Gov. Luce's Strange "friendship

The pcrson who uolds the executive Chali of this State has seen fit to vent the spleen of hls private secretivry against the luiversity of Michigan by sending lts nppropriatioii bilis back to the legillature wlth a request to cut tliera down; and a suggestion that the ngenta cliangc the law relative to the education of foreign students that they may pay greuter tuitlon tlian they do at present. And finally vetolnf; the bilí. (When lias the Qovernor been uear the University to Uud out anything about its merits or management?) The Gerernor all the time protests that he Is "a friend to the I "niversity," a sehool-boy way of tryiiifi to siK-.iK out of something he ought to be asliaiued of. He makes no pretentiou of frieudship toward the Agricultura! College (whioh ts acknowledged all over the State to be by far the most extravagant instltution in the State), but he makes hot haste to sign all the approprlations it asks for. Not another institution in th Si ato does the governor show this peculiar kind of "friendship" for. Well may the University exclaim : "Good Lord ! deliver us f rom such a fiiend ! " There are, periap.i, several reasons for this acüon on the part of our Governor. The greatest of all, however Is that he, like the good-natured Gov. Bogóle, has a private secretary that is greater tuan he is himself. This private secretary fives evidence of belonging to a ring the chief buglers of which are the Detroit Evening News, and the Agricultural College dique. The iroof of this is shown in the fact that the information of the Governor's couduct In this matter was very privately given to the News in advance of all otlier Detroit papers. Now the News cares notliingfor elther this private secretary or the Agricultural College, only as it can use tliem to accotnplisli lts ends. If the News can kill off the University onc great luipediment is out of its way. The high schools will next be attackeil, tlien the comraon s 'IiooU will sooti follow, 80 that the only method of education the people will have will be parochial or deuomiuational schools. Look back at Mie course of the News from its inception until to-day, and ftnd one word, if yon can, it has ever said in favor of our public schools, from the cominou schools up. You will look in vain. The object which appears dearest to its heart is to kill nll' our present grand system of educatlon and then let each religious denominntion edúcate its own children if it want them educated. And that a governor ot this State should leud himself as i looi to a project of that sort is deplorable. The Agricultural College ring belng located near the legislature, where bandlome bo(iuets, cozy lunches, and "lots of iulluence" can be brougtit to bear, hopes by killing oft' the University to build itself up. The News is sharp enough to know that such a thing would be impossible, btit seeing the weapou grusps it greedily to accomplish its own designs with. Tliennmeot tlie Governor's private secretary is Campbell, the same man whose actio iu tlie house (WO years ago in reference to the University so disgusted his con9tituents that they refused to return liiin fora second term. His course in the matter can be accounted for in no other nimmer that that iie possesses an enlarged spleen or a dlsordered liver. It is to be hoped that the time will come when lie will look back upon this part ot his lift Wlth ibame and sorrow. When he comes toliud out the coinpany he is in lic will probably repent, for it is asscrtcd ly tliose who know tiim that at heart he is a very decent fellow. Gov. Ijuce Is very kindly referred to the action of tlie last republicun State convention in reference to tlie Univi-rsity. It lie does not like its reading he is respcctfullv refeirt'd to tlie plank of the (leni(cr:itic [ilatform adopted at about the same time. There is no mistaking the meaning of either one. Both were nni'iiuiviH'ally pk'(!ged to the support of the 1 1 n iversity. The gottrnor kas probably forgotten abovt it. The Ooukier will give iirst place to nu ntlier paper In the State in itx i-arnest and hearty rapport of (ov. Luce, iliiriiif thffwmp)fn laai fall, iimuii not ui L'in.'tllv in favor of liis nominar ion. Tuk Coi'kikr took thnt course because ut tlmt time we tlionght that Mr. Luee's mimi had perhaps taken schut lmt ifter the broad acres lie bad so (llliently oultívuti'il, and tliat he liad breadtli and dcpth enongh to be jrovernor of a great rtate Ilke Klehtgan. lut Üme has devel oped the fact that we wt-re mistaken. Thegoreraor, bjhtaAeantaetion proves tli.it lie luis oniy brfdfh euoilgh of vi.