The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1882-08-24
WHY JUDGE COOLEY SHOULD
ACCEPT A PLACE In
THE UNIVERSITY.

THE UNIVERSITY.
1t is hardly to be expected thai
Judge Cooley will come to Texas
He is one of the most accomplished
law writer's in the country, and hi;
standard works are in the libraries
of all lawyers. He is now at the
head of the law department i'll the
University of Michigan, where he
has been for q great many years
And, yet, we do not understand why
Judge Cooley should not come tC
Austin to take a position in what If
destined to be the greatest univer'
sity west of the Mississippi river, to
be as great, in fact, i'll q
few years, as any in this
country. Texas has already partially
provided for the free education OF
the youths of the state IN her uni
versity, and at the coming session OF
the legislature tardy justice will be al
last meted out to the institution, and
it will be established upon basis
possessed of greater solidity than
any similar institution in the United
States. There is already set apart
as shown by the report of the comp
troller, published elsewhere in this
paper, say in round numbers
$4,000 in money, invested in
interest bearing securities. Be.
sides this there is due the univer.
sity fund enough more in money tC
swell the available cash interest bear.
ing fund to over 100000. The uni.
versity has already of very fine
lands, some located IN the most pop.
ulous counties in the state, 1900, ,00C
acres. 1t was the purpose at the last
session of the legislature to very
materially add to the land donation
out of the reserves, but the measure
was defeated in the house by the land
men. Now, however, the Democratic
party stands pledged, through its
platform adopted at Galveston, 10
place the university, and in fact the
entire free school system, on a solid
basis, and the next legislature will
hasten to do what the last refused
to do. 1t is thought that the lands
already given to the university may
be leased so as to give an annual
revenue of $4,000. Suppose enough
other lands are donated to increase
the land revenue to 100000; then
the annual cash fund for expenditure
would be about $13O,0O0. This fund
within itself, without acCretions
constantly being made to an educa-
tional institution of high character
would afford means not only to i'll
crease the buildings for the univer-
slty, but it would afford the money
to employ thirty or forty of the best
professors and tutors in the United
States; and the state having pro-
vided the fund to pay for both
buildings and tHition, the uni
versity of Texas would
i'll reality be the greatest educational
institution in America, because il
would be free for all students. A
university thus established would
continue to grow and become rich
through the enhanced value of its
lands, until its corps of professors
could be carefully made up from the
best universities of the world. And
all this may be accomplished in
a very few years. If 100000
acres of land, with which it is hoped
the university may be endowed,
would lease between 1884 and 1890
for 100000 annually, these same
lands would lease between 1890 and
1900 for 100000. Hence, it
may be seen how the in
stitution would progress, and
continue to progress in the years to
come. Certainly the university OF
Texas is to be second to no univer-
slty, and ten years hence just such
men as Judge Cooley will be anx-
ious to occupy chairs in the make up
of its learned faculty.