132
YALE ALUMNI WEEKLY
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Pyale Alumni Weekly, New Haven, Conn.
The office is at Room 6, White Hall.
ADVISORY BOARD.
H. C. Roptnson, 58. J. R. SHEFFIELD, ’87.
W.W.Sxrppy,’658. J. A. HARTWELL, '89 S.
C. P. LINDSLEY, 7% S. L.S. WELCH, ’89.
W. Camp, ’89. E. VAN INGEN, ’91S.
W. G. DaGGeEtTT, 80. P. Jay, °9.
EDITOR.
Lewis 8. WELCH, ’89.
ASSOCIATE EDITOR.
WALTER Camp, ’80.
ASSISTANT EDITOR.
E. J. THOMPSON, Sp.
NEWS EDITOR.
FrrEpD. M. DaviEs, ’99.
ASSISTANT.
PRESTON KuMLER, 1900.
BUSINESS DEPARTMENT ASSISTANTS.
O.M. CLaRK, 798. BURNETT GOODWIN, ’99 S.
Entered as second class matter at New Haven P. 0.
NEW HAVEN, CONN., JAN. 12, 1899.
All material for the WEEKLY, which 1s
not of the character of late news, should
be received not later than Friday morning,
for the issue of the following week. Arti-
cles of a general nature can always be pre-
pared so as to be received by that time,
and alumni notes should all be in the of fice
at that time. ;
In the case of record of late news, it is
possible to handle a limited amount of very
important matter as late as Monday after-
noon, but its use can not be guaranteed at
that time.
Se
THE TALK OF LEGISLATIVE TAX
ACTION.
Since the complete defeat at law of
the attempt to increase Yale’s tax list
about 800%, there has been some news-
paper talk of an appeal to the Legisla-
ture for a change of charter which
should allow the assessors to accom-
plish what is now impossible.
Of the legal possibilities of such a
step, we have not made a study, be-
cause the move itself seems the most
highly improbable thing. We cannot
believe the State of Connecticut is go-
ing out of its way to deliberately attack
Yale University, when the officials of
New Haven have discovered at con-
siderable expense that all the law is
against them. With taxation laws and
principles in their most discreditably
confused state, it would most certainly
be a remarkable thing, that the State
should begin an alleged reform by a
direct attack on the rights and resources
of its most famous institution. The rest
of the State, of course, had nothing to
do but stand by and watch the contest
when certain New Haven officials tried
this means of geting a few thousand
dollars more of revenue. If New Haven
should ask the rest of the State to be-
come a party to any such proceeding,—-
well, we doubt that anybody would ven-
ture the undertaking in the name of the
city.
I ers
THE PRESIDENT’S CONSTANT
GIVING.
While we have not yet been: ready
to review in detail the administration
which will close next June, we cannot
allow to pass, without a word, the
statement of the Corporation in the
resolutions accepting the President’s
resignation. The array of figures: does
YALE ALUMNI
a
not so much impress us. The material
expansion of the University is a patent
fact and constantly offers, to the most
casual observer, its testimony of the
progressive spirit at the head of the in-
stitution. Even the vastly more im-
portant increase in the educational staff
is quite apparent, although not as con-
spicuous as the other features.
But the point in which we are espe-
cially interested is that item of per-
sonal generosity. which has been kept »
stream has been
flowing on, the ‘Treasurer’s reports
have said that ‘a friend’ has given
$100 or $1,000 or $5,000 to carry some
department through the year, or to ap-
ply to some very. necessary fund. No
one has read the Treasurer’s report
without noticing the constant flow of
small benefactions, generally name-
less, by which the University has been
carried along over rough places. Al-
though it was common knowledge that
the President’s purse was constantly
open, it was not known that he spent
so much. It is an indication of the
kind of spirit by which Yale has been
made and carried forward. The loyalty
of her alumni is proverbial, and again
and again the loyalty of her instructors
and officers has been demonstrated.
This is one of the best illustrations of it.
But even in this list is not included
a very large total of generosities, in
behalf of Yale education, which have
been strictly personal in their nature,
and by which many individuals have
been placed under personal obligations
of the strongest kind, to the head of
the University, who has taken time to
consider their individual cases and has
liberally met their needs.
quiet. While the
Barescsh tae Hees 6/005.
A TIME TO BE GLAD AND TO BE
SERIOUS.
It is a time for joy and a time for
reflection. Yale has won her great tax
suit. The Supreme Court of Errors of
the State of Connecticut has ‘‘advised”
the Superior Court to order the Board.
of Relief to strike from the list all
items added by the assessors, with the
exception of a single residence of one
of the Faculty and possibly one or two
other insignificant items that would
come within the same general descrip-
tion. The main contentions are splen-
didly and without exception main-
tained. The attempt to place Yale on
the tax list of New Haven, at a figure
which would begin at about half a mil-
lion and which would undoubtedly go
up quite rapidly from that point, is de-
clared to be inconsistent with the let-
ter and spirit of the law of the State
of Connecticut as expressed in statute
and charter, and as defined by invaria-
ble construction from the earliest point
down to the present day.
