Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 85, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 April 1916 — PRESIDENT STONE HAS WRONG IDEA [ARTICLE]

PRESIDENT STONE HAS WRONG IDEA

Informs Lafayette Newspaper That Board of Education Does Not Want Clarke For Agent. The Lafayette Courier called upon President Stone of Purdue for a statement about the county agent discussion in this county and said that he was “informed that the county board of education does not want Mr. Clarke, but he has a group of friends who are working hard to land the job for him.”

The Republican would like to know who gave such information to President Stone. The feet is that there is no group of men who have organized on behalf of Mr. Clarke. THe first information The Republ'can had about the matter was when this, paper was informed that all thirteen of the trustees had joined to make a unanimous appeal that Clarke be hired. If President Stone is relying upon the information of some .person Who is trying to make him believe that our trustees ate a lot of shistens he is getting his information from a mighty poor source. These trustees are an honorable lot of men and if they were opposed to Faye Clarke thejy would say so and have it over with. They are, in fact, in favor of him, one and aM, and it is not apparent that there is any opposition to him unless it is that of Superintendent Lamson. A prominent gentleman who lives about 8 miles from Rensselaer, called at our office Friday to express himself about the county agent matter and he said that the position President Stone has taken is ’isgracafu!. He says that he is certain that the law does not confer to Purdue the right to rule against an applicant because he lives in the county where he asks employment and that the assumption of such authority on the part of Purdue is sure to result in legislation that will clip the wrings of that institution. He remarked that the state by large and burdensome appropriations has furnished money to Purdue in such quantity as to make it over bearing and unreasonable. He said that if he was a trustee he would certainly hold out indefinitely in favor of having Mr. Clarke given the job here or of declining to endorse any recommendation made by Prof. Coleman or Purdue university. He said that he thought it a v.ery strange situation that Purdue would graduate a student from its agricultural department after a four years’ course and then two or three years later to claim that he lacked technical knowiledge of modem agriculture. What sort of a game is Purdue putting up on the people, any way? The Republican will publish the law in a day or bwo. It clearly leaves the matter of accepting an agent recommended by Purdue With the itown-.-hip trustees. The objections of President Sbone are flimsy and unbecoming a college president. Clarke is refused 'because he lacks personality and tact. He is a young man, clean as a ribbon, and every person Who is acquainted with -him is a friend. That is the quality of personality. Tact is a broad subject and one that does not even suggest honesty. it figures in the administration of Purdue we ,s tlo not know, but it is apt to have comradeship with subterfuge and deception. Such an excellent authority as Webster says it is ability to deal with others without giving offenses. If Webster’s meaning is to be accepted, we may *say that we have never heard of Faye Clarke proving offensive to 'any person. He is a Christian young gentleman and an honorable man in all dealings. As to his practical experience there might be some slight objection, but Purdue has clothed him with the technical knowledge and the taxpayers of his own home county are willing to try him out and evidently he is as well equipped or better, probably much better, than the last man sent to us on Purdue’s recommendation. The next objection is' the one that really caps the, climax for ridiculousness. It is “freedom from social and political alliances in the county.” We had always held that social relations were a fine feature of our social fabric and observation had made us .believe that social qualities were the very foundation o£ success in life. Objection No. 2 is that Mr. Clarke lacks personality and No. 4 that he has so much of it that his friendships are dangerous. We had never expected to 'have one’s social alliances made the cause of an obejetion unless the Reason making the objection was able to show that the associations were dangerous. Faye has been an attendant at the Christian church and Sunday school, a member of the • Van Rensselaer Club and has lived a life absolutely free from any evil companions of any sort. But Purdue don’t like his social alliances. What has

Purdue to recommend? It don’t like his political alliances either, but having lived in close knowledge of Faye for ten or more years and for some time a near neighbor, we don’t know what his politics are. We rather presume he is a republican, but when a county agent is needed we don’t care whether he is a republican, a democrat, a bull moose or a populist, we just want a county agent. We (have a sort of notion, however, that every place except Purdue, it is recommended that every person should have convictions along political lines and live up to them. We have some very honorable people here in Jasper county who are democrats, republicans and prohibitionists and we don't object to their alliances. We don’t pay much attention to politics when we want a doctor, a veterinary, a blacksmith, a tailor or a county agent, but we respect these men if they have convictions and alliances. President Stone says “according to the judgment of those who know him well” Mir. Clarke is lacking in most of the qualifications named. We demand to know from whom President Stone received such information. It is a falsehood and was fostered for the purpose of carrying out the determined effort to keep Faye Clarke out of a job for which he is well qualified and to which all unless it should be Superintendent Damson desire o have him appointed. We regret to question the honesty of "President Stone's but be ha& Wt acted- in a- manner to justify much confidence in him Or "the coterie associated with him in carrying out the provisions of a law that gave it some slight authority. His position has made a Purdue diploma look a lot cheaper than we had ever before held it to be. <f