The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1873-06-05
THE CASE OF EZRA CORNELL.

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hope to be saved like other people.
TIE CASE or EZRA CORNELL.
AS Il sort of response to Mr.. McGurc's
accusations against Mr.. Cornell, several
gifts have been sent to Cornell University,
among them 100000 and an chronological
cabinet of $4,000 specimens. The Mcclure
speech was therefore fortunate for the col
lcgc But it was not merely fortunate in
an accumulation of money and deceased
insects. The speech drew from President
White, of Cornell University, defense of
Mr.. Cornell, which was complete in one
sense, as it showed that Mr.. Cornell had
done better for New York with her college
scrip than she could have done for herself
and better than any other State had done
with it !; but in another sense it was less
satisfactory for it is not entirely clear that
Mr.. Cornell did not do yet better for him.
self than for New York. He certainly had
the opportunity, for the law of Congress
favored "A speculative use of the scrip to an
cXtravagant extent. There was provision
in it that no State, being without lands,
should locate its share in any other State,
but there should be issued by the Secretary
of the Interior to the landess States, scrip
for the amount due to each State respective
ly, and this could be sold and the persons
purchasing could locate it anywhere in the
new States to the extent of million acres
in any one State.
The effect of this was to throw into mar
kct batch of six millions acres of scrip in
twcnty-six States, all competing with each
other, and each State having from thirty
thousand to 900 thousand acres to dispose
of. This, as might have been forcsecn, ran
the scrip down to fifty cents in some of the
States, and from that up to ninety cents in
Vermont, which was probably about the
best sale made. 1t was a treat to the specu-
lator somewhat like the Mexican soldiers
bounty land bill, which divided ninety five
millions of acres of land among the soldiers
and spectators in the proportion of 335
cents to the soldier on each acre, and 00s
cents to the Spectator, though it was pro-
fesscdly g for the soldiers benefit" In like
manner, for the agricultural colleges
benefit, the States were given lands, the To-
cation of siX-sevenths of which by the bcne-
ficiares was forbidden, and scrip for six
millions acres rained upon the market from
all parts of the spectators heaven at once
The States having lands within their own
limits could locate their own portion, but
the total given to all such States did not eX-
coed the amount donated to the single State
of New York. After selling less than one
twelfth of her scrip at SO to So cents, the
controller of New York refused to sacrifice
any more, and the matter was at stand
still, when Ezra Cornell made bargain to
take Sl4 900 acres at 30 cents per acre
down, and 30 cents when the lands should
be sold, and pay into the State treasury all
the profits above that. Here was bar
gain for go cents certain, and the balance
contingent. He then went into Wisconsin
ing through combinations of residents to
keep away outsiders, and in selecting the
best public land, and located five hundred
thousand acres.
Up to this point Mr.. Mcclure and Mr..
White about agree. But here they part
company on the value of the land, Or seem
to do so. Mr.. Mcclure, in his speech,
specifically stated that he had been inform.
ed by lumbermen that the pine lands SC
entered in Wisconsin were worth $40 to
800 per acre, and that Mr. Cornell's own
newspaper organ in Ithaca had asserted
that the pine lands entered in Wisconsin
by Mr.. Cornell with the scrip, were wortl
$50 an acre. This hardly seems specific
ally enough denied by Mr., White. lie
might have told us about how few or how
many thousand acres of the Wisconsin
lands, if any, were worth $50 or 800 pei
acre. We suppose that no lumbermar
could know all about the value of 400, OO(
acres of land scattered over Wiscon
sin-but there was the Ithaca organ. w,
strangers at distance would like to hay,
seen it denied that its editor ever had any
, condolences from Mr.. Cornell
, On one side Mcclure figures up 400, 0Ol
acres of pine lands at $50 an acre, ant
makes the total $4,000, 900. On the Other
hand President White admits that Mr.
Cornell had letters offering to buy land a
seven, ten, and more dollars per acre, bu
declined to sell, thinking that culing out
few thousand acres would injure the sal,
l of the rest. How culling was going to af
feet land not entered in body, might hav
been explained.
. On the one hand Mr.. Mcclure saws tina
Mr.. Cornell had company Incorporated
. of which the stock was held by Mr.. Cor
Q nells family, and most of it by Mr.. Cor
{ nell himself; that he wanted the State b
, consent to sale of the lands to this com
pany at SO an acre, or $4,000, 900, whicl
, would have left Mr.. Cornells compan,
with aproft of $e9, 900, 900; and that Mr.