Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1919-05-29

a group of citizens to serve as an In
vestigation committee and If possible
ascertain what the real facts were.
Those who served on this committee
were Mrs. L. B. Greene, of Mountain
Home; l. e. Rockwell of Bellevue ;
L. w. Ensign, Allen b. Eaton and Geo
II. Curtis, all of Boise. The committee
int estigated the situation as thoroughly
as it could, devoting much time and
careful study to the matter. The is
sues were found to be rather complex
and it was by no means easy to get q
true and fair understanding of them.
The President of the State University
The committee found that there had
been considerable local trouble for
some time at the State university, two
opposing factions having been set in
motion, the one strongly supporting the
President, the other in opposition to
him. The president felt that undue
effort was being made by certain groups
and influences to control the policies for
which he was personally responsible
He refused to accept dictation, and ap- |
parently was inclined at times to be |
impatient of criticisms and suggestions |
He found the situation at Moscow to |
be trying one and believed that the |
difficulties were not all localized there
aight-forward, hard-hitting and
forceful by nature the president was
annoyed and disturbed and indignant
at what he thought to be lack of
sympathy with the higher educational
work of the state on the part of the
Governor, who, he thought, was DELHI
erately causing annOyances and OBJ
Stacles to be put in the way of his
work. There was q good deal of evil
dence that the president had reason
for this feeling although it proved diff
ficult to determine just how overt
this opposition and antagonism had
been and to what length it had gone
There did seem to be however, very
clear evidence that the governor had
made no secret of his antagonism to-
ward the Agricultural Extension work .
md its director, thus impairing what ,
he president regarded as a most inn ,
)o1tant part of his own work for the ,
state; in consequence the director re- :
signed about this time to accept a sim
lar position with the State of Oregon ,
Whatever the provocations might have /
'een, 1t appears the president Brannon .
made some mistakes, among them was y
hat of expressing sentiments which n
ould easily be interpreted as showing n
lis sympathy with, and wish for the a
lection in November, 1916, of the op- o
'osing party candidates. Taken all I'm =
ii the situation became such that ii :,
eemed the part of wisdom to accept =
he resignation of the president In =
rhich action DR.. Sission, the commits o.
Toner Of Education, definitely concurr. n
d.
The Commissioner of Education. a
The commissioner of Education under il
ur new educational system was the d
Xpert and the advisor of q Law board ii
education. Much valuable work had {,
cen done in the way Of unifying and
} originating the work of the various IL
lStitutions, and in blocking out large st
nj constructive plan for future reyal- m
)ment, and there seems to have been m
large measure of effective harmony 70
tween the board and the commission DC
>. Later however, the commissioner be
as put in difficult position on &C. ar
unit OF trouble at the state university an
here he had given his full support an
the president and his policies. In in
Is connection some MISUNDERSTANDING vi
evltably had arisen between the COM hi
sSioner and the board. Also at this
ne the commissioner had decided up- co
change of policy with relation to of
eclal committees of the board for DR.
z several state institutions The wi
ard did not look with favor upon II
IS change, and the commissioner felt or
1t their refusal to accept his recon. rel
ndati0ns in this respect was tanta. ma
'unt to vote of lack of confidence ele
him. Immediately his resignation moi
S rendered and, in view of the cir VIII
instances, was accepted by the board the
! III the opinion of the committee er
n sincere regret. When all angles con
the situation are considered the /
lrd seems TO have taken the wise