New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-02-14
THE AGRICULTURAL AND MECHANICAL,
INSTITUTE.

We have been authorized to appeal to
the partisan press to allow this institution
to be judged on its merits, and without
complication with political questions.
We do SO because the education of youth
is OF equal importance toall parties, and
because party prejudice must injure any
enterprise against which it may be di-
rected.
1t is known that the United States gave
the State of Louisiana grant of land
scrip-the endowment of agricultural and
mechanical college that the State is
held responsible for the amount of the do
nation, as we'll as for compliance with the
statutory conditions Of the grant; that this
scrip was sold at eighty cents per acre, pro-
ducing something under two hundred thou
sand dollars. which was by State commits
sioners invested in bonds of the State of
Louisiana, amounting on their face to more
than three hundred thousand dollars That
these bonds We're, with their coupons, de-
hvered to the board of control of these COL
leges, when constituted by the Legislature,
without deduction, loss or peryersion:
that it has been scaled md funded under
the law of the State, with a protest re-
serving any right to a further recognition
in full, and that the amount which this
investment so funded will net exceeds the
amount OF respons Utility Of the State to
the federal government by several thou
sand dollars
Thus far We are atisfed that no one
can take exception to the administration
Of the fund. The Legislature at its last
session enacted that this institution
should be located in some of the country
parishes. As there were only few repre-
sentatives of the city in the Legislature,
the exclusion Of the city from right even
to compete for the loca ton was adopted.
The acceptance Of the donation and the
organization of the college before July,
1874, was indispensable to prevent the
lapse of the Apr opriation.
The board of control was convinced
that the workshops Of the city afforded
the best material for a mechanical col
lege, and endeavored to comply with the
terms OF the law by locating the agricul-
tural college without the limits of the
city and in the parish of ST. Bernard.
This they could do advantageously by
Joining the jackson monument property,
belonging to the State, to similar prop
erty belonging to the city. This last |
property having been exposed to sale in |
satisfaction Of the judgment of Mrs.
iaines against the city, was purchased at |
) low price by Daniel Edwards, Esq, who |
places it at the disposal of the |
BOARD OF control on the same terms as |
hose on which he purchased it. These !
:wo tracts are separated by tract belong
ng to Mr. John Lynch, member of the |
BOARD of control. The purchase of this
asst property will unite the two tracts,
md thus, for the purchase money of the
lynch tract, the State and city will have
| farm of between four and five hundred |
lcres within street car connection of the |
,ity OF New Orleans.
1t can not but bave been noticed that |
he party press has thrown imputations
lpon the morality of this negotiation from
he fact that the vendor of the property
n treaty is a member of the board which
proposes to purchase. To such sugges-
ion there can be no objection. The ad-
'antage to New Orleans and to this State
hat these institutions should not be
arried away from the city was so plain;
he advantag1 of uniting and utilizing
hese public lands was SO obvious that the
oard has taken the responsibility even of
ealing with one of its own members,
ather than lose the opportunity of public
dvantage presented by the plan. But in
DING SO they have caused an impartial
ppraisement of value to be made,
strict scrutiny of title to be instituted,
nd pending this treaty of purchase, they
uthorize US to invite an inspection of
ae transaction by either the Legislature