Liberty advocate. [volume] (Liberty, Miss.) 1835-1866, 1846-02-07

MISSISSIPPI OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES OF
Representatives.
Thursday, Jan. 18th 1916.
The state University.
Mr.. Cushman from the select commit
tee to whom was referred the bill relat ting
TO the University Of Mississippi repo9ed
the bill back with an amendment TO
strike out that portion Of the bill giving
The trustees contro! over the funds. Mr..
Simrall was in favor Of using this fund
in such manner as would rebound to the
public good. He said he believed the 60
vernon was right when he suggested that
to appropriate the fund 10 the establish
ment OF semnaries Of learning in differ
ent portions OF The State, would be consls-
tent with the act Of Congress granting
US this fund; and he thought that by do
ing so, they would better carry out the
views OF The Stale, than in concentI ating
it in one University. He called upon
gentlemen TO look around in the United
States and find the State institution which
had answered the expectations OF its
founders He said, if the college turned
out one hundred students year, it would
be as much as any college in the United
States, which would make one student TO
each county .--He thought they were 60
ing wrong end foremost. 1t was lmpos'
sible that colleges could be forced. 1t
was only in those states where the people
generally received the rudimenls of u
common education, that they could estab-
llsh colleges. Lf they cou'd not make
differen, disposition Of the fund under the
exsting law, he was in favor Of memo
rialising congress on the subJect.-He
said that Oxford was situated in the ex-
IRENE northern portion Of the stale near
the Tennessee line. In few years the
majority of the board Of trustees will be
concentrated about Oxford, and then the
university would become purely local
institution.
Mr.. Cushman said, the chief opposition
O! the gentleman from Wilkinson to the
bill seemed TO be because the institution
was located in the northern portion Of the
state. This location had been made years
by the joint ballot o.. the legislature. lie
(Mr. CO. would not regard sectional lines
in the location Of university. lie could
point to various stale institutions that are
located in the extreme end Of the state.
The gentleman seemed 10 base his argu-
ment upon the recommendation Of the
governor, that they should divide the fund
out amongst various institutions to be es
tablished in different parts Of the state.'
They had seen how the school fund had
} been squandered- that not one county in
ten had derived any benefit from that
fund; and according to the gentleman
himself, had been Of no benefit TO the
county the gentleman was FROM Why
then did the gentleman urge upon them
to divide The seminary fund? If the uni.
versity was not located at Oxford. ii new
er could be located at all. He knew the
disposition Of men when money was to
be appropriated, to come in for as much
as they were entitled 10, and little
more. He knew that men, TO obtain pop
} ularlly, would recommend division. Tie
: knew that men might succeed in address
ing the prejudices of members, but he
J hoped they would be more liberal than 10
I suffer themselves TO be operated upon by
sectional principles, which should never
influence them in carrying out plan for
} the education OF the people Of the state.
: He hoped tina! all appeals to divide out
this fund would be regarded. 1t had
never been done by any state where land
had been donated TO them for the purpose
OF education, and TO do so now would be
, an act Of high handed injustice.
On motion of Mr.. Smylie, the house
resolved itself into committee of the
whole, Mr.. McNabb in the chair, for the
purpose Of considering the bill.
Mr.. Allen said, he agreed with the gen
tleman from Wilkinson, in his opinion,
(. that no institution which had been go
verned by the state, had answered the OBJ.
ects OF its founders. Mr. A. asked the
gentlemen to look at the census, and see
how many persons there we're in the
5 state who could neither read nor write,
and when they considered this, they
I would see that it was necessary 10 provide
some general plan Of instruction. He
did not believe in the necessity Of Uni.
! versity education. Some Of the most in
telectuaI men in our country had never
! been in university; and he inslanced
!. Washington, Patrick Henry and Gen.
? Jackson, 10 whose memory the house had
/, uaid such tribute Of respect. He said
!. that men Of wealth did not send their
! children TO the state institutions: they
!. sent them TO the northern institutions, and
n would always send them there, because
q boa I'd and tuition were cheaper. They
3 had the advantage Of US, and would al
: ways control the education Of the state