Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1918-01-30
WHAT WILL OREGON DO ABOUT IT?

The Capital Journal has furnished proof which should
convince any farmnded reader that the state Of Kansas
offered President Kerr of the Oregon Agricultural
college $4,000 year to accept similar position IN that
state.
The evidence Of Governor Capper chairman of the
board Of administration of state schools and of former
Governor E. w. Hoch vice chairman, is unequivoca The
governor says the Kerr story was pipe dream and
the former governor says it absolutely without founda
on The salary paid the president of the Kansas agr-
cultural college only $4,000 year and no decision has
been reached to raise it. Mr. Kerr never considered
for the place at any salary
These are facts which cannot be controvered and yet
the board of regents of the O. A. c. raised Kerrs salary
from $1,000 year to S8,400 year compromise, so
Chairman Weatherford stated between the amount he
being paid and the salary he was offered by the state
of Kansas
And the state of Kansas had never offered Kerr any
salary or any job at aland the head of great state
school kept silent and became the beneficiary of FRAUD
that should make every true Oregonan hang his head
with shame JOB was put over on the state that reads
like one of Get t-RchQuick Wellingford's schemes to
fleece suckers.
And in this instance the people of Oregon were the
suckers.
Remember that while the Oregonian and many other
papers talking about the Kansas attempt to entce
Kerr away by an offer of SO 900 year the who
the central figure in the fake story and the prospective
beneficiary of it kept silent
And all this time Kerr knew that he had never had an
offer of any kind from Kansas.
What do the people Of Oregon think of such man?
Do they want their boys and girls to grow up and
The Capital Journal has presented the facts in the case
because it realized that fraud being perpetrated
1t can do more Public sentiment the most powerful of
all agencies in democracy, must take up the work from
this point. The Marion county grange has spoken
bOdy and to the pointand other oranges should fol-
low its lead These grangers the main point at issue
1t is moral question than financial The salary
paid out of reason but the taxpayers can stand it, they
have become casehardened in the matter of being rob
bed by the they elect their public servants and the
actual amount Of money involved in this instance not
so vastly important. 1t was the way it was done.
Do the people of Oregon want such man at the head
of one of its greatest educational Institutions? Is 1t
treating the rising generation right to keep him there
Adherens of the O. A. c. friends students and members
of graduate associations being appealed to to stand
behind Kerr in order to protect the school, They say the
exposure of the Kansas fake is fight the school,
Both statements as illogical as they are untrue
The best way to protect the interests of the O. A. G.
and promote its growth and influence is to keep it
clean and fair and honest from the president down the
lowest official Every resolution passed by organza
tion of graduates backing Kerr in his attitude the
salary grab only weakens the hold of the school the
public 1t does not fool the public in the least
The Capital Journal has no fight the Oregon AgTi-
cultural College 1t wants to see it big and strong
potent factor for good in the training of 0regons young
people in useful pursuits and grounding them soidy in
the true principles of life that make and of
the best type for citizenship The o. A. c. has nothing
fear from the men who have resented the Kansas episode
unless institution persists in disregardng public
sentiment
The people Of Oregon want clean schools and to be /
such they must be headed by clean men,