The Portland daily press., 1876-02-10
FIFTY-FIFTH LEGISLATURE.
SENATE,
Especial to the Press


The House papers were disposed of in co.,
currence.
The resolve in favor of the Agricultural Col
lege came up By assignment, the question be-
ing upon the adoption of Senator Swasey' s
amendment making the appropriation $1,000.
Senator Lord read an argument in favor OF
colleges of the nature of our agricultural COZ
lege, and thought the orginators of such in
situations were benefactors to the human race.
He gave short history of the origin OF such
institutions. Each state received land
grant from the public lands in the state,
Maine having no public lands received land
scrip to that amount. He read extracts from
the laws relating to these colleges. The inter-
est from the fund arising from the sale of the
land scrip shall be applied to defraying the ex.
penses of instruction. The state shall provide
buildings The State has paid $50, 900 for
buildings and has got good buildings. We are
bound in conscience to continue to support it.
Had the sale of our land scrip been as advsn.
tageous as that of many other states the fund
would have been sufficient to support the insti.
tuition. 1t was not, and whether the sale was
made by those having it in charge for the
best interests of the state remains to be demon
strated by the proposed investigation. The in
terest on the congressional fund is little over
$8000 The expenses for instruction alone is
$1,000. The amendment of the Senator from
Oxford (Swasey) would make the amount
barely sufficient for instruction. There would
be nothing for farm Improvements and expert
ments. The scholars would have to pack up
to go home and the dormitorieS be given up to
owls and bats. He avowed his sympathy with
the Senatorin his ideas for economy, but
thought the thrust at the college not judicious
one. The cost of the college was $150,O00. The
property of the college foots up in value $128,
In regard to the outstanding liabilities of the
college they were entirely, wrong. The insur-
ance policies were out and had to be redeemed.
The repairs on the bakery necessitated con-
siderable expense. He did not understand the
arithmetic Of the Senator (Swasey) whereby he
figured out the expenses OF the college, and
supposed the figures were made when the gen.
tleman was striving in accordance with bis
business as lawyer to occasinally make the
worst side appear the better.
He alluded to the small lumber of students.
1t is the poor mans and the farmers college,
and in these hard times they are not able to 60
make many of them farmers. What is the
reason? Physical labor is generally chiefly
laid aside during the years of study. When
they come out they must take the employment
to which they are best suited. In regard to
the tax for the support of the college he
would only be 20 cents on the tax Of a man
who pays $4,000 tax. This would be willingly
paid by anyone who has the cause of education
at heart. The Senator alludes to the results
of this farm as sad commentary on scientific
farming in Maine The fact is the productive
capacity of the farm has been trebled during
the past five years, and any farmer knows that
when farm is undergoing the stuffing process
its productiveness is not SO gratifying. More
is actually put into it than is taken out.
49, kI.<rr ~11 - L.
this if they thought the begging process would
stop here. 1t must be remembered that the
college is young, has no alumni to back it up,
and If the state allows it to languish in con-
dition neither dead nor alive, no donations can
be expected from private munificence. He
till it was on its own feet. He hoped the
amendment would not prevail,
Senator Wheelwright gave short history OF
the land grant by Congress and the doings of
the state Legislature. He cited the statement
of ex-Gov. Coburn, who affirmed that the state
had in good faith taken upon itself the task of
support and pledged itself to its support. He
thought there was no doubt of it, and he
thought further that the state must continu3 to
support it. If We abandon it we must refund
to the general government the money received
from it, and also to the town of Orono for the
$11, 900 it has given it. Nearly every improve
ment upon the grounds of the farm has been
given by private parties. There have also been
valuable presents made to the library and the
apparatus. He thought it for the interest of
the state to give the college good support. .
the farm and the needs of it as set forth by the
statements of the trustees. He thought the
$25. 500 asked for was all needed with perhaps
the exception of the $500 for building the
street and grading. He said that the cost of
was So, S37. 03, instead of the $4,000 which the
Senator from Oxford stated. The expense of
this was much enhanced by having to blast a
we'll out of a solid rock. He said the farm
house was not at all suitable. 1t would do for
small farm but not for farm of this size.
Why even the parlor of the house has been
taken for dairy and vegetables have to be
stored in this, which every farmer knows to be
not desirable. He stated that the farm has
really paid much of the running expenses,
though not shown in the trustees report. He
believed the state would vote liberal appro-
priation.
Senator Stevens moved to amend Senator
Swasey's amendment by striking cut $4,000 and
inserting $4,000.
Senator Haskell thought the farm was in
tended to benefit farmers by experiments. The
chief result of four years experim enting was
that they did not know which was the seed
end of potato. They had built magnificent
barn; they had blasted the cellar out of solid
rock, and it was sixty rods from the farm house.
The presumption is that there was not a rock
nearer tuaG was large enough 10 enable Gnem 10
spend $4,000 IN blasting. Last year large
committee, 80 or 40, members, went down
there. Many of them were in favor of it when
they started. They were not when they came
back. He thought the state should first claim
all right and interest in the college and offer no
other reason than that every thousand dollars
put in there weakens the other colleges in the
state which are our honor and pride.
Senator Stevens then offered an amendment
to his former amendment substituting $4,000
for the $4,000.
Senator Swasey took occasion to define his
position in regard to these appropriation bills
which are continually coming up. He was for
acting on business principles If there was an
appropriation to be made where there would be
actual good done or where it was actually
needed, he should vote for it. He looked upon
these things in his own way and should vote
according to his own convictions of duty. He
thought the position of these trustees an
equivocal one. They have been before this leg
islature before and know what to put into their
reports. They have through the Senator from
that they are making bsntering bargain for
they have asked for 1923, 500 and say through
him they can get along with $12, 900. He al
luded to the statement of the needs of the in
stitution as set forth in the report, to which he
referred last week. He thought though many
essitles He alluded to the educational sys-
tenn of Maine and thought it defective. The
state is covered with colleges and seminaries,
many of them pride to the state, but there are
too many Of them. They overtop the common
schools. They are languishiDg for want of
proper support But they have any one Of
them just as much right and propriety to come
here and ask for an appropriation of $50, 500 as
this college at Orono. He thought one.thrd Of
our school money was thrown to the wind. We
should pay less attention to these institutions
and more to the common schools.
Senator Stevens corrected the statement that
he had consulted with the trustrees. He had
seen none of them.
Senator Swasey then moved the yeas and
nays, and the vote resulted as follows:
Yeas-Brown S. o., Carney, Donworth, Estes
Hinckey, Jordan, Peaks, Prescott, Stevens, Sturgs
Talbot, Thurlough, Webb, WenJworth-14.
Nags-Baker, Bracket, Brown, French; Gray,
Haskell, Kyes, Lord, Swasey, Thompson, Tolman,
Wordsworth, Watts. Wheelwright, White, Wood
bury-16.
And the amendment to the amendment was
lost.
The yeas and nays were then called on Mr..
Swasey's amendment, which resulted as fol-
lows: