Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1879-06-12
The State College.

HtH it0AiN lHNblihbtbl HNH utfEl FFlllLfn
pretty severely for the past few years, and
recently the Legislature appointed COM
mittcc to look into the workings of the es-
tablishment, and learn whnt grounds there
ara for the growing heretofore INDUCED
IN by newspaper individuals. Tho editor
of the Altoona Tribune, in n recent issue
Of that journal, indulges in remarks of this
kind;
"An opinion has prevailed for some
time that the State Agricultural College
WAS to Il certain extent II failure that the
results were not up to the just expectations
otits friends, and not on scale commensur-
ato with the great cost It's maintenance eH-
tails on the people of the State. The Leg
Islative Committee appointed to inyesti-
gate the matter have discovered that there
were good many reasons to believe that
this institution, rs well as the - pertinent
al farms, has not been as productive Of
good results ~ wo had II right to expect
| The State College has cost far too much
when the results attained are taken into
consideration. One of the graduates trsti-
fled that when he fret went there there
was large attendance Of pupils, but some
years later the professors were almost as
| numerous as the students. We are not Of
the opinion, says the Lancaster Aeto Era
that such institutions can be made sell :
sustaining, nor was that tho idea upper
most in the minds Of our representatives
when they passed the bill providing FOR
their organization. The advancement of
agricultural knowledge throughout the
State was "A primary confederation and
the State could we'll afford TO pay well for
IA wide dissemination of such information ;
but the people were entitled 10 look for a
{ "A 4 4 I a. 4 al
I affairs of these Institutions, and that Is ap-
parently what they lave not received
The unaccoumfabie Encouragement of ne
yttjiie laHds qircH 10 Ms Collage prorcs that
tie men in charge wsrc At icasf most grossiy
negligent II the true interests gf the Cy{icge
ORR ,chich Hcv crerci,ci control, and that
the public interests teottid be subscrrri by
their rsmorai. In fact a thorough over
hauling of tho system on which the State
College has been conducted seems to be
imperativcly demanded, aud return 10
more economical and busincs..l!kc meth
ods."
We republish the foregoing article
from the Clcarfcld Republican in or
der that our readers may see what ig.
norance and stupidity exists among
the average newspapers Of the State.
That portion in italics, from the Ne,u
Era of Lancaster, is fair specimen.
The editor of the Ne1r Era should
have known that the College never
had any public lands to manage well
or i'll, and therefore its trustees and
officers could not be guilty Of mis-
managing them. The federal govern.
ment, by act approved July ,, 1862,
donated TO each State an amount of
public lands equal to 10000 acres for
each Senator and Representative
which such State was entitled TO under
the census of 1850. Under this act
Pennsylvania was entitled to receive
10000 acres Of land, for the purpose
of endowing agricultural colleges.
BY m act Of the legislature, approved
April | 1868, Pennsylvania accepted
this grant and pledged the faith Of
the State to carry out the conditions
imposed by Congress. This act can
be found in the Pamphlet Laws of
1868, page 2l3. The second section
of this act authorizes and directs the
.Surrgor General of the State to do
and perform everything necessary to
entitlc the State to the land scrip. and
when the land scrip was received by
him to dispose of the same, "under
such regulations as the Board Of
Commissioners, hereafter appointed by
this act. shall prescribe" BY the
third section the Governor, Auditor
General and Surveyor General of the
State were constituted the Board of
Commissioners, with power to make
all ncedful regulations for the sale Of
the land scrip by the Surveyor Gener-
al. The proceeds were directed to be
invested in United States or State stock,
or bonds BY the fourth section Of the
same act the interest of the fund thus
invested was appropriated TO the Ag.
ricultural College of Pennsylvania.
This interest is all the money the Col.
legc has ever received ON account of
the land grant, and all that the insti-
tuition could by any possibility have
mismanaged. BY the fifth section of
the same act, the College was required
to make an annual report to the legis-
lature of the receipts and expenditures
of the institution, This has been reg
ularly and faithfully done, and if