Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1865-01-04


to remain as the .last wordb OF the official
correspondence. Do 30 ~ lji Iaiii griaiy
ION the 18th of July the Secretary and.
Attorney-General, as commissioners, pub
lished in one or more of the papers OF Nhe
City of New York notice (of. which ap-.
pend u copy to the correspondence rePp-
dating Mr. Russell as the agent OF the
State, and declaring that mo acts of his
will be recognized by the Board of Fund
Commissioners" Holders OF stock, we're
put to considerable expense, trouble and
delay by this "arbitrary and illegal ac4' of
the commissioners. Whether the credit or
character of the State were materially af-
fected by il, / am not able to say. This
spirit of hostility to Mr.. Russell has been
continued TO the present time; and among
other manifestations of it his compeilsa-
tion, as the commissioners inform you, has
been withheld from him. The payment of
this will probably require the special action
Of the Legislature; and i respectfully re-
commend IL to your early attention. The
radical change made, In the Board of Com
mlssioners at the recent election Will prob
ably obviate any further difficulty in this
particular.
The mode Of making this appointment
and of changing the agent is somewhat
anomalous In its character. 1t Is open to
serious objections, not the least of which
is the conflict that may at any time arise
under it. ] suggest that it be changed, so
as to vest the appointing power in the Gov
ernor, with the advise and consent of the
Senate. The officer should be subject to
removal by the Governor, upon charges
preferred against him by the commission
ers, If, upon investigation, these charges
are found to be Just and reasonable. 1t is
LIT, N.Ne
tent responsible for this agent, and should
have voice in designating him. They
have no more responsibility for his official
acts, affecting the State finances, than has
the Governor, or majority of the Senate,
who mustpa upon his appointment. The
mode here proposed gives much better
distribution of responsibility, and safer
check, than the present enactment and its
influence upon our State character and
credit will, in my judgment, be.of bene-
ticial character. a
| .. AGRICULTURAL LAND GRANT.
BY enactment last winter you accepted
the grant of land for agricultural education
made by act of Congress, approved July 2,
1862: of which early notified the Interior
Department at Washington. The whole
correspondence relating to this subject Is
appended; from whicl it will be seen that
the quantity of good land in the State sub
ject to entry and appropriation under this
grant was so small (Only so acres) that l
had no discretion but to elect to receive the
amount in land scrip. Accordingly on the
18th of September the commissioner for
warded to me three thousand nine hundred
and thirty seven certificates of scrip for
'one-quarter section" each, equal TO six
hundred and thirty thousand acres; being
in full for the claim of the State under the
law. These certificates were deposited in
the State Treasury, and the fund is subject
to such further legislative action as you
may deem proper y..l ..I.
No more important subject will claim
your consideration than heproper DISPOSE
ton to be made of this grant. Mingled with
the counsels of earnest and honest friends
Of education, you wifi, no.doubt. find the
pressure of local interests, the claims ofeX-
isting institutions for additional endow-
ment; and possibly some not entirely dis
interested in their character. Among these
it is no part of my duty, and Ihave certain
ly no inclination, to discriminate. The.
Commissioner of Common Schools has
somewhat elaborately discussed the subject
in his annual report. Without indorsing
his views, may be permitted to say that
the clear and forcible manner in which they
are presented may well commend them to
your examination. He is evidently em-
barrassed by the question oflocal influences;
aud in endeavoring to conciliate them, falls
into the error. as think, of SO dividing up
the income of the fund as to incapacitate
either branch for performing what will be
required of it, or the whole from achieving
the usefulness tiiatmights by concentrated
effort, be accomplished. This is no less to
be avoided, in my Judgment than the
scheme so earnestly pressed by educational
enthusiasts of building up grand institu-
ton whose professorships shall tempt the
greatest scientific minds of the country
whose contribution to the grandeur of
the State shall compensate for its utter
want OF utility-whose education shall
illustrate and expand the abstruse theories
of science, attainable by the few, but, a
sealed book to the many-whose lectures
and publications, however appreciable by
the highly educated mind, will be totally
uninteligible to the honest tillcr of the
soil, who desires to learn, in. the simplest
and most practicable manner, how two
blades of grass can be made to grow where
only one was produced before. as'rl
The first thing to be determined Is, what,
is the object or purpose OF this grant?t A
careful examination of the act of Congress,
itseems to me, very clearly solves this in
quiry.. The language of the law is, that the
fund ''shall be nuioldblyappropriated to the
endowment, support and maintenance ofat
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 me-
chanic arts.n s,7 sdt III, ratr ll,.g s..5..I ss,
1t is evident that the Intention of the en-
actment is to institute new and distinct
species of education; one not heretofore
favored, or specially encouraged, by State
or national aid. 1t is also evident that the
purpose to be accomplished is, the applica-
tion of that instruction TO the advancement
of the agricultural and mechanic Interests
of the country. The great principle is
recognized that all wealth comes from the
earth, and the labor and mechanism requi-
site to produce it; and that whatever facili,
tates and increases the production, adds
alike to individual and national wealth and
greatness. Applying this principle to. the
law, it is manifest
Fast-eThat this Instruction Is intended
to be sui genefis-of its own kind; ;-and that,
although s'scientific and classical studies"
are not excluded, they are subordinated to
''such branches of learning as are related to
agriculture and the mechanic artsp1 In
other words, it is the instruction Of the in-
dustrial classes, within themselves, and in
that tchich pertains TO their oson cdlingsi in orr
der that they may make practical and man
ual application of it, incidentally for their
own benefit, but actually tor the increase
of national production and wealth. 4f|
Second The instruction Is to be plaip1nd
practical, not theoretic and artisticaIIy
scientific in its character. And this, be-
cause, from the very nature Of its purpose,
il Is designed to reach the greatest praetic-