Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1858-05-28
MIR. MOrriIl's Land lsisI.

The bill donating lands to the several
States which establish colleges for the
benefit of agriculture and the mechanic
arts, passed the House yesterday, by a
vote of los to 100. This bill was in
troduced on the 10th Of December, and
was reported upon adversely by the
Committee on Public lands few days
since. Its object, however, was so pop
ular, as to get it through the House by a
majority of FIVE members, voting irres.
pective Of parties or sections.
Section 1st~ grants to the several
States 6,34O,OOO acres of land, for the
purpose of promoting and encouraging
agricultural colleges and schools for the
mechanic arts. There is to be apportion-
cd to each State a quantity equal to
twenty thousand acres for each Senator
and Representative in Congress to which
the States are now respectively entitled.
Section I'd provides that these lands,
"aftcr being surveyed, shall be appor-
toned in sections, or subdivisions Of
sections, not less than one quarter Of a
section; and whenever there are public
lands in State worth one dollar and
twenty-five cents per acre, the quantity
to which said State shall be entitled shall
be selected from such lands By this
section, the Secretary of the Interior is
also directed to issue to those States in
which there are no public lands of the
value of one dollar and twenty-five cents
per acre, land scrip to the amount of
their distributive shares.
The States, however, to which this
scrip is issued, cannot locate it within
the limits Of any other State or Territory;
but their assignees may locate it upon
any of the unappropriated lands Of the
United States subject to private entry.
Section Sd makes it a condition that
the expenses of selling the lands thus
distributed shall be paid by the States
themselves.
Section 4th directs that all monies
derived from the sale of the lands donat-
ed shall be invested in stocks of the
United States, or Of the States, or some
other safe investment. The money SO
invested is to constitute 4 perpetual fund,
and the interest to be invioably appro-
priated by each State which may take
and claim the benefit of the act, to the
endowment, support, and maintenance
Of at least one college where the leading
object shall be, without excluding other
scientific or classical studies, to teach
such branches Of learning as are related
to agriculture and the mechanic arts, in
order to promote tho liberal and practi-
cal education Of the industrial classes in
the several pursuits and professions in
life.
The 9Th and last section sets forth the
conditions on which the grants of land
and land script shall be made to the
States: l. If any of the fuEd provided
for III the fourth section be lost, it is to
be Immediately replaced by the State
?. No portion of the fund is to be ap-
Piled to the purchase. erection preser-
vatien, or re.arir of any building or
buildings. 3. States claiming the benefit
of this act shall have college built
within five years, OF the grant to such
State will be null and VOID 4. An
anual report Of tho operations of each
college must be sent to all the similar
colleges, to the Smithsonian Institution,
and to the Agricultural Bureau.