Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-01-02

| the State should, in my opinion, have taken
for the benefit of the class of poor young mel
| for whom II was intended, and at the sam
| rate OF interest that she paws on other fund
| belonging to the University, which aeeru
| from her maturing bonds owned by the Uni
| versity. Why make distinction between thl
interest the State will pay on my donation
| and the interest it will pay on other fund.-
| due the University2 Is that the way to en-
courage others to make liberal donations t,
| the University, to aid in the cause of educa
| ton? Experience will soon show whether i
| affords such encouragement
| Ihe sons OF wealthy men have so long hat
| the advantage. and received the chief benefit.
| of the University that il NAV be Thought by
part OF that class and their representative,
| that It is an innovation to open a way for the
! brightest class of the sons Of the poor. If my
| donation had provided for better facilities fol
! the sons of the wealthy, 1t might have met
| different fate at the hands Of some of those
| who sat in judgment upon its merits.
| But word more on the subject of interest
| Ii l were simply seeking popular applause
what need l care whether the State paid
4 per cent, or per cent. ON the moneys? In
| either case would have given the fiftv thou
sand dollars to the University, and in neither
case would dollar of principal or interest
| come back TO me. The only question was
/ whether the poor young men should have the
| benefit of the larger or smaller rate of in
/ terest. In the one case, the fund would have
! educated larger and in the other a smaller
| tended.
But it is proper to notice one other point
| Objection was made that appointed my sons
| visitors, as the law would term it. In other
| words, that reserved to them the right to see
! during their lifetime, and to the survivor OF
! them, the right to name in his viii person
| who may see in his lifetime that the money is
| not squandered or recklessly wasted Or. i'm
| other words, that the trust is carried ont and
| the money applied to the uses for which it is
gwen. That Is all the right of visitation
| means. As every one acquainted with such
| matters knows, it is one of the most common
| provisions IN case of donations made to col
| leges wherever the English language is
| spoken. In the English colleges, even the en-
dowment OF scholarship is usually accom-
! panied by such provision against waste or
| mlsapplicatiOn of the fund. In that country
| the rector of parish, or some person or cor
| poratiOn where there is perpetual succession.
| is frequently made the visitor. In my case /
| only proposed that the right of visitation. or
| the right to look after the fund and see that il
| is not squandered or misapplied, last for two
! lifetimes. The lifetime of the University
! runs through centuries, therefore in cOmpari-
| son with the whole term for which the dona-
| tiOn would run the right of visitation is re-
| served for but fractional period. And then
only for substantial violation of the trust.
not on account of any technical error or un-
intentional mistake.
This is only securing to nv sons, by direct
| reservation, what the common law, as ex-
pounded by the ablest authors. gives to the
heirs OF every founder who endows q college.
towit: The right in case of a substantial
failure to carry out the trust, or a gross or
wilful misapplicatiQn of the fund, to call the
persons whose duty it is to execute the trust
to account in the courts Who will denv the
justice and propriety of such provision for
the preservation and protection of the fund,
and to secure its appropriation to the uses for
which it is given?
But it is complained that reserved to nv
four sons, during the lifetime of each, the
right to select one young man who is to have
the benefits of the donation. One of the prin-
cipaf troubles the Board of Trustees will have
If fba
men who are to be benefited. As the fund
accumulates, it would during the lifetime
OF the University run into millions of
dollars, and there would be two or
three times as many poor young men
enjoying the benefits as there are now stu
dents in the University. But even during the
lifetime OF my sons, 1t might run to fifty or one
hundred a year. Was it unreasonable to saw
that each of them might select one? Or if il
run to Oniyr twenty wear at the commence
ment, was II unreasonaDIe, as | gave the
money, that each of my sons select one of
them? If had retained the money as part of
my estate, 1t is reasonable to suppose that they
would nave inherited 1t at my death. There
fore, each is to that extent part contributor
and the reservation of the right of each to Sc,
lect one OF the benefciaries seems TO me to be
reasonable: No matter how large the fund
grows, or how large the number of beneficial
rles, they would each still have the right to Sc
lect only one. If the number reached one hun
dred, and my sons were all in life, they would
select four and the trustees Bigetg.sIX If two
select two and the trustees ninety EIGHT.
