The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1888-08-09

Total per year......... .......$oO,oOO
It is mistake to include the Hatch
Fund in this calculation. That fund is
appropriated by the General Government
for experimental stations exclusively.
Not a dollar of it can be used toward
meeting the expenses of an agricultural
college, Under the law, it must all be
devoted to experiments. In the event Of
separate agricultural college, this fund
should be spent under its supervision and
direction but it cannot be used in
maintaining the college. We mention
this because the matter is not generally
understood.
As to the Fertilizer Tag Tax: To ap.
propriate that to separate college would
be simply transferring it from one point
to another; and, of course, the deficiency
created at the point from which it would
be taken would have to be made up to it
in some other way. As this tag tax is
paid indirectly by the farmers, it seems
altogether reasonable that it should be
devoted to their interest; but this does
not alter the fact that to appropriateit to
a college for them would be only a trans.
fer from the agricultural department in
Columbia to an agricultural college at
Fort Hill. 1t would not be saving at all
unless it is proposed to abolish the de-.
partment in Columbia. That would not
be wise, and we do not think it is con-
templated in the Farmers Movement.
So, if the $50, 1000 tag tax be taken from
the department in Columbia, it will have
to be replaced by another $4,000 from
the State treasury.
Now, deduct from the $50,S00 in the
above calculation the Hatch fund and the
tag tax. and we have only the land scrip
fund-$5,SOO.
But this is not the only amount avail.
able for an agricultural college. Before
the Reorganization" of the State Uni.
versity last year, the annual appropria.
tions for the maintenance of the South
Carolina College were about $4,000.
The appropriation last year, under the
reorganization" was s34,5O0. Most
of this increase-say sl5,ooo-was for
the purposes of the agricultural annex.
Now take this SIS, 1000 and add it to the
Land Scrip. and we have s2O,sOO for the
annual maintenance of separate college
at Fort Hill.
Then comes in the Clemson bequest,
appraised at s1O3,321. In this appraise.
ment is included the value of the Fort
Hill place of S14 acres-S15, 900; leaving
$SS,321. OF this amount the executor
gets, under the terms of the will, ten per
cent. This leaves, as q permanent
endowment sSO,OOO, in round numbers,
according to the appraisement. This
sum invested at Z per cent. would yield
$500 year,
Now we have, for the annual mainte.
nance ofa separate agricultural college,
according to the Obseruer's calculation,
the following items:
Transferred from the "Annex" in Co.
umbfa.".... ."... ........Slo,0UU
Half of Land Scrip fund............... $500
Interest on Clemson Endowment
fund......."....... ......"...."............. 56OO
TOtal......... ........ ........".. ."..""$264O 4OU
That is about the cost of the main.
tenance of the Mississippi college and is
lust double the total annual income of
ClaAin College.
But where are the necessary buildings
and improvements to come from? These
will cost money-how much depends
upon their number and character, and an
estimate of the cost would vary accord.
ingly from $25, 900 to 100000.
Some suggest that the expense might
be made up by reducing salaries. But
the friends of the farmers college are not
by any means united on this: large
proportion, probably majority, are
opposed to reducing salaries. This
means therefore cannot be relied on. II
certainly would not be wise or prudent
to make the establishment of the college
depend on reduction of salaries; for 8
condition precedent of this sort might
drive off many friends ofthe college.
Looking at this question from every
point of view, and studying it carefully.
the Observer is irresistibly led to this
conclusion: That about $4,000 can be
secured for the annual maintenance of an
agricultural college at Fort Hill and that
the necessary buildings and improve.
ments will have to be provided for by
increased taxation-unless expenses car
be Topped off somewhere else, and this
cannot be counted on with any degree Of
certainty.
The Observer never has thought that a
separate college could be established and
maintained without increased taxes but
it has favored a separate college all
along. We advocated it before the
Clemson bequest and before the Tillman
agitation; and We are as strongly in
favor of it now as ever.
If the college be not established the
State will continue to spend from $4,000
to S25,O0O a year on the annex in Co.
lumbia. The maintenance of separate
college would cost very little more than
the annex and would do incalculsbly
more good.
The Catholic University at Wash.
ington has received donations and sub.
.or;nf;ona until II haa S700 000 in cash