Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1858-01-21
Encouraging Agriculture.


A Bill Donating public lands to the several
States and Territories which may provide
Colleges for the benefit of Agriculture and
Mechanic Arts, Introduced by Mr., M0RRm.
of Vermont, and referred to the Committee
on Public Lands.
See. l. Be it enacted By the Senate and House
of Representatives, of the United States Of Amer
ica in Congress assembled, That there be granted
to the several Statesand Territories, for the pur
pose hereinafter mentioned, six millions three
hundred and forty thousand (6,340,0 acres
Of land, to be appOrtioned to each State qnan-
tty equal to twenty thousand (20OO0) acres fol
each Senator and Representative in Congress, to
which the States are now respectively entitled,
and to each Territory sixty thousand (6O,O0O.)
Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That the
land aforesaid after being surveyed, shall be ap-
porti0ned to the several States and Territories
in section or subdivision of section, not less than
one quarter of section; and wherever there
are public lands in q State or Territory worth
one dollar and twenty-five cents per acre, the
value Of said lands to be determined by the Gov
ornor of said State or Territory, the quantity to
which said State OF Territory shall be entitled
shall be selected for such lands; and the Sec
aetary of the Interior is hereby 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
distributve shares, in acres, under the provisions
of this act, and for no other use or purposes
whatsoever; Provided, That in no case shall
any State or Territory, to which land scrip may
thus be issued, be allowed to locate the same
within the limits of any other State or of any
organized Terri tory of the United States, but
their assignees may thus locate said land scrip
upon any of the unappropriated lands OF the
United States subject to private entry.
Sec. 3. And be it further enacted, That all the
expenses of management and supervision of said
lands previous to their sales, and all expen-
ses incurred in the management and disbur-
sement of the moneys which may be received
therefrom, shall be paid by the States to which
they may belong, out of the treasury of said
State, SO that the entire proceeds of the sale of
said lands shall be applied, without any diminu-
tons whatever, to the purposes hereinafter men,
toned.
Sec, 4. And be it further enacted, That all
money derived from the sale of the lands afore-
said, by the States or Territories to which the
land are apportioned and from the sale of laud
scrip hereinbefore provided for, shall be invest
ed in stocks of the United States, or of the
: States, or some other safe stocks, yielding not
! less than five per centum upon the par value of
shall constitute perpetual fund, the capital of
t which shall remain forever undiminished except
50 far as may be provided in section fifth of this
t act and the interest of which shall be inviola-
blyapproprated by each State or Territory which
may take and claim the benefit Of this act, to
n the endowment, support, and maintenance, of at
least one college, where the leadiag object shall
be, without excluding other scientific or classic
al studies, to teach such branches Of learning as
u are related to agriculture and the mechanic arts,
II in such manner as the State and Territories may
n respectively prescribe, in order to promote the
. liberal and practical education of the Industrial
:, classes in the several pursuits and professions in
Il life
It Sec S. And be it further enacted, That the
i grant of land and land scrip hereby authorized
Is shall be made on the following conditions. to
- which, as well as to the provisions hereinbefore
- contained, the previous assent of the several
c States and Territories shall be signifed by legis-
s lative acts:
ir First. If any portion of the fund invested,
as provided by the foregoing section, or any
portion of the interest thereon shall by any ac-
ct ton contingency be dimished or lost, it shall
10 be replaced by the State or Territory to which
E. it belongs 50 that the capital of the fund shall
remain forever undimished, and the annual in
ii terest shall be regularly applied, without dim
is mutton, to the purposes mentioned in the fourth
n section of this act, except that sum, not ex-
ceeding ten per ceutum upon the amount recei-
- we'd by any State or Territory, under the provis-
~ ions of this act, may be expended for the pur-
" chase of land for sites or experimental farms,
,e whenever authorized by the respective Legisla-
. lures of said States or Territories.
. Second. No portion of said fund, nor the in
re terest thereon, shall be applied directly or ndi
- rectly, under any pretence whatever, to the pur
A. chase, erection, preservation, repair, of any
building or buildings.
Third. Any State or Territory, which may
ly take and claim the benefit of the provisions Of
t. this act, shall provide, within five years at least
re not less than one college, as described in thu
fourth section of this act, or the grant to such
y States Territory shall cease and said State or
al Territory shall be bound to pay the United Sta
re ties the amount received of any land previously
be solo, and that the title to purchasers, under tn,
State or Territory, shall be valid,
iii Fourth. An annual report shall be made re
glrding the progress of each college, recording
any improvements and experiments made with
their cost and results, and such other matters
as may be supposed useful, one copy of which
n shall be transmitted by mail free by each to all
c, the other colleges which may be endowed under
an the provisions of this act and to the Smithson.
u ian Institution and the agricultural department
ng of the Patent Office, at Washington.