Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1874-11-27
Rcport

IL INT lIsht'4N uAt ~ l4AhN hbNh.-
Yours, -
Report
or the SPECIAL JOINT COMMITTEE on THE JOINT
RESOLUTION DIRECTING INQUIRY INTO TIE
ExrENDIIURE OF THE FUND PAID BY The
STATE TO THE UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT AND
STATE AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE.
House. OF REPRESENTATIVES,, }
Nov. 1874.
Tho report Vas presented, and. on motion OF Mr.
Totey, ordered 10 lie, and the Clerk directed 10
procure the printing OF $40 copies Of same ior use Of
---' 80 - DM.CApr. Clerk.
To the S.nqfe and House % Representatives.
n0ir m session
The Joint committee Of the House Of Rep
rescntatiyes and Senate. who were instruct
ed 10 report whether the act Incorporating
the University of Vermont and State Agri-
cultural College has been properly complied
with by the officers of said institution, and
whether the funds heretofore paid to the In
Stitution have been expended in accordance
with the act Of Congress which created the
fund. have performed the duty assigned to
them, By carefully inquiring into the or
gauization of the institution. the purposes
and methods of it, administration, the use
OF it. funds. and the fruits thus far OF It's
work, and now beg leave TO report
The act If Congress Of July ,, ls62,
which gave 70 Vermont the fund, the IN
come OF which is appropriated to the IN
stitution in question, provided IN section
four. that this income " shall be lnvlolably
appropriated. by each State which may
take and claim The benefit Of this act, to the
endowment, support, and maintenance OF
at least one college where the leading OBJ
iect shall. be,without excluding other scien-
tltic aud classical studies, and Including
military tactics. 20 teach such branches OF
learning a. are related TO agriculture and
the mechanic arts, IN such manner as the
legislatures may respectively prescribe, IN
order to promote the liberal and practical
education OF the Industrial classes IN the
several pursuits and professions in life.
The same act provided, IN scctl i've, hrst
clause. that not exceeding ten per centum
upon the amount received IN any State may
be expended for the purchase OF lands Tor
sites OF experimental farms; IN the
second clause. that no portion OF
said fund, nor the interest there
on. shall be applied, directly or indirectly,
under any pretence whatever, TO the pur-
chase. erection, preservation. or repair, OF
any building or buildings; and the third
clause provided that in case any state should
not. within five years, provide at least one
college, a. described in the fourth section,
the grant to such State shall cease, and
said State shall be bound to pay the United
States the amount received by said State.
In 1853 the General Assembly of Vermont
authorized all Of its colleges. three in num-
Der, to unite in one State University, charged
with the purposes specified in section four
Of the above cited act OF Congress but the
project failed, by reason Of the neglect OF
the colleges.
In 1861, the General Assembly chartered
the Vermont Agricultural College, and this
charter in every respect complied strictly
with the act OF Congress of July =, leo2,
but it was conditioned that one hundred
thousand dollars should be raised by yolun-
tary subscription, for the endowment and
other uses of said college. This condition
was not complied with. and the charter, by
one of it, provisions, would therefore tai
on the fifteenth day of November, 1865 ;
and this was prevented only, and the fund
was saved to the State only. by the act OF
November 9, 1868, which Incorporated the
Vermont Agricultural College, chartered In
IsGi. with the University of Vermont, es-
tablished in 1871, and thus constituted the
present University of Vermont and State
Agricultural College. The fifth section OF
the existing act of incorporation Is in these
words:
SEC. ). There shall, at all times, be
maint lined in the institution hereby created,
sncb ins 'ruction. in the various branches oil
Iearninr. 4 is contemplated in the several
charters of ca eh of the institutions hereby
united and mo re particularly lncluding
four wears course o. studies similar to sucn
as are generally taught IN other coiicg.s
and not inferior to that recently taugn, ln
said University of VERMONT and, IN aual-
ton to that which is usua' ly taught III o.h-
err colleges, the instruction, III tnls ins..u
ton, shall include such enlarged iaoili'iss
and extended scope and variety IN 'he 5luuy
OF those branches which relate to M i'aiS
tactics. agriculture and the mechanic arts,
as shall render the whole instruction IN con-
formity with said act of Congress. as well
as with the several charters Aforesaid.
Inasmuch as the act OF Congress lett the
matter of chartered powers and privileges
largely under the control of the State, and
the State of Vermont mas dedicated the two
united institutions to the very purposes
contemplated by Congress, your committee
are of the opinion that the act incorpora-
ting the existing institution is IN full ac-
cordance with the intent and spirit OF the
act of Congress
The next question rests upon the point
whether the trustees and managers of the
institution have properly complied with
their charters, which constitutes the first
question in the Joint resolution OF instruc-
lions TO YOUR committee. lt Is obvious
that the Vermont Agricultural College and
the ancient University of Vermont now
constitute one institution in partnership.
under one board of trustees and managers,
a. the act of Congress permits but Tor va
rious and different purposes, but generally
for educational purposes, which the act OF
Congress also permits.
These different purposes are classed by the
charters In two general divisions, to wit
the classical under the charter of the Uni
yersitv and under the charter of the Ag-
ricultural College, the Industrial, which
embraces the courses of 1y and instruc-
ton required in the act of Congress, being
military tao les and "such branches OF learn
ingas are related to agriculture and the me-
ehapic arts" Your committee find that In
the class which they term Classical, the in
stitution furnishes four years course In
accordance with the charter OF the Unlver-
sity, with corps of four professors. Your
Tmittee also find that the Industrial class
NaS IlllliTN ldttic~s 81 O-SSA
lneiuI w the United States, agricultural
pnS chemical departments and engineering
departments; ina ,b., four years course Is
provided In Agriculture. IA M;I;ro F.
Engineering. Metallurgy So,atorv nrac-
pineering, Mathematics, La. ' arI;sb IT.
tice. Modern Languages, and L. short Of
erature. as well as special courses ,ha.
the four years. term. 1t also appears 'sn
special winter course of lectures has BE- :"
provided, on Agricultural Chemistry, DO
tany, Physics. Entomology. Stock,breea-
ing, Dairying, Fruit Culture, Road-maS-
ing Farm Accounts, and Bee Culture. We
further find that no discrimination Is MADE
between the Classical and Industrial stu
dents as to tuition /; that four years course
fstudy is provided for each class, with the
rivilege of special courses and that the
/, ,dents of both classes are equally enti!iea
. the other privileges Of the institution:
70, committee are entirely satisfied that
he :, rustees and managers have studlous!y
;me. and faithfully lsborsd to comply win
heir charters, and to- meet, % ~
!. IN. means would allow. Gil the ds-
'.nds Z " instruction that have bsen msos