Indiana American. [volume] (Brookville, Ind.) 1865-1872, 1867-01-25
[WHOLE NO. 2cs.

celored children be placed together in the
same schools, believing. as l do, in th,
present state of public opinion, that to dc
SO would create dissatisfaction and con
fict. and impair the usefulness Of the
schools.
am informed that system can be de.
vised by which separate schools for the
education of colcred children can be sue
cessfully maintained in various parts OF
the State, and believe that justice, hu-
manity and sound policy require that il
should be done.
BY the school law Of 1865. negroes and
mulattoes are not taxed for the support OF
common schools; but IL colored schools
should be established, tb;s law should be
so amended as to sutject,hem TO like tax
alton with white persons for educational
purposes.
AoRIcuLrCnAL COLLEGE.
Dy an act of Congress thirty thousand
acres of land were donated to each State
for each Senator and Representative in
Congress for the purpose of erecting and
maintaining an Agricultural College
This entitled Indiana to (390,0O0) three
hundred and ninety thousand acres. The
act provided that where there we're public
lands in the State subj ject to entry at 81 .25
per acre, the quantity to which the State
was entitled should be selected from such
lands but If there were no such lands in
the State. or not enough, the Secretary Of
the Interior was to issue to such State
land scrip for the requisite number Of
acres This scrip cannot be located By the
State to which it was issued, but must be
sold but the purchasers Of such scrip
may locate IL upon any Of the unappro-
priated land Of the United States, subject
to sale at private entry at 81, rs or less per
acre. There being no public lands In this
State for sale at private entry held by the
Government at Sl,25 per acre, Indiana
received her donation in scrip. The ORR
gina purpose entertained by Congress Of
establishing agricultural colleges in the
several States, TO be maintained by SUBJ
stantial and sufficient endowments, was
most enlightened and patriotic, but We may
we'll doubt the wisdom Of the means BY
which it was to be accomplished. The
most Of the States having no lands within
their borders upon which this grant could
be located, were compelled TO receive il in
scrip, which they we're net at liberty to
locate in other States and Territories, but
were required TO sell. Large quantities Of
the scrip were put upon the market at the
same time, aud tho price suddenly went
down until it could not be sold for much
over one-third of its par value. There
has been no time since the State Of Indi-
ana received her scrip at which IL could
have been sold for more than 90, OF at
most 55 cents per acre. At City five cents
an acre it would only realize (S204, ,500)
two hundred and four thousand five hun.
dred dollars, a sum wholly inadequate to
successfully establish and maintain Col.
lege upon the broad and comprehensive
plan contemplated by Congress. The
States became rival vendors in the mar
kct, and all of them competing directly
with the Government, which cannot sell
land in the regular way at less than 81 ,25
per acre.
The scrip already sold by the several
States, has, with n few exceptions, been
purchased in quantities by spectators,
some Of whom will enter and hold large
bodies of land to be made valuable by the
settlement and improvement Of other lands
around thcm, aud others will retail the
scrip in small quantities at price greatly
advanced over what they gave for il, but
still underselIing the Government. The
reason why the States were not allowed 10
locate the scrip, was because it would ere
ate monopoly. and enable them TO hold
lands in perpetuity, but no provision was
made against permitting the speculators
who purchase the scrip ut less than half
its value from doing the sane thing
While it was not so inicpded, yet il has
turned ont that DO better arrangement for
speculators could have teen devised. If
the States had been allowed TO locate the
scrip, the land, as soon as entered, would
have been worth 10 them 81 ,25 per acre,
and they might have been required, upon
pain OF forfeiture TO the Government, 10
sell the same within four or six years, thus
avoiding the danger OF monopoly aud per-
pctuity, and enabling them to realize at
least the par value OF the scrip. As the
matter has turned out, il would have been
much better for the State and the Govern
ment If the Government bad donated 10
each State The same number Of dollars,
instcai Of acres. Indiana would thus
have received three hundred and ninety
thousand dollars, aud the Government
have retained three hundred aud ninety
thousand acres OF land which could be
sold ut 81 25 an acre.
The Board of Trustees Of the Agricul.
tural College, created by nn act Of the Lc-
gislature at the regular session OF 1868,
memoiialized Congress at the late session,
praying that the law.making the grant to
the States might be go ameuded as to al
low the States to locale the scrip under
such regulations and restrictions as might
be deemed proper 10 prevent monopoly
and perpetuity. But Congress took 10
action on the subject. The memorial is
herewith laid before you.
The Board Of Trustees have had mum.
ber of meetings to consider what disposi-
ton should be made Of the scrip, aud in
view of the fact that it could not be sold
without Il sacriice Of nearly two.thirds OF
its par value. which would realize a sum
so small as to be inadequate to the accom-
plishment Of the grand purpose which
Congress had in view in making tho do
nation, unanimously resolved to withhold
it from the market entirely, and submit
the whole subject for the action Of the lie
gisla,ure. They have made report EN-.
bodying the facts aud containing certain
Recommendation which | herewith lay