The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1881-12-22
THE STATE UNIVERSITY,
An Interesting Discussion In the fouse oe
Representatives.

Representatives.
In the House of Representatives o,
tuesday the Appropriation Bill was taker
up and was being read, when Mr.. Simpson
n, moved eo to strike out the appropriation o
Slo,oO0 for the support of the schools O
tne University. The condition of tn,
people OF the State, he said, was such a,
70 demand that the expenses of the gov
ernment should be kept within the small
est possible limits. The expense of al
the commissions and the expense Of s
protrracted legislative session would run
up the taxes to higher figure than Tho
people could bear. The common school,
OF the State we're kept open only three
months in the year, and he considered il
oefrandlng the masses out Of their rights
10 appropriate this amount of money fol-
tne benefit of mere handful represen.
ting certain class. The supremacy OF
the white races in South Carolina could
only be maintained by dealing out abso
iute justice towards every class. The
levying of unnecessary taxes at this
time would not tend to promote that har.
mony among the people of the State
which was so greatly to be desired.
Mr.. Haskell said that the remarks OF
the gentleman from Anderson might
have come with more force if he had not
placed himself so clearly on record in
1878, when he had expressed the senti.
ment that he would have been delighted
to see this old and time. honored iustitu.
ton torn down and sold for brick. The
argument that the University was to
oe exclusively beneficial TO a class was
without foundation, and the argument
that the common schools were being de-
irauded by this appropriation was
equally without foundation. Over $780,
Ooo yearly was appropriated for the ben
eht OF the common schools and, rs was
well known, those who paid nine.tenths
OF this tax made but little use of these
schools. There were four hundred
young men In the State to. day seeking
that higher education for which, if they
could not obtain it in their own State,
they would be forced to 20 elsewhere.
The gentleman from Anderson had been
alone in the committe of WAYS and
means in his opposition to this appropri-
alton, and his calculation as to the tax
Tor the coming year was wholly incorrect.
The appropriations in this bill with this
$4,000 included were $4,000 less than
last year, and the tax would not be high
er that last year. The State had the
buildings, the Libraries and the nucleus
OF the institution with already sixty stu
dents. All that was asked for was some
little amount to supplement the resources
of the institution that it might be placed
upon foundation upon which it could
rest, and the youth of the State could
find that higher education which was
necessary to keep up the intelligence of
the rising generation.
MIR. Werner heartily favored the appro.
priation. The gentleman talked about
the safety of the white race being depen-
dent upon the saving of $4,000
from the expenses of the State. He
thought it q far stronger argument to
claim that the white race of the State
could only be dethroned from power by
the lack of education. The opposition
from the gentleman, he thought, could be
easily traced to the belief that this Uni
yersity would be injurious to The Sec
tartan colleges of the State. No one
could have higher respect for the secta
rlan colleges than he had, but he could
cite expressions from the heads of all
those colleges favoring the opening of this
University, on the ground that It was a
public necessity, and that it would meet
need which the sectarian colleges could
not supply. He was not actuated By
sentiment, but was guided by firm con-
viction that as a mere business transac-
tion the opening of this University would
save thousands of dollars to tho State
every year. The Institutions of all the
surrounding States were drawing our
young men away from the State yearly,
taking thousands of dollars away from
home and denying TO the young men of
South Carolina the privilege of receiving
at home that higher education which the
spirit of the age demands.
Mr.. Simpson again rose to defend his
position. He reiterated that before the
expenses of the session were paid the tax
would run up, perhaps, to between eight
and ten mills, and at a time like this such
tax would be burden which the people
could not stand.
Mr.. Hutson said he was tired of hear.
ing on every measure of interest the
time-worn argument about the pow
erty of the State. Why was the
University placed upon any footing at all
if was not intended by degrees to place
the institution upon an enduring basis ?'
MIR. Murray opened an argument in
favor Of the appropriation by recounting
the remark of Thomas Jefferson, when
being asked to name the greatest act OF
his life, he replied: ~ founded the Uni
versity Of Virginia" He referred with
pride to the educational condition OF
South Carolina before the war. and con.
t-asted the present condition of the State
in that regard with the States which had
founded aud kept up institutions of high
er learning. He was in favor of obeyine
the mandate of the constitution that pro
vided that appropriations should be made
from time to time towards tkS support ol
this University. He was in favor of ar
appropriation, and was opposed to making
any petty appropriation that would &C
complish no good. The sectarian col
leges had done and were doing grea
work and he hoped they would go OF
prospering and to prosper, but this Col
fege with its wider advantages was need
ed as q central point around which
any youth of the State could gair
that higher education which hs
could not get elsewhere in the State
Under the law the beneficiary graduates
\