Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-12-07
WHAT WILLHEDO WITH IT
SENATOR BROWNS GIFT TO THE
UNIVERSITY.
Offered in Good Faith-His Views on
Its RejectiOn-Its Conditions COnstf-
tutiOnal-ResOlved That Its Purposes
Shall be Served-His Native State
Nav Receive 1t.
atlanta Constitution

Nay INccelNt
Atlanta Constitution.
The refusal of the Legislature to accent
/ the $4,000 gift of Governor Brown to the
State University, under the conditions
imposed, has been the subject of consider
able comment.
Mr.. Julius Brown said ON yesterday in
regard to the matter:
My father is Indifferent to the action
of the Legislature. He made the gift in
good faith, and with two objects in view
FIRST, to perpetuate, in proper shape, the
memory of his dead son. This he can do
in some other shape. Second, to give to
young Georgians, who were not able to
buy it, an education. 1t is not his fault
that they will not get the benefit of it. He
has done his duty, and his skirts are
clear"
gift?"
NO, not in the slightest particular
lie IS not running around to beg people to
take his donation. He simply offered to
give the money. He has not spoken to anv
member of the Legislature about it. He
simply left it with them. We have never
discussed what he would do if they refused
to take it, for we never considered re-
fusal possible. But | feel sure that ne
will not change the provisions of his gift"
FtpSNNu HI
1t has been charged that Governor
Brown had never yet paid the $4,000 he
gave to the Kentucky Baptist College.
| 1t is simple justice to Governor Brown to
say that the $500 he gave them has been
paid. 1t was paid in full in cash two
weeks before the gift was publicly an
nounced. This is from undoubted au-
thOrity.
SENATOR BROWNS VIEWS.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 5.-The correspon-
dent OF the Constitution called on Senator
Brown at his lodgings tonight, and asked
him if he had heard that the Legislature
of Georgia had rejected his donation to the
State University. He said he had not.
The reporter stated that he had learned by
adispatch from the Constitution that such
was the fact, and asked what would now
be his course. He replied that he regretted
very much to hear it, as he chad matured
the plan with great care, and felt that il
would have resulted in an immense bene-
fit to Georgia, The interest on the $50, 900
/ being loaned each year to poor but worthy
young men struggling to obtain an educa-
ton, they to pay per cent. on it, would be
virtually cOmpounding it after the first
year, in each case at IL per cent. At this rate
it would double itself in about twelve
years. But suppose a considerable part
of it should not be paid back by the stu
dents who get the benefit, it would be safe
to say it would double in twenty years.
Then the 100000 would double again at
the end Of forty years, the 5000 900 would
double at the end of sixty years, the $780,
900 at the end of eighty years, the $500, 900
would become $1,600,0 600 at the end of a
hundred years, and the first twenty years
of the second century the 81, 500, 900 would
amount to So, 900. In the lifetime of a
university this would make fund large
enough to aid most of the energetic poor
young men of the State who might desire
an education. | therefore regret that the
Legislature should, from any considera=
tions, deny this benefit to the struggling
youth of Georgia"
RepOrter-'I have not seen the debates.
but heard the objection made before l left
| that you gave to your four sons each the
right during his lifetime to designate one
of the young men who should have the
benefits, and that you gave them the right
of visitation to see that the trust is faith
fully administered, and not only to them
but to their successors
Senator Brown-''As | was making
what seemed to me to be liberal gift to
the cause of education, and as there had
to be some mode of selecting the benefi-
Charles, it seems to me not unreasonable
that each one of my four sons should,
during his lifetime, have the privilege of
selecting one young man who should have
the benefits. The money comes out of my
estate, which, according to the ordinary
course, would have fallen to them by in
heritance, and | thought that privilege a
small thing. In few years the fund
would be large enough to educate hun
dred young men constantly at the Univer-
sity, and why should the public object to
my sons selecting four of them? AS to the
right of visitation, it is common in almost
all donations of this character. 1t simply
requires a person who has the right to
look to it that the fund is not sqandered
but faithfully administered NV plan
gave the right of visitation to my four
sons and the survivors of them, with the
right in his discretion to name person
by his will who would still have the right
of visitation, but there is no provision
made to extend it beyond that, In other
words, the right Of visitation is provided
for, for two generations only. After the
fund has been faithfully administered that
long, the suppOsitiOn is that it would be
faithfully administered perpetuallN in flu
ture. The period for theYisitatiOn as pro-
vided for is nothing when compared with
the life of a University, which runs
through centuries"
RepOrter-''But have heard it objected
by some persons that the State ought not
to pay per cent. interest on the fund.-
State now on the statute book which pro-
vides that whenever a bond of the State
owned by the University natures, it shall
be the duty of the Governor to take it up
and issue in lieu of it a seven per cent.
bond of the State running for fifty years,
interest payable semi-annually. | followed
the exact plan which found on the stat
ute book of my State. The only difference
is that the statute applies to the renewal
Of 1Ax-f fI,,
University, and proposed to increase the
fund OF the U':2iii;T'ersity By a donation
of $4,000 on precisely the same terms
that applied to the matured State bonds
now owned by it., The constitution of the
State clearly makes it the duty of the Leg
islature to encourage the University. 1t
seems to me not unreasonable when a cit
iZen will donate $4,000 to it that the State
should encourage il so far as to take the
fund and pay the rate Of interest which,
by her statute, she has fixed as the legal
rate between man and man, and the very
rate she has fixed in the case of the bonds
now owned by the University, as the in
terest paid by her goes to aid her own
children in their education, and does not
come to me-"
Reporter you any objection to
saying at present what course YOU will
now take in the premises?'
Senator Probably it is not the
best time to talk on the subject. Ny in
tentiOn is to appropriate $4,000 to aid in
the education of INDECENT young men, who
have to struggle as l had to struggle at
their age. / greatly prefer to give the
benefits of this help to the youth of Geor-
gia, but if my own State rejects the dona-
tion l shall most probably offer it to some
other State upon precisely the same terms
proposed to the State of Georgia"
RpDOrtpr-EEW hat other SfatA would
you probably selectY7
Senator BrOwn-'1 may reserve that for
future reflection. My present inclination
is to tender it to South Carolina, my ma
tive State. | have no fear about being
able to find a State that will be glad to
accept it and give her youth the benefit of
it,"
Reporter-"What do you think will be
the effect of the rejection upon those who
vote against the acoeptancey'
Senator RrOwn-''That is not question
for me to decide. | shall leave it with
them and their constituents to settle
whether they have acted wisely in refus-
ing to accept this donation for the benefit
of the youth Of our own state, and thereby
compelling me, in order to carry out nv
plan and devote it to the cause of educa-
tiOn, to give it to another State. | shall
not, however, be battied in my purpose. /
intend the money 10 aid the youth of nv
country in obtaining an education. 7
should much have preferred that the
youth of my own State could have had tho