-iim to sec whttt be desires to see; not Itrength of character sufflcient to with t;iiul the Impottanlag OÍ a léw individuáis who desire to use him to uccomplisli their ends tliat he lenda himself to aid his own private secretary to vent a pite that luis been nourishei'. mul Ooddled fur yi'ais: and worst of all becomt8 a tooi to aid a newspaper o( Detroit in Itl desireto cnisb tlie public schools of the State. 1 1 is conduct In regard to the University tpproprlatlODl is without parallel or ixcii-e. The Universlty went befo re the legislature and asked for what H absolutily neeiled. The Governor, without coming near me L inversiiv lo aseertaui its wants, Ud even koImjj so far as to stiidiuusly avoid tand ts ivpresentatives, lipón iiiniM'it' to lectora the legislatura npoii tlic Deedl ot tlie iiistitution. We mt rcsjifctfiílly nak Gv. Luce wfant be knows about the Universily, and liow and wheu he foiiDd it imtí In view of the outcome, we most respectfully ask pardon of our readers for vli:it we did in iniposiug gucli a man upon Uu; people as fiovernnr. He niay he all richt for foveriiiiig farm borderIng on Injiiinny, hut for tlic ukhi State ol .Mii'hiHii in li a proper partner for liiiv. Begote. The Detroit Free Press, in a cundid 111:11111er tilla Mr. Luce (or liis prívate secretiiry) some wiiolesome trutlis in the following miele: The faclH mul Huur hrouglil out in re HpoüHP to 4overnor Luce's im-Nsiie, witl referenee to the Uiiivemiy approprwtloo Hhow that Míe Uovernor wus a lutiiwio ODl i n lils 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 ii t o 1 1 lliat the State wax pul to m-:it expente )y reawon. oí Ihe luw fee obarged by the l'nlversliy tot the tnltlon 01 nnn-r;NÍdt;nls. 'l'lie Governor'H n;ur-s wt-r1 arf caplandum, and Ín hlK trntLiiieni it tlxsnlijccl Iludid DOt deal falrly wltli the yucstlon. The figure! wblob htivi been prodooml 8hiw very cleurly that lf every non -reuldi-nt ptuilent were to leave, the Inooma irhleb tlie Unlvi-rHlty would thereby lose VOQUI i ssilnt' a larer Stuti' ezpenditorf tor the supportol un insülullun wlth m) Mlclilan studentH than il does no for kw home iind Ü00 non-resldtiit sludentü. Il the 1 sid.-iii student pald greuter icis ih.ui tlicy iiuw ilo, umi remtlned ln-re ln ii nal iiiim Iii-im. the Muir approprliitlou could i)H siiKhtiy radoead; iiui even ir iba pala iis nineh n.s they do 1 Kiisli-ni umverulHi-s. mii-Ii a H ihe Uovernor ilUil, (He StHte and people would piiy inore, liy llie (iovi-rnni '- inethod of ngurlng. for the educatlon of home uludents than the nou-resident denla patd. And on Mip principie that tliey Nlioulti pay thelr Hhare of the íull expense of maiutalnlng the Uulverslty, a hlgher fee thau that charged by .my other American college would need to be lnslmed upon. If tne üovernor had gone a step further he miglit have Hald that there were ouly WK) home stiidelitH at the Michigan Unlverglty ; thal thoy paid comparativo Tlttle for tuitiotí, and that the people of the State bore the burden of thelr educatton, go lar as provlilIng the fuéllale therefor. If they were clmrgud the feeg for tultion whlch preval! Ín gome Eastern colleges, the need for legislatlve approprlationg would be stlll further lesaened. Rut tliu Stnte would be deprlved of ltgprldo and glory- the great free Unlveiglty oí Michigan. Goveruor Luee would not daré to suggeHt that the doorg of thlg great lngtitutton lie closed toall but the chlídren of the rlch ; and yet lf the Havard prloe for tultion were charged tiils would be tne Inevitable consequence. It must be malntatned and wlll be iimliitalned by the people of Michigan ; lt wlll be malntained na un Ingtltutlon worthy of the the State- practical ly free to students froin wlthln the State. Belng so malntalued lt would not only be foollsh polloy to bar out 8tudentn from other NtateH nníesB they pald heavy fees, but lt would result In a Iosh of revenue to the Unlverslty and would lower lts rank and prestige a oen ter of learnlng. It ín poHHlb'e that a xllülit Increase tinglit be made In the amount of feeii without detrU ment ; but the board of regonta, chogen dlrectly by the people, ought certainly to be able to deal fu I ly wltb tblg questlon. la tliis connectioti it might be well to quote the followiiifr from the l9t issue of the Michigan Modcrutor, puhlished at Lansiug: "Kepresentative Oole said in ilebating theuniversity appropriation in the House: "One of the dungers of these larire iiistitutiong has cropped out here to-day. I '.very man who gradiiutes is in favor of KivinjET the university all it asked, and if we gradúate a lew inore of different classes of studente, there will be uo limit to their demund.1' That's it, education gives men the "get there" quality, and we're pleased to know that only now and then a person is ungrateful or disloyal to liis itlnm mater. And we think the state is tnll.v as safe in the hands of college men, as in those of men like Dakin." Yes, which do you prefer. Mr. C'ole, the üiekema's or the Dakin's?