The Days of a Man 



D885 



the 



member 

 from 

 Dearborn 



The 



member 

 from 

 Sullivan 



up in the finance committee of the senate, one of 

 them, Hugh D. McMuUen of Dearborn County, 

 spoke sarcastically of the chairman's attitude. Wil- 

 lard thereupon arose in high dudgeon and threatened 

 to resign the chairmanship. McMullen immediately 

 moved that the resignation be at once accepted; 

 the motion passed by acclamation, and Willard 

 found himself high and dry. He afterward re- 

 marked that "you cannot do anything in a legis- 

 lature full of university alumni." 



At the same session the senator from Sullivan, 

 who opposed any further endowment of the Uni- 

 versity, set forth a fantastic argument. Referring 

 to William B. Creager, then superintendent of schools 

 in his county, he spoke in substance as follows: 



Six years ago Bill Creager was working out road taxes in 

 Sullivan at a dollar a day. Then he went to the State Normal 

 School at "Terry Hut." Then SulHvan hired him again, this 

 time as teacher, and had to pay a hundred dollars a month. 

 Then he went to the State University at Bloomington, which 

 we support with our taxes. He comes back and we make him 

 county superintendent and pay him two hundred a month. 

 That isn't fair. We pay for the schools and he gets the benefit, 

 while we lose six dollars a day because Bill Creager has been 

 eddicated. 



Still another member ''from down Cincinnati 

 way," a saloon man of German origin, had never 

 heard of universities, and asked what they were for. 

 I explained their purpose to his satisfaction and ap- 

 parently secured his vote. It is, of course, only fair 

 to say that the majority of the legislature were 

 competent, steady-headed men, largely farmers and 

 country lawyers. I may also add that the most 

 competent and helpful of all were often attorneys 



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