The Brookhaven leader., 1884-09-25
Location of the State Industrial
College.

After visiting sixteen sites, offer
ed by the various cities and towns
in the State, and carefully consider.
ing 1.-THE facilities for going TO and
from" each. together with theiI
advantages and disadvantages, u
the Board Of Trustees" met in
Jackson, on the 4ih inst. and, upon
the second ballot, selected Colum-
bus, ss the place offering "most
advantages We accord tn the
gentlemen, comprising the board
impsr,iality, devotion to the sue
cess of the institution. and better
information than ourself, Of the va
rious sites proposed. Composed.
as it is, of men ofprobity, and repre-
sentatives of every quarter of the
State, no sectional jea,ousies could
have entered into their delibera
tions.
Columbus is lovely city stu
ated in the heart of the great prari
rie belt of the North East, on the
banks of the Tombigbee and Loux-
apclila. Steam renders it accessi-
BILE from every quarter of the State.
The Louisville, New Orleans and
Texas: Little j." and Mobile and
Ohio railroads place southern. cen
tral, western, eastern, south wes-
tern and south eastern Mississippi
within eight hours run. While the
NJ. ct: C.: East Tennessee, and
Mobile and Ohio railroads open to
it The entire northern, north cas-
tern and north western parts of the
State. to say nothing of the Geor-
gia Pacific, Memphis Il Selma;
Vi memphis, Oxford & Columbus;
and the Natchez jackson and Co.
lumbus railroads which are either
partly constructed, or in course of
construction to the great Alabama
coal fields.
In point OF health, no place can
claim better exhibit than Colum-
bus; while the advantages it offers
eclipse even those Of the State
Capital. 1t is the only city in the
State which possesses system OF
waterworks. Its water reservoirs,
fed by an active artesian well fur
nish an inexhau stible supply OF
water, which is distributed over the
city by hydrants. Thus its splen-
dill volunteer fire department is
rendered as efficient as that of any
city in the United States. Public
property will be admirably pro-
tccted, and pure water can be dis
tributed throughout the college
buildings with little cost. Besides,
the coal mines of Alabama are
reached by the Georgia Pacific, and
the owners of the mines offer to
supply the college, under perpet-
ual contract, with coal at Sl.25 per
ton. This is one third of its cost
at any other point in the State.
Gas, too, is manufactured in the
city at, $500 per thousand, while
it cost in Jackson aud Vicksburg
from 81 to IS per thousand. The
mains will be extended to the col
lege, and its benefits will be en-
loved at the minimum cost. The
importance of this can not be over
estimated, when it is remembered
that the Superintendent of the Lu
natic Asylum, at Jackson, from
year to year, urges upon the Legisla-
ture the danger of using coil oil, and
the Importance of lighting the Asy-
lum with gas. We are also Informed
that the Mobile and Ohio railroad
agrees to enter into a contract to
carry, free of charge, one thousand
tons of freight for the college, and to
put fare for students at two cents per
mile.
Coupling all the foregoing ad-
vantages with the splendid dona-
tion of buildings, land, and money,
aggregating in amount more than
100000, we do not see how the
Board Of Trustees, treating the
whole matter as a plain, practical,
business proposition, could do 9th
erwise than decide, in the spirit,
meaning, and language Of the law,
that Columbus offers "the most ad-
vantages.'
We do not appreciate the petty
sectional jealousy that character
ICES the editorials of some Of our
exchanges. And. at some future
time, will show how utterly without
foundation is the charge, that
Northern is more favored than
Southern Mississippi in the distri
button of public favors. We con-
gratulate our sister city upon its
success. 1t deserves it, The Trus-
tees have acted wisely and we CON-
mend the enterprise, and spirit, that
characterizcs its people to her less
fortunate competitors. We had our
preferences and if we had yielded to
selfish promptings We should ha, c
claimed the college for our own town,
and next for our neighboLing town
lof Fayette. The view taken of the
subject in each. contending or con.
testing town was show much good
will the College do the tnwn"-not
how much good will the town do the
College.
The location has been selected,
and in our judgment. 1t is the best
selection that could have been made,
Il a