Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1878-10-18

gave to the State Board of Agriculture, for
hge years, the services of its professor of
chemistry, who was made secretary of the
| Board OF Agriculture, and devoted to it lat
the cost OF the University and State Agricul-
tural College, almost all his time-his place
IN the laboratory being at times supplied By
special instructors at the expense OF the Uni
versity. The laboratory of the University
was placed at the disposal of the Board Of
Agriculture, and in it were made the first and
most valuable series of analyses of fertilizers.
which have saved thousands of dollars
to the Vermont farmers The services
OF Professor Perkins, the professor Of
zoology and botany, have also been rendered,
free to the State Board OF Agriculture, and
| accepted by them. Prof. Perkins has been
appointed entomolO5 5ist of the board, attends
Its meetings and renders valuable service
The trustees of the College have been re-
Gently taking steps to organize experimental
agricultural stations, on private farms, 10
different portions of the State, which it il
hoped will prove Of much benefit to farmers
and stock breeders. They stand ready to
extend such efforts in any direction giving
reasonable promise of success, and to any
extent to which funds may be provided.
These are the facts. Are they or are
they not record of fraud and indifference to
the interests of the State and of the farmers
on the part of the University?
1t may perhaps occur to intelligent per-
sons that, in an agricultural State like Yer
mont, the trustees of an institution which
Is IN an especial manner the ward of the
State-would not be very likely to disregard
any Just demands Of the farmers of Vermont
or to ''defraud' them in any degree Nor
have they done so.
This has been fully demonstrated in the
successive investigations ordered BY the
Legislature. The investigating COM
mittee of 1874 was composed Of
able, intelligent and independent men. A
majority Of them were farmers The chair
man OF the committee on the part of the
House was the leading granger in the Legis-
lature. The committee went into the inyes-
tigation supposing that there was something
wrong to be Investigated. They came out of
it, as they say in their report, with their
doubts and suspicious removed" The bot
tom dropped entirely out Of the charges
against the management OF the institution as
soon as they were brought in contact with
the truth. The committee reported "that
the whole amount of the industrial fund and
a little more is annually expended in paying
for the services of professors in the indus
trial department and expenses belonging To
that department. and that sin the partner |
ship the industrial is apparently the favored |
partner" They reported that, OF the mem
bers OF five classes that had graduated since |
the union of the University and Agricul- |
tural College, "eighty-six had entered bust |
ness life as teachers. farmers, civil engineers,
manufacturers and in other departments Of
business coming fairly within the intent and |
meaning of the act of Congress and of the
charter of the Vermont Agricultural College |
of 1863" "TheSe results" added the COM
mittee, indicate degree of success which |
has surprised and gratiied your committee,
as We doubt not it will every person who
duly estimates the value of education for the
practical pursuits of life
The committee of 1876 was more under |
the control of one or two unscrupulous poll
ticians who hoped to ingratatc themselves
with the farmers by persuading them that |
they had been abused by the University,
but they could find no facts on which to base |
any charge Of misappropriation or mi-man
agement; and their proposition to continue
tut iuNe>tlSdtlOu wis OVERWHELMINGLY YOteu /
down by House composed mostly oil farm
ers, who had attended the meetings Of the .
committee (held in room
which accommodates go persons) and had
heard for themselves and seen how ground
less were the charges brought against the
of the Institution.
These charges still reiterated in some
quarters, in spite Of ample demonstration OF
their falsity-have originated in malicious
md interested sources. They come from
men who have ignorantiy supposed that it
was possible for them to get the lingering of
the agricultural fund - or from partisans
of rival institutions, who would he glad to
take the fund from Burlington College, eyen
though it were thus to become lost to the
State; or from disappointed politicians, who
have tried to mount ON a wave of exceeding
and care for the farmers. and have
zone down instead of up. The University
las never meddled with State or local poll
les. 1t keeps scrupulou>ly clear of them
md desires only to be permitted to 90
in its legitimate work OF
oste.ing and building up all worthy ill.,
erests committed to its care. JU>TIcs
Burlington, VT, September -, 1877.