences-over to the war authorities
Tho only thing 70 do with the registration
card which was sent out TO alumni oihcers'
students-one Of the most curious psychology
ical documents ever prepared IN TINS couh-
trv-was 10 ignore it. This hundreds OF
alumni and students arc enthusiastically
doing. 1t would be we'll if there were some
wav to neutralizc this obnoxious inquiry INTO
the opinions and ideals Of the instructors at
Columbia.
1t is not the first, but never has the IN
ouisition been so bold Under the cover oil
patriotism. perhaps, the trustees feel they
can make that long-desired attack on Column
bia heresv. economic and political. II IS time
for Columbia men who have had pride m the
thought and action Of Columbia radicals to
protest against this danger and this numilla-
ton. Whatever the trustees may want TO
make Columbia, we still want 1t to be uni
versitv and not a sheep corral or an adjunct
70 the American army. Following close on
the disgraceful Tolstoy incident, this action
of the trustees is menacing and dishearten-
ing.
The officers of the university profess 10 DC
very sensitive to unfavorable criticism of the
great institution. They are jealous OF It's
fair fame. Why, then, DO they continue to
perpetrate these CHASTITY errors which can
only cover Columbia with reproach in the
minds of all free and forward-loohng men
RANDOLPH BOURNE.
New York. March 6, 1917.