The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1874-12-13
A SAMPLE FRAUD.
Our Agricultural College Humbug.
What Has Become Of the Government,
Donation OF 2O9,92O Acres
Labelling in a Familiar Role, and Johl
Lynch a. ''HOnest" as Evers


In the room formerly occupied by til
Academy Of Sciences, situated in the build
ing at the corner Of Common and Baronn
streets, is located what is denominated tn
Louisiana Agricultural College, or the Agri
cultural College of Louisiana or somethin,
Of that sort, the main idea being to express
that it is an agricultural college. The insti
tuition cannot be said to be in fourishin.
condition. It lacks great many things OF
which colleges are supposed to flourish, bu
It il young yet, and there is no telling wha
may happen in time. There is a corps O
professors and number Of students, yer,
considerable number, nearly fifty, including
youths OF ages ranging from IL years to Is
Of colors ranging from pure white to absolut.
African.
The location of the establishment cannot
be considered as peculiarly appropriate fol
an agricultural college. It's advantages are
not many and it takes just such men as those
who selected it to discover that it possesses
any. Ordinary intellects sannot perceive
them. To be sure there is attached to the
building in which the college Is located a
grass-grown field, but then it looks rather
small Tor practical purposes. Something de-
cidedy less than an acre, and besides the
Agricultural College has no control over it.
1t belongs to the Medical Institute, and a
subject for dissection will be made of any in
dividual connected with the farmer manufac-
tory caught prowling around it.
1t will be perceived that the instruction on
agricultural subjects must, of necessity, be
purely theoretical, and as the college is
minus of text books, information of even
that nature is difficult to impart, and as there
is no certainty OF the fact that any one OF the
professors is skilled in the science of agricul-
ture, or can distinguish cabbage from a sun
flower, what is impaired does not amount to
much. They have scientific man, but us
the apparatus OF the school consists solely Of
half dozen benches, and two or three black
boards, scientific instruction and researches
are limited.
There is q professor Of ancient and modern
languages but as the time of the students is
devoted to acquiring a common school educa-
ton, he has ample time to study up Sanscrit,
and perfect himself in Hndostanee.
Quite a number of the students are well up
in the alphabet, and there are some who can
read sentences made up of words of two
syllables, without stopping to spell even the
hardest, and there are a few particularly noted
for their brilliancy, who have got beyond the
lower class OF readers and are passing into
new fields, have undertaken the study of arith-
metic and other advanced branches. They
are the aristocrats of the college and the pride
of the alumni. and are trotted out on the
slightest provocation as specimens of what the |
college can do.
As an ordinary primary school the institute
ton is a moderate success but as a college it |
is farce and
A first class fraud, Kept IN progress as cloak
for . transaction that has every up pearance OF
q job.
In 1862 Congress Ymbibed the idea that age
ricultural and mechanical colleges in the diff
erent States would be good things. and forthe
with proceeded to donate lands to supply the
to establish them. Iouisiana,s
share was 2O9, 800 acres. Some time during
1S7l-72 the scrip was obtained by a commits
sion Of three, composed of II. c. WarmOth,
the then Governor, John Z. Ludeling, the
Chief Justice of the Supreme
Court. and John Lynch e. Honest y, who
were appointed under act OF the Legislature in
1869, passed in accordance with the act OF
donation.
The disposition Of the scrip by the commits
sion is thus set forth
FINAL Report Of Commissioners 70 Procure aud {
Dispose Of Agricultural COlege SCRIP.
TO the General Assembly OF Louisiana:
The Commissioners appointed under Act No.
~, Acts OF 1863, to receive from the General
government the land scrip donated to Louisiana. 9
~ Act OF Congress, approved July 2, 1862, and to
Impose OF the same according to the intent Of
said act, submit the following final report of their
official action.
80 acres scrip at SIC per acre.. $lS263O 40
proceeds OF appropriation to pay ex- ,
, Pohses incurred III procuring scrip. 1875 90
Interest collected May. 1872. ... 5000 90
interest collected September, 1871 1890 20
Interest collected November. 1872. ITO W ,
Total receipts to date. SECS. 725 10 I
DlSBC RSEMENTS. s
in 1869 i'll efforts to procure
scrip. Observation-Disclosures 81 600 90 .
Expenses incurred in 1870 in procur b
ing the issue OF scrip. . nOo m 4
Expenses incurred in 1871 for clerS e-''0 w =
hire, filling assignment blanks. wit.
ncss to signature OF assignor eNs
pense charges, kilograms and por- a
VeSaSe OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. 9S3 90 I
r. l.l ix.r ~, w
New York. Observation-Disclosures. 3l7 ~ b
May, 1871. bought $780, 900 State 6 10 !
cent bonds 100000 90 !
August, 1871. bought $4,000 States
= cent bonds. .............. 2l96O 90
May, 1872. bought Sl4.W0 State 6 70
cent bonds, ....................... e1Oo 90 !
Nay, 1872 bought 5000 State 6 10 {
cent bonds .............. ... 1920 90 d
September. 1872. bought $4,000 State
: u cent bonds ......... $500 90
1877, bought $4,000 States ,
y cent bonds ..,.'............... 1890 90
Bank box in which to deposit .... 10 90