New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1888-03-28
kGRlcUL TURAl COLLEGE.
a Formal Demand That 1t be Sepa.
rated from the State UNI
verSity.

through it's president, E. H. Atwood. and
secretary, Eric Olson, have issued a yigor-
Gus manifesto against the alleged suppress
sion OF the State Agricul tural College by.
the regents of the State University. This
s one OF the broadsides OF the Alliance.
The State Alliance wishes to call the at
tention OF the agrieulturists and mechan-
les OF the state to the fact than they have
been defrauded out OF fund OF about
$500, 600 given to them by the
Congress OF the United !. States for
the purpose Of establishing and
maintaining an agricultural college.
The facts seem to be as follows: There was
granted to the state OF MINES ota, by act
OF congress approved July 2, 1882, l2O,-
600 acres OF land to establish a college for
the beneft@of agriculture and the mechan-
ic arts. AS 25. 56o.ss acres OF this land was
double minimum selections thereswas only
received by the state 94.439.12 acres.
There has been sold Of this land 81, 3S2. 10
acres, Tor the amount OF $3.50, 996.11,
leaving yet unsold 1O,O56.93 acres
The proceeds OF the land sold is either Sc
cured on the lands and beats an interest OF
from five to seven per cent. or it is invest
ed in four and one-hllf per cent. bonds.
The total annual income from the entire
fund amounts at the present time to $24,-
200. Ii the remaining lands are sold to as
II.
and there is no reason why they should not
be, it will add to the fund from fifty to six
ty thousand dollars more. In addition to
this, there IS an experimental farm, So
called, OF 255 acres located about hallway
between the cities OF st. Paul and Mime.
apolis. This land WAS purchased from IL
fund arising from the sale OF a former So
called experimental farm adapted to the
purpose. The price paid for this land was
II ., II...4
now sell readily for a thousand dollars
per acre. AS a real estate speculation
this was grand success. Addingall these
present and prospective funds together
and we have
Present fund from sale OF
lanuS........... 1851
Prospective sale OF balance OF
land.. Observation-Disclosures. 80 OOO.OO
Prospective sale OF expermen
tal 1arm... ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 253 OOO. 90
Total present and prospect
In addition to all this, there is, we are
informed a fruit farm OF the value OF which
we are not sufficiently informed to justify
US IN making a statement. We do ieel
Justified however, in saying that, making
a conservative estimate, there is a fund
present and prospective ofabout $500, 900
that should be devoted absolutely
to the benefit OF the farmers and mechan-
les OF this state; but from which they are
not now and have not been receiving any
appretiable benefit.
Now in order to make this matter plain
1t will be necessary to go q little farther
into the business Of the land grants The
United States has in addition to the grant
OF "a, 439. II acres for an Agricultural Col
lege before referred to, granted to the state
W, l29.49 acres for maintaining q State
University. 1t will be obs that Con.
gress had two separate and distinct objects
IN view for which itmade two separate and
distinct grants. One object was to estab-
lsh State University where those wish
ing to devote themselves to the study OF
literature, the classics and the professions
establish, college where the leading OBJ
lect should, be without excluding. other
scientific and classical studies, to each such
branches OF learning as are related to ag-
rlculture and the mechanic arts. What
has been done to carry out this object &C.
cording to its spirit and intent? In an
early day the state institute ons were
divided among the most influential
cities OF the state OF that day St.
Paul got the capital; Saltwater
the penitentiary, and Minneapolis the
State University. The last named in.
stitution opened for pupils in 1867. I'm
mediately thereafter, the politicians OF
minneapolis conceived the brilliant idea
OF getting control OF the fund arising from
the sale OF the land Congress had appro.
lated for a State Agricultural College
and apply it toward building up the State
University. Accordingly an act as passed
by the Legislature OF 1868 transferring the
proceeds OF the sale OF all the Agricultural
College lands to the State University
and making q pretense OF conpl yiny with
the act ofscongress by alta ching a s o. He'd
agrlcultural department to the university.
That this department OF agriculture was
only intended as a stool pigeon to enable
the regents OF the university under a SEM
blance OF law to draw the proceeds OF the
appropriation intended by congress to
build up grand educa tional institution
LOT the benefit OF the ag1lcul wrists and
mechanics OF the state, cannot be doubted
when we review what has been accomplish.
ed by this so-called agricultural de.
p artment. AS before stated this de.
partment was created in 1868 and has
consequently been running about twenty
years. Up to three years ago, not one
farmer in one hundred knew that there was
an Experimental Farm. No work oil any
value had been done upon it OF a scientific
nature. No experiments had been made
Tor the benefits Of agriculturists No bui.
ietlns had been issued. Apparently no
efforts had been made to obtain students.
In TACT, during that whole period OF seven
teen years there is nothing to show that
anything OF value has been accomplished.
except perhaps the graduation OF one or
Two students.
The Alliance at considerable length goes
on to show how for two years this at.
tempt to suffocate the agricultural college
in order that its assets might be aggrand.
lied by the university has been resisted by
newspapers and people; and to prove that
the state university is not able to give the
farmers what they want, because in this
respect the university is weighted down
with twenty years OF Indifference and fail
ure. The Alliance closes its address as
follows: 3
Now, in view OF all these facts, the State
Alliance feelsin duty bound to demand q
separation ofthe two funds and tie es tab.
lishment OF aseparate Agricultural College
in accordance with the spirit and intent
OF the act OF Congress making the appro-
priations. We are informed that the ar
guments made in Congress in favor OF the
grant were that our soil was being i'm
poverished; our methods OF farming were
slovenly and unscientific; our bright
est children We're being drawn off
in other pursuits and thatwe needed q