The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1871-01-12
The Land scrip-What is it Worth?

a
~ 10 20 noticed that several of the rep
roscntatvcs Of the different colleges iateh
before the Joint committees Of the Gencfai
Assembly greatly overestimated the 'a'u'
of the prize for which they were contend
ing. The donation of Congress Tor proiio'-
ING the instruction of the industrial classes
IN agriculture and the mechanic arts con-
sists of land scrip. Virginia snare, WHICH,
is now deposited with Auditor TAYLOR
contains eighteen hundred and seVent!-n'e
nicces. each of which entities the holder,
upon payment Of the usual entrance ices
to one hundred and sixty acres OF the pup
lie lands. 1t seems TO he supposed tha'
Virginia, like California, Kansas, ana other
Western States, can locate this scrip, anu
40 make it worth in the course OF
few years from one TO five dollars an
acre: but the act of Congress eX-
prcSSly prohibits any state from To-
eating these lands except within It's own
limits. and requires that when this is not
possible the scrip shall be sold, and located
by the States assignee. So we may learn
the value OF our scrip from the record OF
sales already made by other States. We
fud that Connecticut realized % cents per
acre Kentucky sold at 81 cents Name
and Maryland at SO cents; Massachusetts,
one portion ut So ccntS-thc rest not re-
ported New Hampshire at o3 10 cents !;
New Yorkat SIS. SIS, 80, and 30 cents Penn
sylvania at 5Sh and 554 cents; Rhode
Island at ~ cents, and West Virginia at TO
cents. Taking these facts and figures as the
basis of our calculation we cannot reason
ably expect our 500. 200 acres to weld more
than probably S150, 900, or possibly $3.50, 600.
There is one way, and only one, so taras
we can see, by which this amount may Oc
considerably increased. Taught by the
example of Connecticut and New York,
we may readily avail ourselves OF the spe-
cial interest which certain persons feel in
certain institutions, and weld it for the
general good Of the whole community. In
deed. if the Legislature shall decide, as we
are sure they will, to divide the fund, they
can easily bring to bear the additional cle-
ment of competition, and thus realize even
more than MIR. CORNELL was willing to give
in behalf Of his university. Let rs Illus
trate Suppose the Legislature determines
to divide the fund into three portions,
then let the act be so drawn as to give t.
each, not an equal share of the proceeds OF
all sales Of scrip, hut the whole amount
be it more or less, that mty be realized
from the sale of one hundred thousand
acres. Then the wealthy friends Of each
of the colleges interested will he Stimula-
ted, both by their interest in the rcspec-
tive institutions and by their rivalry with
one another. If, for instance. the proceeds
Of one-third shall be allotted TO the liamp-
ton school, we cannot doubt that its truS-
tees and other wealthy friends at the North
who have already shown their lIhcralIty,
will make it worth to that institution at
third be assigned for the establishment of Il
Mechanical School in connection with Rich.
mond College its numerous friends through
out the State who have recently given bona
.fde nearly 100000, aided by the deeply in
terested manufacturers in the city, will at
least equal, if they do not >urpasS, the
friends of the Hampton Institute. And so
for the remaining third.
We call the attention of members Of our
legislative committees to this plan of dis
tribution. 1t is based upon the PLAN prin-
ciple that most men will cheerfully give
more for an article when there is COMPETE
ton, and when they know the money paid
will all go to an object in hich they are per
sonally interested. It's feasibility and good
results have been shown in the instances
above cited. There is one objectionable
plan proposed will entail a little more COM
plication of accounts, Il little more trouble
to some officials, but is not the addition OF
ut least 100000 to the educational funds
of the State worth some little trouble: