Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1876-02-10
shall not believe It Until is demonstrated beyond


priation of the amount asked Tor by the Trustees
Certainly the Trustees themselves do not ind
their labors connected with the College money
making business. The act of the legislature &C.
centing the offer of the National Government and
establishing the College, especially provides that
the Trustees shall be paid nothing for services
Some of them have received something for trav-
cling expenses, others have not. The board con-
consists of some of the best men of the state
from both political parties, Of unquestionabe in
tegrity, and believed to be Of sound judgment
Are these men laboring under mistaken ideas oil
the util ity of this institution! 1t seems 10 DC
fact that those who have opportunities to kuow
most about it, entertain the highest opinion OF lis
merits.
In answering some of the objections which are
raised to the Appropriation OF money Tor TINS Noi-
| lege shall be obliged again, and frequently, 10
| allude to the argument of the Senator from ON-
ford for with rare, ability and power, he brought
together all the objections and arguments that are
on mems tongues, or "in the All and the itlends
| of the College owe him debt of gratitude tor
| thus grouping the strong points of the opposition
into compass so sma all AS to he easily considered
As to the general proposition OF the senator
| from Oxford Of economy IN all our expenditures II
finds response in the heart OF every Senator al
thi, board While | would cut down every appIo-
priati1n TO the minimum amount consistent win
| the interests of the commonwealth and the people,
| / would also exercise dilgent care that those re-
| formatory humane, and educational ms itutlons
which stand mile posts IN the path OF advancing
|
mater ial support required to give them efficiency
am no stranger, nor are any of the gentlemen at
| th. board, TO the ordinary slang as applied TO
| nearly all our State Institutions OF state .le-
phants, Estate pauper3' and rag babies. l am
iappv to say that no senator in this chamber has
INDUCED in this mode Of warfare. These epithets
! are, however, applied ndiscrimnattly to all our
State institutions, not excepting the senate anu
! House of Representatives in Legislature assem-
bled. | had the honor of q place on the commit
| tee that reported the first resolve appropriaing
| money for the Industrial School for Girls. knew
| then, and one denied or doubted. that this
would entail upon all future Legislatures the ne
cessity of making annual appropriations for its
support; but when thought of my own little glrl
and the possibilities and vcissitudcs of lie, and
that such institution would lescoe from RUN
many like her as "a brand pluckcd from the burn
| ing" perhaps ore every year. perhaps more. |
| could not vote against such measure.
Sometimes when hear men depiecatng the es
tablishment and existence Of such institutions,
cannot suppress the thought that their lives have
fallen upon the wrong era Of the world history !;
that they ought to have lived at some remote pc
Rod when school houses were unknown, and the
roads they walked were the trails of buiiloes and
when collectors of taxes did not exist to bIin. such
untold misery upon the human race.
The tabular statement of the Secretary Of State
furnished in compliance with the Legislative or
der introduced by the Senator from Cumberland
shows that the amount far expended by the
State is Sljl 900. Now what has the State TO
show for iii Buildings to the amount OF 500,
600. Apparatus in the department OF physics,
81 $3.50. In the department of Nat. History
81 596.63 in the depai tment Of engineering, ST.
$3.50; department Of chemistry 2,1e6 9o library
S3,7l5.9 90; value of farm exclusive Of buildings
$4,000 90; farming tools, 81 1880; farm stock,
Ss420, and other property which at low valuation
will bring the aggregate up TO SIPS, $685.. Now
these figures OF Sl5l 900 paraded here with such
an air OF triumph need not appall us when we can
show property 10 the amount Of almost Sl3Oo0o
in return. suppose we were to oppose the appro-
priations for the Reform School, at Cape Eliza
beth, or the Maine General Hospital at Portland
on the ground that vast appropi a,ons had hereto
fore been made for them, would such q showing
be considered argument! And can either of those
institutions show q better exhibit than does the
State College: Then we have the argument that
the trustees have sometimes disregarded the in
structons Of the Legislature, in reference to the
contraction of debts Well, what have the Trus-
tees TO say in eatenuation. What were the un-
foreseen emergencies, which was their apology
nay, their complete Justification Of this disregard
of instructions F.? WY, their insurance policies
expired, the renewal Of which cost only few cents
less than $1,000.
The remainder is scattered over large number
of items, such as the repairs OF the bakery, taking
down and remodeling chimney. renovation of
heating apparatus of dormtory, &c, all of which
expenses absolutely necessary. For myself,
! regret that the trustees find themselves in po
sitOn which renders il necessary for them TO
tory to me, at least.
The senator from Oxford makes a comparison
between the cost of instruction here, and that of
the Normal Schools. How about this; The
principals of the Normal Schools receive salary
of $4,000 each, which is more than either of the
professors of the State College receive, with the
exception of the President. Their assistants
generally the graduates of their own schools,
mostly young ladies, who, however valuable their
services may be, do not receive more than $500 or
5000 year. These schools are doing noble work
for the State, and will not speak a word of them
which is not in their praise, hut have idea
that single Of their instructors except the
principals wouldpresume for moment that he
she is qualified to take charge Of a department Of
the State college.
Again the Senator from Oxford says that the
tuition Of the students for the last year cost the
State $3.50 each. The gentleman arithmetic is
altogether beyond my comprehension. The con-
gressional fund, and all the appropriations hitherto
made, together, amount to $3.50, 900. The inter-
est on this amount at six per cent. is Sl7 100 The
number of students in the college last year. be
says, was 12l, tI have not looked it up) which
would give Sli0 as the tuition of EACH and this
is the very worst possible phrase of the case for
every dollar is reckoned. and allowance is made
for depreciation of property. My friend has come
within Sll0 of the mark, and considering the fact
that he is lawyer, and skilled in making "the
worse appear the better cause" perhaps ought to
be satisfied
But suppose that this mode Of computing tuition
should be applied TO the students at Bowdoin,
what would 1t cost apiece there' | have not the
facts at hand to ascertain, but l will venture to
guess, that thousand dollars year would not be
high enough. Now in regard to the item of $500,
asked for to build a road. The query is raised,
"do ordinary farmers with ordinary farms build
roads across them costing $500" Not many
presume. But this is not ordinary farm. Ii is
college farm, State farm. 1t will be visited
frequently by the representatives of other States,
more or less. Should not we. as representatives
of the people of this State he justifable in exer
else little State pride IN this matter, so much, at
least, as to desire better roads here than ordinary
farm roads, which made simply by driving over
the rough earth or following COW path through
swamp and lending in squirrel track that
goes up tree" But the $500, as well as the
$500 asked for farm improvements, is 10 subserve
another purpose also. The farm superintendent is
in duty bound to furnish work for boys, for which
he is to pay them 10 cts. an hour. Without these
appropriations for improvements and experiments
is absolutely impossible for him to carry this
plan. Many of the boys are in part dependent up
on these little earning to aid them in defray ing the
expenses of the first year | shall be sorry if they
are disappointed
We hear the complaint that the graduates of the
institution do not all engage in agricultural pur-
pursuits. 1t is only about three years since the
first class (of only four graduated. Only thirty
in, oil hay dana ho tod