The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1876-01-06

for the General Assembly and teachers and people
~ Iowa will be one Of the most valuable and inter
ssting documents ever issued from any OF the de
nartments Of the State Government. II Woui9 e
useless for me to attempt to summafiZe III can
only urge that the General AssemG,y anu t he 40
from one who has given to the special suo)ects OF
which he treats so much thought and study, ana 10
their presentation for the eenens OF w aae r peupiI he h
school. houses built in o nave cost SI,Soy'1| 6
9S: the contingent fund expended Tor sGhooi put
poses was 81 ?25.212s %: and teachers s ana sdn co..
tionaI purposes Of 5000, 81. IS; which SHOWS, as
nothing else can, the healthy CONDITION OF !he
school work: The teachers onaanitinn
s%titutes, which received legislative recofnltion
two wears ago, have improved the quanncations Oh
teachers more generally than any other system ~
their special instruction heretofore devised; anu ~
here it NAV not be inappropriate to ask whether, IL
view of the capital the State is constantly invest,
ing ia educational enterprises, it is not the rlehl anu
duty of the State to demand that every cniiu WIN
in her borders shall nave the Deneht Vi oiihoN
school education.
THE STATE UNIVERSITY.
The last catalogue of the State University shows
an enrolment Of $40 students, whlch lhdlcaIes
q steady growth and widening popularity. us
wants are numerous and some OF them pressing.
Accommodations for the academlcai department
are straitened, whilst the protessionai depart
ments are calling fol room for constantly lhcreas-
inp numbers L cannot think the problem suS-
pested by this fact should be solved by allowing
either of the departments 10 lahSuisn y att
upon the intelligence and pride OF our people 10
deprive the many students who IN all the years 10
come will desire to graduate IN one OF tHe pro,
fessions of the opportunity to do so in their own
State. and at the university so generously endowed
by the Government. L may, however, be met win
the argument that the university should nor pc
ENLARGED beyond the income Of the grant INTENDED
for its support that it should not be mace Il LAX
upon the State. In my judgment, however, we
should make this university TO iowa what Ann
Arbor is to Michigan, or Harvard to Massachu,
sets. 1t will then be q standard TO winch all
other colleges and all other schools may properly
strive to attain. And there is one argnment IN
favor of a liberal State support, which among
others may have been overlooked. When the
grant of lands was made it was supposed
It would be sufficient for all the wants OF
crease in value with the growth Of the
State until the 40,OOO-aCre donation would
sell for ten or twelve dollars per acre.
The selections were good; and had tne
policy originally contemplated, and which was
recommended by Chancellor Dean, its first presld,
ing officer, been carried out, the income would
have been ample for all its accumulated needs.
But the argument that the people who endured the
hardships of pioneer life should ENJOY their share
of the benefits accruing from the grant, as well as
those who should come after them. was potential,
These lands were accordingly thrown upon the
market. and were sold at an average OF little over
three dollars per acre, and, asa result, the uniVer-
sity, instead Of having an OF from
four to five hundred thousand dollars, has a work
ing capital from all sources OF Szlo,34i 20. II
therefore seems to me that the State. IN ADDITION 10
its own interest in encouraging the growth OF the
university until it shall become the peer OF any in
the country, is bound in good faith, as the trustee
of the grant from the United States, to make good
the conditions upon which the trust was accepted.
[ therefore suggest whether it would not be wise
to make q special levy OF say one-tenth or one-r1,
teenth of q mill per dollar. as a permanent fund
for the university. This would not at frst pro-
duce so much as the usual special appropriations,
but 1t would increase with the wealth OF the state
and with the growing demands of the institution.
And above all it would enable the Regents TO con
form their expenditures TO a hxed income ana re
lieve them from coming before each Legislature in
the unwelcome character OF lobbyists.
The professor of physical science and director OF
the laboratory at the university has commenced "a
series of meteorological observations, in o, der to
determine tine laws governing the climate OF Iowa.
