The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1884-10-02
THE UNIVERSITY LANDS.

The Eight Cents Minimum Hardship.
The action of the state land board
in liking the minimum price for the
lease OF the university lands at eight
cents per acre, the same as for the
free school lands, has worked a great
hardship, amounting to a discTimina
ton against the interests of the uni
versity, and almost excluding the
university lands from market, in
competition with the free school
lands. The latter being located in
alternate sections, parties holding the
intervening sections naturally seek
the alternateS adjoining them and
will not lease the university lands as
long as they are held by the state at
the same minimum price of eight
cents. Hence the unfairnesS of SUBJ
jecting the latter to the same arbitrary
rulss. Indeed, the university seems to
have been all along in need of cura-
tor before the board to represent its
In in rests; especially as the university t
reg . no seem to be consulted in
such N tiers. The 8 cents ruling was
adopted 1t is presumed without their
knowledge, and once adopted seems to
be as immutabie, so far as the land
board care about changing it, as
the laws OF the Modes and
Persians. why the board adheres
TO its ruling, so manifestly in conflict
with the necessity for the lease of the
university lands, Is strange, in view of
tne TACT that the regents applied to
tnem TO modify the ruling so as to
permit them to lease the lands at fig
urGs less than the minimum, such as
che regents could readily have obtain
ed for them. The result has been that
while the school lands have been leas-
ed in large bodies amounting to hun
dreds of thousands of acres, only 1,2o0
acres of the university lands have
been negotiated at the imperative
minimum. If the board will not mod
ify their ruling the regents will have
to apply to the legislature for relief,
Either the law itself giving the land
board control of the university lands
in common with the free school lands
should be changed, or the lands should
be placed under the control of the
university regents.
The following additional students
have registered in the academic de-
partment: III. X. White, Austin; Ella
Storey, Cotton Gin, and Mary s. AL
ford, Austin. Total registered, 112 in
the academic and 45 in law depart
ment.
Prof. Ragsdale, proctor of the uni
VerSity, has received the following
rather singular communication:
SALADo, TEX, Sept. %.
Prot Ragsdale, Austin, Tex:
DEAR SIR-Will you be so kind as
to answer the following questions
How many of the faculty of the
at Austin claim to be re.
llgious, and how many are infidels or
Splrltualists? 1t was said at this
place: 1T anyone wanted their sons
TO be drunkards and gamblers send
them to the university at Austin.
ana 1t also has been said that the
faculty at Bryan Agricultural college
al drink liquor and play cards.
W nat do you know about the state
nents being true in both places
P!ease let me hear from you at your
'arhest convenience, and oblige your
rlend, w. k. ii.
The letter was properly answered
~ the proctor. Inquiry as to the re-
igious views of the different men,
,ers OF the faculty shows that the
chairman of the faculty, DIR. Wagge.
tCi, ndppcuo W U6 Il uloLlDoC Oh Un6
5aptist church; DIR. Dabney, DR..
Humphreys, and DR.. Halsted are Pres
,yterians, DR.. Talichet and DR.. Ever
lart are Episcopalians, DR.. Harrison
md DR.. Lane are Methosdists. Prof.
5ompertz is an Episcopalian, Prof.
Bramlette and Prof. Garrison are
Methodists.
This statement is certainly suf1i-
cient answer so far as the faculty
are concerned to the sanctimonius au-
thor of such complaints which have
doubtless been suggested out of jeal-
ousy of the university in the interests
of other competing institutions. AS
to the students they will compare ia
vorably with those Of any institution
IN the whole country. There were no
escapades worthy of censure, in the
whole course of their conduct last
session, and the large re-attendance of
old students despite the hard times,
shows that parents are satisfied their
children are in as good hands as they
would be at any other institution.