Thus the hole is closed before it is
opened.. The University will not be
obliged to spend the income of about
$200,000 annually in paying taxes. For
this fact, which is established by the
unequivocal and unanimous decision of
the Justices of the Supreme Court, Yale
is as she should be, in good spirits.
Indeed, it is a time for joy.
It is even more the time for reflec-
tion. Next to the decision itself, on the
main points of law involved, the Su-
preme Court, speaking through Judge
Hammersley, made no _ deliverance
nearly so important as that touching
the collegiate policy of the renting of
rooms. The decision is printed’ in full
elsewhere in this issue, but we beg
leave to reprint here these passages to
which we refer: . |
“The argument urged by the defend-
ant (the Board of Assessors of New
Haven) in support of its claim that the
dormitories assessed are practically
WEB KLY
used for the purpose of trade, is sub-
stantially this: The College is intended
primarily for scholars who are poor
and the great majority of. foundations
express this purpose more or _ less
clearly; no one shall be prevented by
limitation of birth or means from the
full development of his capacities for
the service of the State; an essential
feature of the College is equality; no
special privileges or honors can be se-
cured except through personal worth.
When, therefore, in the apportionment,
the students are practically divided, on
the right hand and left, according to
the marks of wealth and, as the find-
ing shows, the poor student is relegated
to the unsightly discomfort represented
by seventy-five cents a week and the
rich student promoted to the compara-
tive luxury represented by ten dollars
a week; a rule of apportionment is
adopted which violates the essential
conditions of college life and the build-
ings or portions of buildings apnvro-
priated to the rich student cease to be
College buildings, because the poor
student is excluded from their occupa-
tion.’
On this contention, which, *in its
statement of specific facts, as the Court
observes, is supported by the finding of
the Committee of the Superior Court,
the Supreme Court, through Judge
Hammersley, makes the following ob-
servation:
“There would be force in this argu-
ment, so far as it is supported by facts,
if addressed to the College authorities.
We do not care to minimize its force
for that purpose. It goes without say-
ing that the most costly gifts cannot
compensate for any loss of that spirit
of independent equality which is the
ufe of the University and which has
heretofore especially characterized this
plaintiff.”
The natural caution with which the
Court uses its facts does not detract
from the significance of the deliverance,
which is, in a measure, aside from the
main argument, and which need not
have been introduced with such force.
It seemed to the Court an occasion
which, in its quasi-advisory capacity, it
could not allow to go by. In other
words, the Supreme Court of Connecti-
cut felt called upon to give Yale a
warning as to their internal policy.
We are bound to admit that the warn-
ing was in order. Re-enforced by this
high authority, we cannot but reiterate,
in plainer’ language than we may have
yet used, that the general policy of the
Corporation, in the treatment of its dor-
mitories, has been inconsistent with the
spirit of the place, with the common if
not the unanimous desire of those who
have furnished these dormitories, and,
though clearly within the law, as the
Supreme Court has said, is without and
against the higher law of this place. It
NEW YORK LIFE
INSURANCE COMPANY.
SN TTI
JOHN A. MCCALL, PRESIDENT.
This Company has been in successe
ful operation since 1845, and has now
Over 300,000 policy-holders and over
$200,000,000 in assets. It offers the
most privileges and on the most favor-
able terms, of any Company. Under
its new system of classifying and com-
pensating agents, it offers to young
men continuous employment and a
life income. Its policies and agents’
contracts will interest all students.
& a
NEW YORK LIFE
"NSURANCE COMPANY,
346 & 348 Broadway,
NEW YORK.
has threatened the best asset of Yale.
and, proceeding on a purely commerci2:
basis, has finally reached the point
where it has also threatened most seti-
ously those visible and material assets
of the University which it was supposed
to foster. If Yale had gone so far in
this direction as to force the Supreme
Court to say that its dormitories were
handled purely on commercial lines
and for purposes of trade, there would
have been no disagreement over the
proposition that the Corporation had
taken a very expensive way of increas-
ing its revenue.
We are duly thankful that this point
had not been reached. But, it is neces-
sary to have such a point reached, in
order to arouse the Corporation of Yale
to the point of realizing the danger into
which it was bringing the best thing
there is in Yale, the democratic spirit
of the place, then the price would have
been cheap. We hope the warning is
at last clear enough. The community
of Yale has so far, in its own life, held
up its standards in the face of a ma-
terial policy of the Corporation. It
still places things immaterial above
things material,—character above dol-
lars and men above buildings. How
long it shall seem fit to test the endur-
ance of this spirit, by an application of
the opposite spirit in the material en-
vironment of Yale, we do not know.
When the Corporation dares to say
that Yale democracy shall not only be
[Continued on 135th page.]
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Harry Payne Whitney.
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ARTHUR JOHN FRASER, CHAIRMAN.
DONALD C. HALDEMAN.
