New-York tribune., 1873-02-18
WASHINGTON.
MORE AID FOR COLLEGES.
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PASSAGE or THE HOUSE BILL-TTs PROVISIONS
THE COLLEGES BENEFITED-SHARP PRAC-
TICE IN PASSING 1T.
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WAsursGroY. Feb. 1.-THE House bill TO aid the
Agricultural Colleges was substituted for the Senate
bill. to-day. and was passed by large majority
The bill has been industriously lobbied for some
time by a considerable force of professors from the
colleges TO be benefited by it. OF course no I'M
proper means were employed by these gentlemen
but it was none the less lobby influence that tney
brought to bear They have been upon the floor OF
the Honse repeatedly within the past two or three
weeks and by putting in the strongest light the ar
guments on one side of the question only-that OK
the colleges-they have accomplished result wthch
never would have been reached If members hiiu
been left TO form an unbiased Judgment upon the
merits of the bill 1t if perniciOus method oil ln-
uencine legislation and il is unfortunate that emil
nent educational institutions have thought IL neoos
sary TO make use of IT.
The substitute of the House sets apart onehalf OF
the nroeeeds of the sales of the public lands for the
benefit of the colleges until fund IL created the
interest of which shall amount 10 S5OOOO year ior
each State The money is to be invested in hye per
cent United States bonds, which are 70 be held by
the Government and the interest only paid over to
the states for the colleges. One student Is 10 DE
educated free for every $500 of income received Dy
a college. and whenever the income amounts 10
$4,000 all tuition is to be free. The effect OF the
bill if fully carried out will be in the end to take
s37 100000 from the Treasury, tor it will require
fund Of 100000 for each State 20 yield S5O'OOO
annual interest
Much of the money will 60 to old-estabshed and
well-endowed colleges, for it is provided that the
institutions which received the first land grant as
agricultural colleges are to have this additional
grant and many of the States gave the first grant 10
existing schools of repute instead of founding new
ones. In New Hampshire the subsidy Will go TO
Dartmouth College; in Rhode Island TO Brown Uni
versitv; in Connecticut to the Sheffield scientlnc
School of Yale College in Vermont 70 Middlebury
College; in New-York to Cornell University, and in
New-Jersey to Rutgers College. 1t is doubtful II
the fortunate colleges which are TO be the recipients
of this liberal Government endowment VIII de-
rive the full benefit of it, because it is not
certain that one-half of all the remaining pubic
lands will sell for the amount of money contem-
plated by the bill. The land sales have recently
amounted TO about S3,OOOOOO a year. The bill Will
therefore take about 81 100000 from the Treasury
every year. 1t might be just as well TO
make direct appropriation as to adopt the
roundabout way Of taking the money that comes IN
from the Land Office, but its advocates thought It
would sound better TO talk of setting apart the
pu5iiiic lands for educational purposes"
Mr. Perce. who had charge of the bill, did very
discreditable thing He got the rules suspended so
as to bring il before the House on promise that II
should be open for consideration and amendments.
He admitted only one amendment, and then. with
ont any debate, called the previous question
When four members stood by him with amendments
in their hand. reminding him Of his promise, he de-
MED making the promise, although more than a
dozen members and all the reporters IN the gallery
heard him distinctly. The supporters of the bill
were so eager to pass il that they lacked the fairness
to vote down the previous question and force Mr.
Perce to carry ont his agreement. So the bill was
put through under whip and spur.