The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1884-02-24
THE UNIVERSITY APPROPRIATION
BILL.

PAOSOOO1bSo cOhS eAAA
ago that bill appropriating some
thing over $4,000 to the University
Of Deseret, to pay The bills INQUIRE
by the Board OF Regents in placing
the building in its present condition
had passed both houses and wa
placed in the hands of the Governor
for his approval, objections, or veto
as the case may be. When The
Governor received the bill he de-
manded come information in regard
to the particular items, for the pay
ment of which 1t was drawn up. II
the Governor had not made this re-
quest, We should certainly have re-
garded him as careless whatever &C
ton he may take on the bill
Whether the committee on educa-
ton has given the information de-
sired or not we cannot cay, but the
fact that nothing seems to have
been done by the Governor makes
as little anxious to know what the
result will be.
It will be remembered that at
the close OF the last session Of the
Legislature a bill approrriating to
the University $4,000 had PISSED
both houses, and was sent to the
Governor for his approval, but
Tor various reasons it failed to OBJ
tain the signature of the executive.
This left our State educational in
stisution in a rather diaagreeable
situation. Two years before that
time, twenty thousand dollars had
been appropriated and nearly all
used Immediately afterWard in put
ting up the foundation of the new
University building on that elegant
site, Union Square, in the Seven
tenth Ward of this city. This
building site was the handsome do
nation from the Salt Lake City
corporation. And thus il seemed
that the work so well begun, and
with such a promising future would
have to be postponed for another
period ois two years, and so much
meney invested would have to lie
idle, producing not cent to any
one, but rather running the chances
OF decreasing in value. The Board
OF Regents, realizing the sad pre-
dicament in which the University
was thus placed, resolved to do what
they could in order to obviste the
serious consequences that would
follow from the failure of the bill
But the only way to meet the diff
fculty was to raise the means and
60 on with the WORK. Those COM
posing the Board were men of ip-
fiuenee and most of them men of
wealth, and consequently, when
they made up their minds to de
something, we felt assured it would
result in more than mere talk. A
subscription was taken up among
the members, and among many on
the outside, nor are they all Mormons
or even members of the Peoples
party; and thus a considerable sum
was raised, at least enough to put
up the walls, cover in the building
and partly finish one Or two Of the
rooms on the first floor, so as to ac-
commOdate the increased number Of
students consequent on the estab-
lishment Of the winter course con-
tinuing daring the second and third
terms Of the academic year.
The present bill then, as will be
seen from the above, is to meet the
engagements entered into by the
Board of Regents, but entirely on
the responsibility Of those that sub
Scribed to the loan. These men
came forward i'll the Ease OF the
Governors veto and advanced the
necessary means. If there is any
claim that should demand i'm
mediate recognition from the Legis-
iatuEe, it is certainly this one, and
we are pleased to see that the matt
ter has been so early considered and
SO favorably reported on. Il now
remains for the Governor to sign the
bill, and looking at the matter in as
bipartisan a light as possible,
We can really see no valid
objection that he can raise
to IL. II is nothing
more than plain justice to those most
interested, and our Legislature can-
not afford to do less than duly recog-
nize ouch az exhibition of public
spirit.