The Portland daily press., 1875-07-15
TERMS $500 PER ANNUM IN ADyANCE

lLhmO PC
| lain declared eighty-four cents an acre to be
the "uery best possible price, 'and there has
been no time since when the state could ever
have got over ninety cents even by waiting
and losing interest. See price of land war
rants.
New York dealt more wisely in giving the
entire body Of her scrip to Cornell University
on con dition of its maintaining an Agricultu-
raj Department. And old Ezra Cornell, ac-
cepting the grant for his University and ad-
vancing the money for the Agricultural De-
partment, took the scrip and trudged through
Wisconsin on foot, locating it on pine lands,
which are still held for the University and
will make in the end valuable endowment.
But Mr.. Cornell did not escape SANDER, and
only last year the poor old man was investi-
gated into his grave by just such absurd lies
as that with which DR.. Jordan attempts to
slur the names of Gov. Cony and Gen.
Hersey.
The course pursued in New York was
earnestly and persistently urged on the Leg
islature of Maine long before New York
thought of it. In January, 1868, Mr.. Blaine
and the late Professor Smythe, of Bowdoin,
addressed both branches of the Legislature
assembled in the Representative Hall on two
consecutive evenings-Mr. Blaine appearing
for Waterville College and Prof. Smythe for
BOwdoin. Each argued at great length
against the policy of selling the scrip and es-
tablishing a new and separate institution,
and each urged most earnestly that the scrip
be given outright to one of the existing col
leges in Maine on condition that said college
should advance the money to establish and
successfully maintain an Agricultural De-
partment. Both Mr.. Blaine and Mr..
Smythe warned the Legislature that SELL
ing the scrip would never give funds
enough to establish successful Agricul-
tural College. And Mr.. Blaine, speak
ing for Waterville College, with President
Champlin BY his side, pledged that College,
in case the grant should be assigned to it, to
follow the same line of policy aftefwaIds
adopted by Cornell Indeed that plan was
first proposed by Mr.. Blaine. Moreover it is
to be remembered that both Gov. Coburn and
Gov. Cony cordially agreed to this plan. In
his address to the Legislature Jan. 1868, Gov.
Coburn, who knows as much about the value
of lands as any man in America, referring to
the grant, said:
"As none of the proceeds arising from sale
OF these lands can be devoted to the erection
of buildings, it may be expedent and indeed
anSOlIlt9lV n npna pf nv.
lstlng institutions to avail themselves of the
benefit of the grant provided satisfactory
guarantees can be given that its design will be
faithfully carried out. The amount to be real
ized in cash from the grant will of course be
very considerable, though from various causes
not necessary to enumerate, it aoiU be ve7y far
betoD the estimates Dhich many haze been led
to indulge"
The next year, 1854, Gov. Cony repeated
the recommendation of Gov. Coburn, speak |
thus in his address to the legislature:
without the alightest preference on my own
part as to what institution shall be selected with
which to connect the Agricultural College, my
conuicttons are very decided that it is expedient
70 ADOPT some one of them"
But the Legislature was determined to
have seperate institution and the advice of
Gov. Coburn, of Gov. Cony, of Mr.. Blaine
and Of Prof. Smythe was rejected. Ger
tainly if the Agricultural College has not full
filled expectations its failure cannot be laid at
the door OF any of these gentlemen.
1t will not escape observation as the fitting
answer to the absurd SANDERS of DIR. Jordan
that the only Maine men in any way interest
ed in the purchase of this scrip were two
prominent Democrats, FRANKLIN SMITH,
of Waterville and WILLIAM K. LANcY of
Pittsfield. Mr.. Smith is a highly respectable
man and was Democratic can 1idate for Gov
ernor in 1860. Lancy is brawhng, noisy
partizan alter the stripe that is dear to the
heart of DR.. Jordan. 1t will be noted further
that Smith and Lancy got between them
$4,000 acres, about one-eighth of the whole
grant, so if there was a swindle of twelve
hundred thousand dollars, Smith and Lancy
got one hundred and fifty thousand. We hope
DR.. Jordan will insist on these living Dem
ocrats giving that amount to the treasury of
the Agricultural College, for they, indeed,
were the only "treop of plunderers" in Maine
who got their hands on this famous scrip.
Let him employ his virtuperative energies in
denouncing Smith and Lancy, the living Of
tenders, and cease for very shame (if DR.. Jor-
dan can be supposed ever to feel shame) from
pouring his filth on the graves of dead men
whose shoes he was never worthy to stoop
down and unloose.
FTrvvn Oh, Io b. L ocV Il