Page:A History of the University of Chicago by Thomas Wakefield Goodspeed.djvu/294

 256 A HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO instructors. "We are here not a college, but a university, and as such this should be our motto: 'High ideals of scholarship, and in connection with it and for the sake of it, good fellowship.' ' (Applause.) Yes, they applauded. There were nearly twice as many graduates as undergraduates. However, not under- graduate students only, but multitudes of others wanted to see grow up along with great graduate and professional schools, a flourishing and numerous undergraduate department. And the necessities of the situation and the logic of events were too much for the theories of the President. All that he hoped as to the strength of the graduate work, and more, was realized, but nothing could stop the growth of the colleges, and the two departments flourished together, both receiving the care they demanded. The year 1892 saw a presidential campaign and election. The young American citizens in the University were politicians as well as students. Political clubs were therefore organized. The young Republicans were first in the field, followed by the Inde- pendents, the Prohibitionists, and the Democrats. Political feeling ran high. On the day of the national election a vote was taken in Cobb Hall, not for presidential candidates, but on the question, "Which party platform presents the embodiment of principles which would best promote the progress of our country?" The result of the ballot was a surprise: Republicans, 151; Democrats, 52; Prohibitionists, 164; People's Party, 3; Socialist, i. The Republicans and Democrats were much dissatisfied and declared that the Prohibitionists, by hard work, had brought out their full vote, while they had not exerted themselves, and insisted that the political status of the University was still unfixed. In this vote the University introduced woman suffrage, the only qualification for voting being membership in the University. The political interest of the year also found expression in the creation by the clubs of a House of Representatives with Mr. Judson as the first chairman. The public welfare was put into the hands of thirty- five committees. Numberless bills were introduced, one of them providing for the election of United States Senators by direct vote of the people. The Electoral College having failed to choose a President the election was thrown into the House. It was an