Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1866-03-05
The stote AurIcuIturaT college.

4
,N The subjolned note, which we find in the
Ohio Farmer, from member OF the Ohio
House of Representatives, and also mem
Der OF the committee of nineteen-one
from each Congressional Dlstrict-will
show the present position of the Agrl-
\ cultural College question in the Legisla-
ture:
DEAR SIR thinking that brief state
ment of matters relating to the proposed
Agricultural College upon that subject in
the Ohio Legislature would be of interest,
proceed to impart information 'entirely
reliable" because propose simply to state
facts.
- At the commencement of the session, on
motion of Mr.. Clark, of Columbiana, COM
4 mittee of one from each Congressional Dis
trict was raised, to be called the Agriculture
al College committee, to which committee
all business relating to the establishment OF
an Agricultural College should be referred.
The committee was raised and organized by
| appointing Mr.. Clark chairman. 80
|, At its first meeting, the commissioners,
y authorized by the last Legislature to sell
the land scrip, submitted their reports, in
which the difficulties hindering sale OF
the lands were fully set forth. Itwas order
ed that the commissioners draft bill en-
bodying their'views as to the b, st manner
for remedying the failure to dispose of the
land. At second meeting of the commit
tee such a bill was presented, the only fea-
lures of the bill worthy of notice being the
, proposed plan OF selling on time to COM
panies. and holding the land in the name of
trustee of the State, as security for ball
ance remaining unpaid, and striking out of
the present law the limit in price at which
the land could be sold. This bill was com
mitted to subcommittee for examination.
At third meeting of the committee, your
correspondent objected to the proposed
plan of selling the land scrip on time, and
taking as security for balance unpaid only
the land, which objection gained strength,
and at the next and last meeting of the
committee, the original plan Of taking secu-
rity was stricken out of the bill, and only
real estate or Government bond security
was authorized to be taken; and the lad
ordered to be sold on time in quantities of
not less than $4,000 acres, making the terms
of payment as to time, one-fourth down,
one-fourth in two, four and six years, with
interest payable annually. In this shape the
bill will be reported to tue House.
Propositions have been made to the COM
mite as follows: The people of Westerville,
twelve miles east of Columbus, propose to
give two hundred acres OF land and fifty
thousand dollars in beneficial subscriptions.
WorthingtOn, nine miles north of Coum-
bus, offers ten acres of lots in the town,
four college buildings, one hundred and
forty acres of land adjacent to the town,
and ten thousand dollars in money, which
the people of Franklin county propose to
increase by seventy thousand dollars, so
that WOrthingtOn proposes in their estima-
tion to give two hundred thousand dollars
as a donation to have the college establish
ed in their vicinity. Licking county has
sent delegates to call the attention of the
committee to the fact that Newark is with
in two and a half miles of the geographical
center of the State, easy of access from all
points of the State, and possesses the great
est variety of soil of any county in the
State, and proposes to give as large a do
nation in money as any other community
Offering a central location. AS is well
known, Miami University is offered, as well
as the Farmers College of Hamilton coun-
ty. The committee has agreed to accept
the various invitations to visit the several
localities proposed.
The committee has appointed a sub
committee, composed of Bloom, Clark and
Nixon, to present the business to the COM
mittee to be acted on by them. Taken as a
whole, we think their action will not dis
appoint the friends of college as proposed
by Congress in their original grant of land
for that purpose. . S. S. BLOOM.