The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1878-01-30
The Unfversfsy o 4 HHEs-issIK p p!---At@
Fiam mcfal History Masf Claims
MInnn aAae San t.

l.
OXFORD, MISS, January %, 1875
Hons " ] Showers and r. A. Dean, House
OF Representatives:
GExTLgMES-Iu reply to your interroga-
tories touching the University. viii state,
that the financial history of the University
OF Mississippi may be found in the Journals
of Congress of 1919, IIutcherson's MIssis-
sippI Code, the Message OF Governor John
J. McRae, February 6. 1856, and the Historic
! cal Address of Rev. DIR. John N. Waddei.
former Chancellor of the University, de-
Iiyered June As 1873, before the University.
From these sources it will be seen that IN
! accordance with an act Of Congress, pas seq
| February 20, 1919, a township of land was
granted to the State for the purpose OF
establishing a Seminary OF Learning: the
| Legislature held the title in trust for this
purpose, and SO accepted II; they leased
| these lands until March. 1888, when the
1 Legislature passed an act providing tor the
sale of the land, which sale was IN tde that
| year on one, two and three years credit. The
| notes were made payable on November l,
1884. 1885 and 1886, respectively. Subse-
| quently the Legislature passed IAN act for
/ the collection aud investment of the Semi
nary Fund - section eleven OF said act re-
| quires sthe Stare Treasurer TO credit the
| University Fund with interest at the rate Of
/ five per cent. per annum upon all moneys
| heretofore paid into the Treasury from the
| time when so paid to the passage of the act; ;
| and thereafter to credit said fund with in
terest at the rate of eight per cent. per an
mum upon all moneys due from the State to
| said fund
Governor McRae, in his message, said !:
| sBy applying the rule laid down in this
| law to the ascertainmeut OF the condition of
| the fund on the lst of January, 1856, it Is
discovered that the sum due from the State
| to the University Fund, was. ar that time,
$I,O77. $50 09.'' Governor McRae then pro-
ceedS to deduct the appropriations made
| from time to time by the Legislature for
| the establishment and support of the Uni
verify, computing interest upon those adj
| Yances by the same rule "a previously upon
/ the fund itself. The amount of these appro-
| priations, with Interest aided. computed as
| above, was $203, 465 IS, which deducted from
said $1.077,790 09, lett 1914 1924 40 balance
due to the University January lst, 1856.
| This state of facts was made known to the
| Legislature, and whilst the Legislature fail
| ed or refused to acknowledges the whole
| debt, the Legislature did acknowledge a
! part of it, tO-wit: something less than
| $500 600 on which the State paid for some
| years $ll 800 90 interest annually.
| Some few years ago. about 1872, l think,
DIR. l.. G. Garland then Professor in the
| University, nade very accurate calculation
of the amount due from the State to the
University, making the net amount then
due over one million and a half of dollars
after deducting all previous appropriations.
The small annual appropriations made
| foe the University up to this day would not
near pay the interest on this debt aud
consequently the present Indebtedness of the
State of Mississippi to her University is
nearly or quite two million dollars. This
amount the State holds as trustee only and
in sacred trust for the University. Now it
is question addressing itself to the wisdom
and sound discretion of the Legislature What
| they will do with their University and its
finances? Whether they will acknO wledye
this debt and fund it ia long bonds bearing
a small interesJ for the support of the Uni
versity, or whether they will cripple the
University, impair its usefulness and shear
it of its glory by making too small an APP
preparation, or whether they will s'split the
difference" and make proper appropria-
ton.
In case an appropriation is determined
upon the authorities of the University have
already informed you through the Chan
cellor, General Stewart, that thirty thousand
dollars for current expenses tor the present
year and fifteen thousand dollars for repairs
and Improvements are absolutely necessary.
This amount may seem large to some esDec-
tally when we consider the poverty of our
people and the proper spirit of retrench-
Inent and reform that pervades and should
pervade the present Legislature.
But is there not danger of curtailtng ex-
penditures at the wrong place and at the |
wrong time?
By examining the annual appropriations |
for other years it will be found that the |
University has received for some years
asked for current expenses, and that in 1873 |
even $4,000 were appropriated In those |
years we did not have so many students |
in attendance and therefore did not |
then the buildings were newer and |
did not require the same repairing as now |
then the University had other financial re- |
sources which she has not now. She has |
lost some OF her resources. the number of |
students have increased, consequently her
expenses have increased There have been
but few repairs and no buildings since the
war. Painting, clustering and repairing
and recovering of roofs must be done. A
suitable Chancellor's residence ought TO be
built and by some it is thought that Hos
pital ought to be established for the Uni
versity. The constantly increasing num-
bers OF the students will render it neces-
sery to provide more rooms for their
lodging; hence, it is believed that at
least $4,000 ought to be appropri-
ated for repairs and improvements; and
past experience of the Institution de-
monstates that $4,000 for current expenses |
addition of late to the Library, and but little
expended for apparatus. etc., for the Labor
atory and Observatory. So it is thought
that an appropriation this year, (even con-
sidering the stringency of the times,) of q
81 800 would be very moderate indeed.
But ii we compare these figures with the ]
annual income of some other institutions, it
will seem small.
The University of California receives an /
nually an appropriation from that State of I
S72 600 90, and it received in the session of s
1912 an appropriation OF 100000 for build S
ing purposes alone.
income. Harvard University has an annual d
income of about 100000. The University 1
of Mississippi only asks for little more t
than one tenth this latter sum,,and yet she
has between 400 and 500 students now In at I
tendance, with bright prospects for increas-
ing patronage. But if it be decided to fund
the States Indebtedness to the University in {
long bonds bearing small interest, that 2
would place the University at once D
upon solid financial basis, beyond the 7
reach of the caprice and change of parties
it would give stability, tone and dignity to {
the Institution. There would no longer be
an uneasy, feverish anxiety every year to C
know what the Legislature is going to do {
about appropriations to it, but all would 4
feel confidence in It's permaEency and sue O
Tess. Its Professorships would be sought C
BY the best educators, and their services
could be had on even better terms than ever Il
before, because they would feel that there n
vas some permanency and certainty about o
heir position and pay. d
In October last, DIR. G. M Walden, one of ];
Mississippi's most generous and patriotic s
,itizens, published an offer to assist ten l
1oung men In obtaining an education at the '
University, by paying their board. For G
hese ten places there have been nearly four 8
hundred applications from honest, worthy y
,oor boys in Mississippi. If the Legislature
would make a small appropriation to build G
few small, neat cottages on the University
grounds, these boys could lodge in them and o
N the ssmessing" plan board themselves P
for less than five dollars per =
month. Then II the Legislature would au-
horize each county to pay the expenses of a
me or more students from such county, out a
Il the county school fund, putting such stu a
ents under obligation to refund with inter- G
st such advantages, by teaching in the free o
chooIs of the county after graduation. q
dany of these poor boys could thus get an =