The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1874-03-26
A0RTCULTURAL COLLEGE.
Abstract Of the Report Of the Com.
witteo Of Investigation.

t.8a
Abstract Of the Report OF the Com
mittse Of Investigation.
The committee ON the Agricnltu-
raj College investigation have made
their report, and the Dcs Moincs cor
respondent OF the Davenport Gazette,
in his letter dated the Eth. abstracts
as follows:
The Agricultural College invcsti-
CATION died several days since, but
the corpse was galvanized into life
this morning by the publication Of
the report Of the committee. II viii
make two columns in the Gazette and
is about as non-commiitai rs the i'm
vestigation was nonsensical. The
evidence makes book Of about
seven hundred pages, with an index
to certain more prominent idioces.-
In general terms the committee find
that there has been some carelessness,
. great deal Of grumbling and no
criminality. To he q little more spe-
cifc, the report sets forth that:
First. The charge Of illegal or i'm
proper use of funds belonging to said
College, from whatever scourcc aris.
ing. Il is abundantly proved that the
Board of Trustees have often appro-
priated the moneys of the college
without legal authority, that is trans
ferred its use from one object to an
other. They find thst MI moneys, Of
every description and from whasever
source, have been accounted for by
the 'Trus.-cs sssd usasss~ sussts<aliss1s
the same Except the matter Of loss
by the late Treasurer, Samuel E.
Rankin), and that all the appropria-
tions and receipts, from whatever
source, have been honestly used for
the college, though they find in some
cases money received for rent Of lands,
called the s.interest fund.-" has been
used in erecting certain buildings and
in the purchase Of land, deemed nec-
essary by the Trustees for the inter
est Of the college and farm, without
authority of any existing legislative
enactment.
Touching the second charge in the
preamble to the resolution under
which the committee was appointed,
to the effect that certain moneys out
Of the appropriations Of the Four
teenth General Assembly "were lost
to the State through the defalcation
Of Samuel f. Rankin" and not sde
quatcly accounted for. They fnd
from the evidence of the same wit
ness, who is member Of the Special
Committee Of the Board Of Trustees
on the Rankin defalcation, that the
real estate decided by Rankin to said
committee in trust to secure the col
lege from loss. estimated at present
cash values, amounts in the aggre-
gate to something over twenty-nine
thousand dollars (&39, ,000), and that
two thousand dollars in addition to
the above have been received by the
Committee from personal property
turned over by Rankin for the same
purpose. Inasmuch rs the apprc.
priation to the college by the Four
teen,h General Assembly included in
the defalcstion amounted to twenty
six thousand dollars, this sum will,
they believe, he more than covered,
with good management, by the prop.
erty surrendered.
The contingent fund, or the fund
arising from the case of the Sioux
City lands purchased with funds
called interest fund, or arising from
the cases Of the endowment lands,
was lesscned sl1 ,Oa2.29 by the de-
falcation, and a portion OF this sum
will undoubtedly be lost to the COL
lege unless the lands surrendered by
Rankin can be held until there shall
be greater demand for such prop
erty.
The charge OF "drifting away" is
not sustained. "The charge that the
students Of the college are arbitrsri-
", capriciously and often unjustly
treated" &c. The Committee do MOI
find sufficient evid ence to war
rant belief chat the general treat.
ment Of the students Of the college il
or has been arbitrary, capricious o,
unjust. The government, however
as to discipline, is certainly firm and
rigid, yet in our Judgement not toe
much SO, for q proper fulfilment o
the purposes Of the institution.
The committee are divided In opin
len in reference to the charge o
wrong in getting rid Of the Profes
sors' and don't know whether or M
the college farm is . model farm.
The report says: "Your committe.
are Of the opinion that the Endow
ment has been wisely, judiciously ant
honestly managed, so far as any evi
dence accessible shows. and that tn.
leasing Of the lands was the best pol
icy that could have been pursued Il
make them available and remunera
tive to tho college. We also find tina
there is no evidence tending TO sho,
that any officer or trustee Of the col
lege has ever speculated in, or, ar
propriated to his own use, any OF If
funds Of the college, or acted in ba
faith In the management of the sarne.
! A female help, who owned up
having left seven places year, in
u60i0a,alx aclrnoor1a4aae9l. Tn a. ~