The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1858-05-21
THE PUBLIC LAND DONATION FOR
AGRICULTURAL AND MECHANICAL
COLLEGES.

THE PUBLIC LAND DONATION FOR
AGRICULTURAL AND MECHANICAL
COLLEGES.
We have written heretofore several arti-
ces upon the subject of the importance Of
State institutions for the education of farmers
and mechanics. The following from the
Washington correspondent of the Phiadel-
phia Enquirer gives some interesting nfor-
nation in regard to the bill which has passed
the house and Is now before the Senate of
the United States, granting public lands to
aid in this object:
The bill donating certain public lands to
the various States, to provide Colleges for the
benefit OF agriculture and the mechanic arts,
was successfully carried through the House
a few days ago, under the management Of
MIR. Morrell, of Vermont in spite of the op-
position OF the Committee on Public Lands.
The principle of the bill is an excellent one,
but some of its details injudicous and unfair
The entire amount thus given to the States
exceeds six millions of acres. Instead of be-
ing apportioned according TO the various
areas in acres or square miles, il is distributed
on the basis of Congressional representation,
allowing 10000 acres for each Senator and
Representative in Congress. The result is
that the largest States sometimes get the
smallest quantity of land. The distribution
will be as follows New York 100000 acres;
Pennsylvania $4,000 Ohio, 100000; Virgin.
ia, 100000; Massachusetts, and Indiana, $780,.
900 each; Kentucky and Tennessee, 100000
each; Illinois, 100000; North Carolina and
Georgia, 200, 900 each; Alabama and Missouri,
10000 each; Maine, Maryland and South
Carolina, 100000 each; New Jersey ard Mis-.
sissipp. 100000 each; Connecticut, Louisiana
and Michigan, 10000 each; New Hampshire,
Vermont and Wisconsin, 100000 each; Rhode
Island, Arkansas, Texas, Iowa, and Calfor-
mia, $4,000 each; and Delaware and Florida
287 millions of acres, and New York over
twenty two millions, but under this distribu.
tion one receives grant Of only eighty thou.
sand acres, and the other seven hundred
Thousand.
1t would seem as though some fairer sys-
TEN might have been devised, though nd
NIT that the thickly populated States will be
more likely to make the donation available
than the others. The territories were strick.
en- out of the bill, so that if Kansas, and Min
nesota, and Oregon should be admitted into
the Union at this session of Congress they
would be entitled to none of those lands.-
This also seems unfair.
The proceeds of these lands are required
to be invested by the various States in safe
stocks yielding not less than FIVE per cent. in.
terest, the capital to remain undiminshed a
perpetual fund, and the interest of which
shall be inviolably appropriated, by each
State which may take and claim the benefit
of this act, to the endowment, support and
maintenance of at least one college where the
leading object shall be, withou: excluding
other scientific or classical studies, to teach
such branches of learning as are related to
agriculture and the mechanic arts, in such
manner as the Legislatures of the States may
respectively prescribe, in order to promote
the liberal and practical education Of the in
dustral classes in the several pursuits and
professions in life. No portion of the amount
can be applied to the purchase, erection, pres.
ervation or repair of any buildings, but solely
to the internal economy of the institution,
and any State not providing such college
within five years from the passage of the bill
forfeits its entire claims to its benefits. The
above will give you general idea of very
important measure.