The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1883-03-22
WHY THE LAND DONATION Is
WANTED.

The difference between the Texas |
university and other universities is
that ours is to be absolutely free.
The interest from its funds, therefore,
must be great enough to provide all
the schools of a first-class university
with first-class professors, for it is
fixed that students shall pay nothing
for tuition, not even naturalization
fees, unless its revenue from funds
provided by the state be inadequate
to the demands made upon
the institution for current expenses.
Reference has been made to the Uni
versity of Virginia rs a guide for ere
ating an annuity. From the state of
Virginia and from its special and phi
vate funds this university has an an
nuity of between eighty and ninety
thousand dollars. Besides this, stu
dents are charged a matriculation feeo
fifteen dollars, and twenty-five dollars
is charged each student for attendance
on every school. The student attends
on an average more than
three schools, and thus the revenue
from charges against students swells
the entire receipts of the university
to nearly $4,000. Harvard, too, has
a large revenue from students, or its
reputation would last but a short
time upon the revenue derived
from its permanent funds, none
of which are contributed by the
state of Massachusetts,. Thus it is,
too, with Yale and Princeton, and
almost every celebrated institution in
the country. They are. endowed,
but the endowments of nearly all
these institutions are private, and
they are inadequate to their sup
port. The University of Michigan
comes nearest what is proposed
for the University of Texas, but no
university in the world was ever in
tended to be so free in all respects as
this one in Texas. All the revenue
/ lOA I'D OuONCooAhA
must come from the state. That
there maySe something of most
permanent character, lands, which the
state scatters beautifully, are asked,
that the people may be saved from
taxation. While the state gives to in
dividuals and corporations vast guam
titles of land, while it sets
aside fifty millions of acres
for public free schools, only one mil
lion acres, besides the million already
given, are asked for the university.
Senator Davis has said that the uni
verssity is in possession of a great
deal more land than is here named
but he must know that any other pro-
posed grants were denied it by con-
stitutional limitation; and yet
when the constitution deelar.
4 aass- that the Texas university
shall be free, the legislature is pro
vided with power. to grant it all thai
may be necessary for establishing {
university of the first class. Pride o.
Texans leads them to look ahead
they would prepare now fol
coming generations, when thu
grandeur of Texas will b
first as a state of the Ameri
can continent. When the politica
existence of the eighteenth Legislature
ends the public domain will have al
passed away. No legislature afte
this will have the power to donat'
; lands, since there will be none to do
nate. This one alone can give, ant
, thus save the people from taxation
for maintaining the university GU
of their individual earnings, which
however, they would do as
last resort. The bill which is now il
the house asks the land donation. an
: it will be given, as the senate so gen
erously gave, whenever the measur
shall be gotten before that body 70
consideration.