But another provision is objected to. and
that is, that IN case the person selected is
relative, my son may, in his discretion relieve
him from paying the money hack Whether
this would have ever occurred in a single in
stance Is very doubtful. There might have
arisen case where relative might have
been educated under the prOyisiou, and on
account OF some misfortune, it might have
been their pleasure to relieve him from the
repayment az the money, with the nor cent
interest, as required of 6thoP young men. But
as the object of this donation is to make
worthy young men who are poor feel that they
arc not charity scholars, but in an independent.
manly way that they are borrowing mOpaV f0
educate themselves, 1t would he neither nv
wish nor the wish of my SONS to relieve rela-
tive from tbs tepaynient, unless in some case
of atliiotidn or misfortune. And in the case
OF some one selected by the trustees. not a
reiatiNe, tnere WOuid probably occasionally be
failure to return tbs money to the Uni-
versity. ~ -
Again, suppose seme of the relatives of nv
sons should be educated out of the fund, would
1t not be reasonable TO suppose that-as edu-
Gated citizens they would be as serviceable to
the state as Young men not related to us or
selected by them who might be educated in
the same way? And as it Would he done viii
money donated by me, who would be Nronged.
as ten, probably fifty, not saiated would get
tne penent Tor ever{ one OF my relatives who
But it has been said the act wac intended tn
giveto my sons some Sort Of ADVANTAGE or
political ascendeney in Georgia, How could
this be9 The three who of are agC, are all set
tied down in regular profitable business pur-
suits. No one OF them has shown the slightest
disposition TO engage in politics, and ii ig NOT
probable they ever will. But if thev sbonld.
what advantage would the fact tkat / had
given $4,000 to the University, and that they
have the right to see tAat IL Is not recklessly
squandered Qs wasted, be to them in political
lifef lhe idea Is simply absurd | leawe fhe
country Judge of the motives Of :Isose who
make such groundless appeals TO popular
prejudice, or to what they doubtless suppose
to be popular Ignorance.
One other point. 1t is objected that give
some advantages in the selection of benefici-
aries to the young men Of the mountain sec
ton Of cur State, including three Counties in
South Carolina, which %ontain my birthplace
and the place where had my earliest strug,
giles with poyePETs In my effort to educate nv
self. II I,laS be true, that the feeling of love
and EeneFation we cherish for our bfrtholaee
and the scenes OF our youth and cainnanians
OF childhood, are mere sentiaaRt. BE il 30.
1t Is sentiment that fnSls Il Iodgment fn every
generous nature, and response in every nat
riOtc heart-a sentiment which shall cher
ish TO the latest moment of my life, and uDon
which shall delight TO act on every appro-
pirate occasion.
Again, 1t has been said the S.ate does not
wish to borrow money from me at per cent
do not wish TO lend any to the State. /
only proposed to donate TO the University
$4,000, to aid poor but bright and wortbyv
need and wish at the University and at its
branch at Dahlonega. If the State would take
the money and use it In payment of her ma
turing debt, and pay to the University mot to
me- the same rate Of iBteTesf which bv her
own statute she binds herself To nay for tlftv
years, op all her bonds now owned by the Uni
verS1tY, as fast as they mature. Not q dollar
of the principal or interest, if the donation
were accepted, Is TO be paid bsck to me, or 10
any child or children cf ,aIae, Every dollar of
1t Is to be expended IA the education of voun0
T1a IN IN - -t1ta Nx-ha oh Il
culable benefit 10 the State. 1t could fesult' in
no more personal benefit to me or nv ehiISire1
than TO any other citizep Of the State. The
right of visitation ~ see that the fund is moi
wasted, hut applied to the uses for which II Il
given, II resefVed to my sons, and the right
during the life of each to select one Of Enc
young men to be educated is als9 reserved.
This Is all: Not dollar &C pecunIaTy benefit
is reserved to me oF 80 them. Not dollar az
the money - TO be returned to US Mai = 1oI
lar IS TO be loaned to the State OK sae or them
the CnlyersltXs if the State wonld take il. and
pay tAe sap1e interest she paws for other fnnje
belonging TO the University. -
However, have made this letter lore,e,. .,,o,,
l intended: l wish you to understand fully NV
view OF this question. If / was actuate5 ~
any unworthy motive am not aware of it /
OF course regret that the House Of Renresenta
tives felt II its duty, no matter by What mo-
tlVea prompted, 20 reJect the donation, as
had hoped Il would result in great benefit
to the mass of the people whose sons are
now excluded from the benefits of a Eh-
eral education. 1t is still nv fixed nMnrr.
pose to appropriate that sum to the very oh
iect contemplated in the proposition to the
University and Legislature. I intend 10 do
so, either in or oGt OF the State, upon as nearlv
the exact plan as possible, simply because
think the plan 10 right = III, 1t is f-ne I
shall regret il, if the the renresenfa
tives Of the people denIes q, the sons &c ne
class OF people for whom it was intended this
benefit, and compels me to give 10 10 the younv
men OF that class in another State. when I
would greatly prefer that our own Young mer,