Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1937-12-30
State Capitol News
By A. I. HARRIS

Governor Benson has asked the
University board of regents to right
wartime wrong by indicating
Professor William A. Schaper, former
head of the department of political
science, now connected with the Uni
versity of Oklahoma. The Governor
asks that action of the former board
dismissing Professor Schaper during
the period of wartime hysteria be
rescinded and that Professor Schaper
be invited to return to the univer-
sity. Formal action by the regents
will be taken at their next meeting
in January.
1t is now twenty years since Pro-
fessor Schaper, one of the outstand-
ing men in the country in the field
of political science, was called, with
out warning, before the University
board of regents and there confronted
with the charge that he was pro-
German and disloyal. Lawyers
skilled in the law subjected this
honorable professor to severe Cruel
ling; did not give him the opportunity
to obtain counsel, which is accorded
a common criminal; failed to con-
front him with his accusers and de-
cided, because they did not like
his attitude to dismiss him in dis
grace from the university and to
ruin an already brilliant career.
Professor Schaper, it appears (and
this he freely admitted to the regents)
hn6 fho Of lo
United States into the World war.
AS Governor Benson points out, he
had a right to that opinion, and
many good Americans today believe
that he was correct in that point of
view. But Professor Schaper was
always loyal to his country, told his
students Ito comply with the law
after war was declared, and went
about his tasks as any other good
American.
Friends of Professor Schaper at the
time suspected that there were other
grounds for his dismissal than the
vague charge of pro-Germanism, said
to have been supplied the regents
by a stool pigeon of the notorious
German-baiting public safety COM
mission. Under cover of the war
hysteria, reactionarieS saw an OPP
portunity to rid the university of
liberal professors. Professor Schaper
was distinctly classed as a liberal.
He had framed a franchise clause
in a proposed home rule charter for
Minneapolis which drew the fire of
ho
was known to have been a marked
man.
There were other professors at the
time who fell victims of this orgy
to rid the University of liberal pro-
fessors. James Gray, professor of
economics, was shown the exit; his
work as valuation expert for the
Interstate Commerce Commission did
not please some persons in powerful
and influential positions. Stanley
Rypins, professor of English litera-
ture, incurred the enmity of reac-
tionaries because of his activities with
the old committee of 49, Even
professor of chemistry, Gerhard
Dietrichson, found that he could not
pendent mind at the same time.
Professor Schaper took his dis
missal stoically; he suffered intensely
but, to his everlasting credit, he
never permitted his just and burn
ing grievance to turn into bitterness
towards those who wronged him.
He was content to say that they
icfo f0 -;
case for posterity to decide.
Joining the Minnesota Railroad and
Warehouse Commission in presenting
evidence against further increase in
freight rates on agricultural COM
modities is the North Dakota COM
mission. The action was agreed on
at a joint conference between the
states, at which it was decided to
ask Montana to join.
ut is my opinion" Commissioner
Harold Atwood declared, ''that since
the interests of North Dakota, Mon
tana and Minnesota are identical, our
positions will be greatly strengthened
by consolidating our efforts" The
argument will be presented before the
!. c. c. in January.
Typical of the campaign now being
waged by Twin City daily newspapers
to hurt the cause of labor and the
liberal political movement was the
story last week that two Minneapolis
firms are planning to move their
plants to Illinois to avoid labor
costs and taxes The tale was
promptly and vigorously branded I'M
true by the officials of the two con-
Germs themselves.
Not only did the daily press stories
deliberately diStort the reasons for