Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1864-01-29

Iowa State Agricultural College.
The following is . copy of the Memorial
presented to the General Assembly of this
State on the 22d inst:
The Board Of Trustees of the Iowa State
Agricultural College, have directed the un-
dersigned to memorabilia the Legislature on
the following points ...
|. LIST. The grant of Congress of 24O, 900
acres Of land to the State Of Iowa for Agri-
cultural and Mechanical purposes.
The board of Trustees at its last session
held January 14th, passed the following reso
luton:
Resolued, That the President and Secretary
lof this Board memorialize the Legislature for
such additional legisla ton as may be neces.
sary to place the proceeds of lands donated
by Congress for Agricultural and Mechanical ]
purposes under the controle of this Board for
the use Of the Agricultural College of the
State.
In accordance Herewith we respectfully
memorialize your honorable bodies to take
such action as may be needed to comply with
the object stated in the resolution.
I'd. 1he appropriation necessasy to erect
College Buildings. Clause third Of the ftth
section Of the act of Congress granting lands
to Agricultural Colleges is as follows:
"Any State which may take and claim the
benefit of tho provisions Of this act shall pro-
vide, within five years, at least not less than
one college, as described in the fourth sec.
ton of this act, or the grant to such State
shall cease and said State shall be bound to
pay the United States the amount received of
any lands previously sold, and that the title
to purchasers shall be valid"
The second clause of said section is as fol-
lows:
"No portion of said fund, nor the interest
thereon, shall be applied directly or indirect
ly, to the purchase, erection, preservation, or
repair Of any building or buildings"
1t therefore appears clear to our minds that
the Legislature should appropriate at this
session sufficient amount to erect College
buildings, in order to secure the munificent
Congress grant, as to defer such an appropri-
alton to the next session of the Legislature,
buildings could not be erected in proper
manner within the prescribed time of FIVE
years from the I'd of July, 1862, the date of
the approval of the act of Congress. Neither
is it advisable to divert the grant to any other
institution, as appears by the following quo
tation from Sec. 4 of the act of Congress:
"And that the moneys so invested shall
constitute a perpetual fund, the capital Of
which shall remain forever undiminished, and
the interest of which shall be inviolably ap.
propriated by each State which may take
and claim the benefit OF this act, to the en-.
dowment, support, and maintenance of at
least one College, where the leading object
shall be, without excluding other scientific
and classical studies, and including military
tactics, to teach such branches Of learning as
are related to agriculture and the mechanic
arts, &C."
| As to the amount necessary for compe
tent College Building to accommodate one
hundred students, we have to say:
The Board employed in the year 1859 q
competent architect to draft plan, with speci
fcations and estimates, of suitable build
ing to accommodate one hundred students
and the President and Professors with lecture
and recitation rooms, kitchen, dining room
and all other rooms necessary for the College
besides the basement, forty-two feet by one
hundred and fifty feet-the basement or first
story to be of stone, the superstructure Of
brick. The estimate of such building wa,
then $37, 900. Material and labor being higher
now than in 1859, it is thought that such a
building will now cost $4,000. We there
fore pray for an appropriation of the latter
amount, which will be sufficient to complete
it in every respect ready for the furniture -
We think we have sufficient funds on hand,
$3.50, 000) in various kinds of property, as
will be seen by our financial report. to furnish
the College building, including College appa.
ratus, and to stock the farm with improved
breeds of animals, tools, out-buildings. &c.
We respectfully suggest that the Agricul-
tural College has double capacity of school
and labor upon the farm, which must neces-
sarily cost more than ordinary college build.
ings where students board in contiguous
towns or on side of the College-it must be
sufficient to accommodate all with home,
and where the students are always required
to be on the farm for economical labor upon
it, and where they will be able to support
themselves, for one half the cost they would
without the profit of their labor.
These, in brief, are our reasons for asking
an immediate and sufficient appropriation to
place our Institution on such permanent
footing as will be credit to the enterprise Of
the State, an honor to her great agricultural
interests, and to meet the eminent designs Of
the act Of Congress which gave our State
such munificent endowment grant.
On behalf of the Board of Trustees of ths
Iowa State Agricultural College.
| SUEL FOSTER, Pres't pro tenn.
| WV: DIANE WILSoN Sec'v