The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1876-02-20
The Louisiana Agricultural and Mechan
zeal College.

4 The Louisiana Agricultural and Mechar
ical College.
; At meeting of Orleans Grang Q No. 5;
e held at Grunewald Hall on Friday evening
the 18th inst, on motion of D. bennett tha
a committee of three be appointed to lnquir
into and report upon the history and condi
ton of the Louisiana State Agricultural az,
+ Mechanical College, the motion was carried
and ID. bennett, George Nicholson and Thos
J. Carver were appointed to inquire into tn
matter and report
REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE.
To the Officers and Members Of Orleans Grang,
II No. SO, P. of H.:
Your committee, appointed to inquire init
the history and condition OF the State ARri
cultural and Mechanical College, located in
the city Of New Orleans, beg leave to report
i That Louisiana, by law of Congress OF
July 2, 1862, has received from the United
States, land scrip to the amount of 2O9, 92C
acres, for the purpose of establishing in this
State q college for the benefit Of agriculture
and the mechanic arts. That the commits
sioners for receiving this endowment (Gov.
Warmoth, Chief Justice Ludeling and Hon.
John LYNCH sold this land scrip for eighty
seven cents an acre, receiving s182, $50 in
United States currency, and in 1871-72
they invested it in Louisiana State Six
Per Cent Bonds ct sixty cents on the
$40, 900 of coupons attached. The interest
due the college in all amounted to little over
| $27,OO
The college in New Orleans, intended to
promote the interests of agriculture and the
mechanic arts throughout the State, and to
be largely under the control of those engaged
and directly interested in agricultural and
mechanical pursuits, is now in the hands of
persons in the city not connected with aeri-
culture, and unknown to the planters and
farmers of Louisiana.
The present location of the college is not
adapted to an agricultural institution for the
general benefit Of the farming interests Of
Louisiana.
Baton Rouge, New Iberia, Opelousas, Alex
andria, and many other locations in the
rural districts Of Louisiana, would be vastly
better locations for such college than the
city Of New Orleans.
The affairs of this college from the begin
ming have been badly administered. and there
is no prospect of any improvement in its
condition, while its funds and management
remain in the hands of those who now con-
troll it. At the last meeting of the State
Grange, Patrons Of Husbandry, Of Louisiana,
in this city, in December, 1876, it was agreed
by the members of that body that the Legis-
lature be respectfully petitioned to change
the administration Of the State Agricultural
and Mechanical College, and place the entire
the oficers of the State Grange, as the only
organized body in the State representing the |
farmers aud agricultural interests of the State |
We, therefore, respectfully call upon the |
Legislature Of Louisiana to investigate this |
subject, and urgently pray that q law be |
passed giving the control of this |
college to the Patrons OF Husbandry and citi-
zens Of character connected with mechanical
pursuits, and to remove this institution to
Baton Rouge.
We desire to call the special attention of
The Legislature to the following clause of the
lct of Congress of 1862, in regard to this en-
lowment fund: "If any portion of the fund
invested, as provided by the foregoing Sec
ion, or any portion Of the interest thereon.
hall by any action or contingency be dimin-
shed or lost, it shall be replaced by the State
% which it belongs" It Is, therefore, import.
mt that the Legislature look sharply to this
natter, since the State, not the fund, must
uffer by the bad management Of this endow-
nent.
We can not too strongly impress upon the
legislature the importance of taking prompt
ction in this matter, and the necessity Of re-
moving the college to Baton Rouge, or to
ONE other point, at once, that another year
o not lost in the mal-administration of this
Institution, and in permitting the magnificent l
md donated to the State BY Congress to be
D clearly misapplied, instead of benefitting :
he agricultural and mechanical interests Of
ae State as contemplated in the act of dona- l
on.
The following resolutions were lately pub.
shed in the Baton Rouge papers: La
RESOLUTIONS.
Be It ordained by the Mayor and City Council i
the City Of Baton Rouge, That in case of the 4
cation of the Agricultural and Mechanical
ollege in Baton Rouge. the Inducements 8
fered by resolution of the Mayor and Board z
Selectmen, March 2, 1874, are hereby con- s
rmed and continued. viz: S
"That q sufficient amount be appropriated y
It of the contingent fund to purchase about q
10 hundred acres of land near the State s,
University for the use of said college.
"The public square known as Mexico T
Iuare, fronting the State University, be y
so rendered the Agricultural and Mechani-
College for the accommodation and use Of W
pupils when located in this city," v
adopted. VI
D. BENNETT, Chairman. y
GEO. NICHOLSON, w
L. D. CARVER, w
Committee. W
The report of the committee. as above "
rem, was passed unanimously by Orleans '"
ange No. So. and it was also moved and
rried that the address Of the Master Of the
tie Grange, Brother R. H Ryland, of West
liciana, on education, be cordially recon-
'nded to the consideration Of the Leeisla-
70 and the people of Louisiana. 4,
A commi tee of five, consisting of D. Dem a
Il, Geo. Nicholson, Thos. Carver, McKinly Al
bson and DR.. H. Wallace, was appointed to Al
ssent this petition to the Legislature Al
S. NJ. WIGG1Ns
Secretary Orleans Grange So, P. of h. Ba
Ba
controversy has arisen concerning recent BIZ
'graphies of Poe. "In Mr. Widdleton's Me. IA