To ala him in this work he has enlisted the sery-
ices of n considerable number Of volunteer OBJ
servers throughout the State. Tr1-montaly reports
Of results have been given to the public through
the columns of newspapers, and a small monthly
publication has been commenced devoted entirely
to the Information thus obtained. Comparatively
Inexpensive as is the plan acted upon, it neverthe-
less nec"ssitates some outlay. which has so far
been borne mainly by its Jealous and devoted
originator. The work done in this direction by
the United States Signal Service is of incalculable
value. but it is necessarily spread over 30 mUCn
er.itOry that its observations must be Of less utll-
ity than those cove ing the more limited ield OF
our own State. therefore commend the subieCt
and the work already done 10 your favorable con-
siaeratiOn.
a AhIsli NlI LAL Ill AM + Ann
Recommending upon the report OF the Treasurer
of State attention was directed to the uninyested
endowment funds in his hands, and early legisla-
ton to make them available was urgently recon-
mendcd. 1t only remains for me in this place to
briefly Summarize Il few OF the principal wants of
this institution. and which can only he supplied by
an appropriation from the State Treasury. 40
stated by the President and Trustees there is an
urgent and Immediate necessity for certain repairs
to insure the safety of the main building and to
preserve from waste the valuable property of the
rpllp,fa The necessity for these rpDairs is EN-
forced by q report of Mr.. Finkbine. in whose judy
mcnt AMI skill as an architect and builder | have
implicit confidence. These improvements he esti-
mates Will cost $31 20. which includes ST., 900 for
a new heating apparatus in the main
building. which would seem to be required
to enable the Term TO open at the appoint
ed day in the early spring. The need of in
creased accommodations is urged by the
Board and the President. accompanied BY sugges.
tons as TO the character Of the buildings which
should be erected. The plan proposed seems eco
numiCal and practical; and the reasons given
therefor are numerous and sound. | am tempted
to elaborate. but have only space TO touch a single
suggestion. but which l. regard as potential. The
statement is made that these improvements, which
cost $4,000. will enable the college to receive
double the number of students it can now accom-
MEDIATE. Here are professors. laboratories, a farm
and other appointments sufficient TO afford in
s~truCtiOn to $50 students instead Of 2T7, the num-
Der enrolled in 1879, and withal an endowment
capable Of covering every expenditure to which
its proceeds can be applied under the condition OF
the grant; while throughout the State are
young men and women hungering for edu-
cation who stand ready to avail tkem-
selves of the increased accommodations sought,
and yet the want of this small outlay, when com
pared with the cost of past improvements, pre-
vents the institution from receiving them.
The report OF the President in reference to the
labor department merits attention, and his state
ment of the object OF the college is worthy Of
careful perusul. In fact, every farmer and horti-
~culturist in the State would find it profitable to
read this report. and from the reports Of special de.
purtments could gather many valuable Suggestions,
not only respecting improved methods OF cultiva-
ton, but as TO the destruction OF the enemies OF
crops.
THE PENITENTIARIKs
The Ptnitentjary Of the !State.-The condition
Of the Penitentiary at Fort Madison. as shown by
the Warden,s report and the reports of the
Physician, Chaplain and Clerk. and uniformly as
testified by official visitors, is very gratifying. A
institution during the period just ended will be
found in that report. Its probable requirements
for future usefulness are also carefully set forth.
You will also find printed in connection with this
document 8 report to the Executive Council of
the Commissioners appointed under Chap. 81, Tenn
porary Acts of the Fifteenth General As
sembly, to lease the convict labor. 1t may be
proper to add that this labor has never
been leased more Idvantageously for the
State. nor more in the interest of the health, safe
ty and moral of the c~onvicts, than I'M
der present contracts. The $50 men leased to o.
Il. Dodge q Co, manufacturers of shoe-packs, is a
peculiarly fortunate contract. 1t is a work upon
which men untitled for the exhausting labor of
olhci Shops may oc cilploSt1, ant d > lne manu-
facture OF shoe-packs is an anomalous business in
the West it does not compete with the free labor
OF the State; and, requiring but little machinery,
it does not expose the prison to fires or accidents
incident to furnaces and steam engines. The
Warden and Chaplain speak in enthusiastic terms
Of the progress made in the prison school,
even with the limited facilities which the
buildings now afford; and l trust there will be
no hesitancy, in view of the good already attained
through this school, in building and properly
equipping Il school house for its accommodation.
The Warden recommends several very important
improvements. which he eliminates will cost Ri