Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1875-07-17
From the Portland Press,)

TIE AGRICIZT1'RfLS ChIf'
DIR. Jordan, the tasteful and Teracio"s
Bangor correspondent of the Name stan
dard, has fsring letter COPIED ny our
neishbor. the Argus, in regard to the sale
bv the administrations of Gov. Cony and
Gov. Chamberlain of the Agricultural Col
lege scrip. in which the modest statement
;s made that Maine was swindled out OF
twelve hundred thousand dollars by
Blane's troop of plunderers. Mr..
Blaine is not accused himself of doing it,,
but the act was accomplished by "a troop
of plunderers, which, according to DR..
Jordan, Mr. Blaine seems to have owned
The Bangor Commercial, in part edited
by DR.. Jordan, explains that this troop
of plunderers" consisted of the late Gov.
Cony, the late Gen. Hersey and OF our
honored Ex-Governor Abner Coburn.
There isn't a man in Maine that has the
strength to make this statement in hot
weather except DR.. Jordan, and we all
know that DR.. Jordan is-well, to say in
one word the most and the worst, he is
Dr. Jordan To add further epthct
would be "gilding refined gold and paint
ing the lily"
The history of the Agricultural College
scrip donated to Maine is very simple.
The Legislature accepted the grant, char
tered an institution with Board of Trus-
tees, authorized the appointment of three
Commissioners to receive proposals for To-
ba In and nprtpntinr II :
general plan and also empowered the Gov
Using for the highest bidder. The Com
missioners on location and plan were ex-
Gov Crosby, Hon. Samuel F. Perley OF
Cumberland and Hon. Joseph Eaton of
Kennebec. This legislation was in March
1864. In his address to the Legislature in
January 1865, after stating that the scrip
had not been sold, Gov. Cony adds the
following:
II would respectfully ask that the re-
"sponsibility Of disposing of this scrip
may not be devolved solely upon the Ex-
"ecutive. but that others, to be designated
"by the Legislature, shall be associated
''with him in the discharge of the delicate
duty"
The Legislature, having the fullest con-
fidence in Gov. Cony, (whom DR.. Jordan
would libel in his honored graye) declined
to associate any one with HIM in the trust
and left the whole matter unchanged. The
ensuing year, January 1866, Gov. Cony in
his address to the Legislature, made the
following statement:
The Trustees of the College for the promotion
of Agriculture and the Mechanic Arts have not
yet decided upon any location for the institution.
The lands granted for the endowment thereof
have, under the advice Of the Executive Council
concurred in BY the Board Of Trustees been ad-
vertised for sale.
The Legislature was thus fully advised
of what the Governor had done and what
he proposed to do. Two months elapsed
the lands being meanwhile publicly ad-
vertised, not only in Maine but in Boston.
New York, Philadelphia and Chicago, and
in March the greater part of them were
sold. The remainder were sold by Gov.
Chamberlain in the summer of 1870.
The following letter (officiaD from Hon.
George G. Stacy, Secretary of State, gives
condensed history of the whole matter ::
OFFICE OF SECRETARY OF STATE,
Augusta, Feb. IA, 1872.
Hon. SIDNEY PERHAM, Gov. Of the State Of
SIR-In compliance with your request l have
the honor herewith to submit statement of the
number of acres of land received by the State OF
Maine from the general government for the en-
dowment Of an Agricultural College, also whel
said land was sold, to whom, the specific amounts
received at each sale, how the same has been in
vested, and the annual income the college is now
| receiving from the same.
| Whole number of acres received from the
United States, 900.
March lst, 1866, there were sold as follows, viz
XII
D. Preston Co., 5000 Is So. 5lox
NJ. Mcclure, 1850 57lz 4,4lt
l63,6SO ss6,9lt
W. X. Lancy, $1,000 acres q 53c. amtg to s7,95t
Franklin Smith, 10 0J0 " 5.30i
John kimball, 5000 " 1850
$4,000 $4,000
Sept. 20, 1870, there were sold as follows. viz:
G. 7. Lewis, 49, 800 acres Sac, amtg to 1870 50
RECAPIrULATIoN.
10, 1866 30 900 1880 CO
Sept 20, 1870. 1920 q " 1905 ~
Total, 100000 sIl55A 50
This sum with accrued interest now amounts to
ellis, Ss4.47, and is invested as fellows, viz:
State of Maine Bonds. SIG 100 OO
Cash, 29i a
slI,,s4 Al
From this investment the college annually re-
ceives the sum of 81, 0S6.
l am, sir, very respectfully,
Your Obedient servant,
&. G. STACY, Sec'y Of State.
In regard to the last scrip sold four years
and more after the sales made by Gov
Cony, the following letter from Gov
Chamberlain to State Treasurer Caldwell
will give full explanation. Hon. William
Deering of this city, then in the Execu
tive Council from Cumberland, was the
principal agent with Gov. Chamberlain in