The weekly Butte record., 1866-04-28
AGRICULTURAL COLLEGES!
Speech of John Bidwell.


ing hour yesterday, the consideration of House
Bill No. so. to amend the fifth section of an
Act entitled IAN Act donating public lands
20 the several States and Territories which
may provide colleges for the benefit of agrieul-
ture aud the mechanic arts" approved July 2.
1865, SO as to extend the time within which
the provisions of said Act shall be accepted
and such colleges established, reported back
from the Committee on Agriculture with a
substitute.
Mr.. Bidwell-Mr. Speaker, by the Act Of
July 2, 1862. entitled IAN Act donating pub
lie lands to the several States and Territories
which may provide colleges for the benefit of
agriculture and the mechanic arts" there was
granted, on certain conditions, an amount of
land equal to thirty thousand acres for each
Senator and Representative in Congress to
which the States were respectively entitled by
the apportionment under the census OF 1860
The purposes of this grant of lands are de
clared, IN the fourth section Of that Act, to be
the support and maintenance in each State OF
at least one college where the leading object
shall be, without excluding other scientific and
classical studies aud including military tactics
TO teach such branches of learning as are rela-
ted to agriculture and the mechanic arts
Among the enumerated conditions the sew.
eral States, in order to avail themselves of the
benefits OF the law, were required to express
their acceptance within two years from the
date of the approval of the Act. They are
required to pay all expenses arising from the
selection and sale of the lands and the manage
ment aud disbursement of the money. No
part of the principal is to be expended in eth
er the construction repair of buildings
The interest only can be used for these and
other expenses, so that the fund itself must re
main undiminished and be perpetual endow-
ment for all time This Act was amended
April Ia, 1864 By extending the time of ac-
ceptance two years (which would carry it to
April IA, 1860. and by specially extending
the benefits of the Act, as well as the Act OF
1852, to West Virginia. The following
States have accepted the grant, aud all of
them received their Agricultural College scrip.
except Indiana and California. which have but
recently accepted, to wit Rhode Island, Ken
tucky, Vermont. New York, Pennsylvania,
New Jersey. Massachusetts,, Illinois, New
Hampshire, Connecticut Maine, Maryland,
Ohio. West Virginia, Indiana, Iowa. Kansas
Michigan, Minnesota. Oregon. Wisconsin, Cal
ifornia. But these being land States, are
obliged to male selections within their own
limits. The States of Nevada, Delaware and
Missouri, aud the Territories have not as am
informed, accepted
The third clause of Section of the Act of
July 3 1862, requires that "any State which
may take aud claim the benefit of the provl
sons of that Act shall provide, within FIVE
years at least. not less than one college as de-
scribed 10 the fourth section of said Act
1t must be apparent to every one, Mr..
Speaker, that to provide the institutions re
quired by the law, more time should be grant
ed. Colleges uot the growth of a day
they require time for proper beginning OF
the very foundation upon which the superstruc-
ture is to rest; they require great care. lnell
geuce aud skill in order to shape their future
proportions to the growing wants OF agricul
tural development; they demand judicious
outlay ofvast sums of money, which cannot be
well done il done in haste
These are some of the reasons which induced
the Committee TO recommend the extentou of
the time for the several States aud Territories
to provide these colleges. If there is one
branch Of industry which, more than another,
claims the indulgence and fostering care of the
Government, that branch is agriculture. |
would by no meauS disparage other pursuits,
for all should be encouraged; all are essential
to make complete whoe-tbe sum, NAV
say, of our national industry. But Mr. Speak
er, where would the manufacturing interests
which are deemed OF vital Importance to every
independent nation, without agriculture as
basis for their very existence and growth
Where would be your commerce whose sails
are beginning TO whlteu almost every sea
What your future as q nation without these
common place but life giving and life preserv
ing operations which are the only real creations
of which the puny hand of man is capable
which produce seed time and harvest aud at
the bidding of industry, clothe the valleys with
their annual robes of green and supply man
nit his j,,lv ~
wastes bud and blossom as The rose? Blot
out this paramount interest and hardly na
ton would survive Organized society and
labor would cease; there would be no division
of labor no manufactures. no commerce, none
OF the arts of peace and civilization.
Every civilized country must of necessity
derive its principal means of subsistence from
the soil everything else is merely auxiliary.
Keep the agricultural interest in prosper
ous condition and the future of own country
will be grand beyond the power of human con
ception.
Such an interest then, merits and should
receive the FIRST care of the nation 1t should
be leading object in legislation. 1t should
be taught by precept and example in school.
colleges aud elsewhere, aud made an object of
respect.
All are deeply concerned in devisipg the
1t will afford field of study almost limitess.
IT the fertile and what have been supposed
almost exhaus,leSs soils OF America are pre-
served iu all their vigor of production, the best
modes of returning 10 them what is annually
taken away must be understood. Every year
the best lands are losing their vitality. which
is carried eff in the form of grain and other
products, which go 10 cities and across The
ocean to supply the markets of the world, and
thence through sewers and rivers to the ocean,
never TO return. The ideutical elements thus
thrown away must be replaced, or the soil be-
comes Impoverished. They must be chiefly
sought iu another form and collected from 9TH
er sources than those whittier they have been
transported in the form of marketable products,
and the aid of science must be brought to bear
TO solve the grand problem, and hence the ne-
cessity for colleges whose leading object shall
be agriculture.
The preservation Of timber is another impor-
tant consideration. In many parts of our
country there is already an absolute scarcity.
In other parts as the great prairies of the
West, the pormal condition OF the country was