St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-03-20
A Fund of 100000 Diverted
From the Object Con-
templated.
The Farmers Alliance Insists
That 1t Must Be Brought
Back
And Given to the Establish
ment of an Agricultural
College.
Will Demand Pledges From
Candidates in Favor of
This Course.

This Course.
The State Farmers alliance wishes to
call the attention of the agriculturaliStS
and mechanics of the state to the fact
that they have been defrauded out of a
fund of about $500, 900 given to them by
the congress of the United States for
the purpose of establishing and main
tanning an agricultural college.
The facts seems to be about as fol-
lows: There was granted to the state
of Minnesota by act of congress APP
proved July 2, 1862, 10000 acres of land
to establish college for the benefit of
agriculture and the mechanic arts.
Twenty-Five thousand five hundred and
sixty and $500 acres of this land was
double minimum selections, so there
was only received by the state "a, 439. IL
acres. There has been sold of this land
81 1852. 10 acres for the amount of $780,
996 IL, leaving yet unsOld 10,056.93
acres. The proceeds of the land sold is
either secured on the lands and bearing
an interest of from to per cent, or it
is invested in AZ per cent bonds. The
total annual income from the entire
fund amounts at present time to S24,-
260. Ii the remaining lands are sold to
as good an advantage as the others
have been. and There is no reason why
they should not be, it will add to the
fund from $4,000 to 500, 900 more. In
addition to this there is an
EXPERIMENTAL FARM,
so called. of 255 acres, located about
half way between the cities of st. Paul
and Minneapolis. This land was pur-
chased from fund arising from the
sale of a former so-called experimental
farm not adapted to the purpose. The
price paid for this land was $500, and
we are informed that it would now sell
readily for 81 200 per acre. AS real
estate speculation this was grand sue
cess.
Adding all these present and pros
peetive funds together and we have:
Present fund from sale of
lands. ..................... s4SO, 996.11
Prospective sale of balance OF
1anu. 0U,OUU.Uu
Prospective sale of expert
mental farm. .............. 90, 100000
Total present and prospective
1uIluS. 300, $50. IL
In addition to all of this, there is, we
are Informed, fruit farm, of the value
of which we are not sufficiently well
informed to justify us in making a
statement, We do feel justified, how
ever, in saying that making a conserva-
tive estimate, there is a fund, present
and prospective, of about 100000, that
should be devoted absolutely to the
benefit of the farmers and mechanics of
this state, but from which they are not
now and have not been receiving any
appreciable benefit.
Now, in order to make this matter
plain, it will be necessary to go a little
into the business
OF THE LAND GRANTS.
The United States has, in add ton to
the grant of "a ,439.12 acres Tor an agri-
cultural college, before referred TO,
granted to the state 81, 129.49 acres for
maintaining a state university. 1t will
be observed that congress had two sep
arate and distinct objects, in view for
which it made two separate and distinct
grants. One object was to establish a
state university where those wishing to
devote themselves to the study of liter
ature, the classics and the professions
could be accommodated. The other was
to establish college where the leading
object should be, without excluding
other scientific and classical studies, to
teach such branches of learning as are
related to agriculture and the mechani-
cal arts. What has been done to carry
out this object according to its spirits
and intent?
In an early day the state institutions
were divided among the most influential
cities of the state of that day. ST. Paul
got the capitol, Saltwater the peni-
Tertiary and Minneapolis the state uni
versity. The last named institution
opened for pupils in 1867. Immediately
thereafter the politicians of Minneap-
oils conceived the brilliant idea of get
ting control of the fund arising from
the sale of the land congress had apprO-
priated for q state agricultural college
and apply it toward building up the
state university. Accordingly, an act
was passed by the legislature of 1868
transferring the proceeds of the sale of
all the agricultural college lands to the
state university, and making pretense
of complying with the act of congress by
attaching a so-called agricultural de-
partment to the university.
That this department of agriculture
was only intended as a stool pigeon to
enable the regents of the university UNI
der semblance of law to draw the pro-
ceeds of the appropriation, intended by
congress to build up grand educa-
tional institution for the benefit of the
agriculturalists and mechanics of the
state, cannot be doubted when we re-
view what has been accomplished by
this so-called agricultural department.
AS we before stated, this department
was created in 1868, and has cOnSe-
uuently been running twenty years. Up
to three wears ago not one farmer in 100
knew that there was an experimental
farm. No work of any value had been
done upon it of scientific nature. No
experiments had been made for the ben
eft of agriculturists. No bulletins
had been issued. Apparently, no efforts
had been made to obtain students; in
fact, during that whole period of seven
teen years there is
NOTHING TO SHOW
that anything OF value had been accom-
plished, except, perhaps, the graduation
of one or two students. During the
summer of 1885 a newspaper cores
pondent visited the experimental farm
and reported it in deplOrable cOndi-
ton. He claimed that some of the
crops were eaten up with bugs
and barn grass had smOthered
others, and that a general neglect and
slovenliness was apparent everywhere.
This called up storm of protest and
denial from the university and its
friends. But it also called the attention
of the State Farmers alliance to the
matter and the annual meeting of the
alliance was called to meet at the uni
versity in February, 1886, and commit
tee of five was appointed to investigate
the matter. Prof. Porter, who has
charge of the agricultural depart
ment, testified before the committee
that there had been but three stu
dents attending the agricultural depart
ment in the past five years and that two