Evening star., 1927-08-28
VIRGINIA FORUM STUDIES
PUBLIC AFFAIRS OF u. S.
Institute Discusses Realities of Govern.
ment With View to Aiding Voters.
Future Sessions Planned.

vcrsity, presided at the round table de
! voted to state and county government
! Discussions of municipal government
were led by DR.. Thomas II. Reed. pro
fcssor of political science at the Uni
versity of Michigan. Mark Graves,
tax commissioner of the state of New
York. conducted round table on Fed
eral. state and local taxation burdens
and methods of relieving them.
Other open forums were directed by
Victor Rosewlter, former publisher of
the Omaha Bee. who dealt with the
influence of the press in public affairs
and Dr. Gus w Dyer professor OF
economics and sociology at Vanderbilt
University, who led discussion con
cerning the economic development and
the process of industrializatio of the
South.
The institute has been political
clinic of methods rather than policies
1t was designed to advance the popu
lar understanding OF current public
questions and the success of the in.
auSural session has heen so pro
nounced that it's directors propose t.
conduct it annually along broad and
liberal lines. 1t is national in scope
Advisory Board Chosen.
In flirtherance of this aim. an ad-
visory board has been selected with a
personnel which is a guarantee of
the non-partisan nature of the school.
This beard is headed by Gov. Byrd
and includes Niscountess Astor. who.
as Nancy Langhorne was ncighbor
and has long been A friend of the
University of Virginia; DIR. Nicholas
Murray Butler: James NJ. Cox and
John w. Davis, former Democratic
nominees for President; Glenn Frank.
president of the University of Wiscor-
sin; John Hays Hammond, Mrs. Medill
Mccormick, Republican national COM
mitteewoman from Illinois: Mrs.
Nellie Tayloe Ross. former Governor
of Wyoming; c. Bascom Slemp. former
secretary to President Coolidge, and
Mrs. Mabel Walker Willebrandt, AS
sistant Attorney General of the United
States. Other members of the ad-
visory board include executives of
several States, civic leaders, educators
and editors.
Dr. Edwin Anderson Alderman,
president of the University of Nir
ginia. is president also of the institute.
Its director and originator, however.
is DA Charles Gilmore Maphis, who
as dean of the Summer quarter of the
university has after years of struggle
made it an integral part of the uni
versity course.
Realizing that a study of all the
facts involved in governmental prob
lens is vital before a final opinion can
be expressed, the institute directors
conducted the courses by applying the
scientific method to the study of so
cial phenomena. Politics, as such, and
platitudes We're barred
Those invited to participate in the
programs, including the round tables.
were men holding divergent and op.
posing views on certain of the topics
selected for discussion. but such opin-
ions were presented in dispassionate
way. making it possible for others to
interpret the facts as they exist.
Follows Jefferson's Example.
The historical background of the
University of Virginia we'll fitted it
to be the seat of a conference for
the study of political affairs. During
more than a century of service it
has trained men, many of them be-
come the leaders of a nation, in the
duties and esponsibilities which at.
tend the members of a democratic
society.
Following the example of jefferson,
whose hand inscribed the minutes at
the meeting in 1917 which established
the university, the atmosphere of the
place has always tended to be po-
Iitical and the inclina ton to public
service has been inevitable to those
who have resided there.
There was but one restriction placed
upon the distinguished men who ad-
dressed the first section of the Insti-
tute of Public Affairs. 1t was required
of them that they present their views
free from dogmatism and partisan
bias, but with scientific angle and
sincere desire to find the truth.
The future of the institute will be
predicated upon the success of its
initial session, which indicated that it
filled national need. The advisory
board, assisted by the administrative
officers, will prepare the annual pro-
grams. They will contain topics which
are Of practical and pressing concern
to the American people.