St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-04-17
A Meeting at Which Legisla-
tors We're Startled by the
Minneapolis Miller.
Two Votes Save the Duluth &
Winnipeg From Defeat
in the House.
Both Branches Of the Legis-
lature Working With
Great Vigor.

John S. Pillsbury will donate to the
state university. Not one of the legis-
lators who were invited yesterday
afternoon to meet the board of regents,
in the caucus room of the capitol, had
the slightest inkling of the nature OF
the business to be transacted. Members
of the senate and house committees on
the state university and university
| lands were asked to attend-the verbal
! invitation ran Ito meet the regents Of
the university" There was a good
attendance. Gen. Sibley, president,
and Senator c. K. Davis,
Gen. Cole, Col. Leggitt, and ex-
Gov. J. S. Pillsbury, represented
the board of regents. Gov. Merriam and
State Auditor Braden were also present.
Members of the house committee found
| it very difficult to remain, the house
being in session, and twice they were
| summarily elected by the Sergeant-at-
arms, under a call of the house. There
was no formality in the proceedings,
| beyond that Senator Durant was called
to the chair. This was done at the sug-
| gestion of Gov. Pillsbury, the legisla-
tors humbly looking on, wondering
what the next development would be.
Gov. Pillsbury did not keep them
long in suspense. The chairman had
not become seated when he COM
| menced:
Il have been connected with the uni
versity, as most of you know, for the
past twenty-SiX years, and during that
time have aided in securing the liquida
ton of the debt which, in its early days,
crippled the work of that institution. l
have often thought of making propo-
sition to the legislature, and have only
waited until now because there have
been some bills before the legislature
that may be considered from uni
versity standpoint as being unfriendly
to that Institution. Desiring to wait
until the barriers were removed, | have
asked you to meet me here to-day"
The assembled gentlemen were all
attention, and Chairman Durant be-
came so impressed with the importance
of the meeting that he suggested the
nomination of secretary. $50 that
whatever takes place may be properly
recorded" State Auditor Braden was
elected to act as secretary.
Gov. PillSbury enlarged little on his
connection with the university. He was
a member of the senate in 1864, and
| knowing the condition of the university
at that period, he made it his duty to
| eXtrlcate the institution from llS nnan-
cial embarraSSmentS.
1.-The legislature passed a bill ap-
pointing John Mitchell, Capt. Merriam
and myself to devise some scheme for
the liquidation OF the debts OF the uni
versity, and donated a grant of land,
14.00O acres, to meet the liabilities.
The university had mortgage debt of
$4,000 on property and large floating
indebtedness. They not only succeeded
in meeting all liabilities, but in 1867 re-
ported they had succeeded in saving
the university $4,000 acres of land. The
depletion of the endowment fund had
somewhat crippled the university: and
then came up the question of the agri-
cultural college land grant. 10000 acres.
A bill was introduced uniting that
grant with that of the university, and it
was passed. There was only one vote
against it in the Legislature. 1t was eX-
planned, and all believed. that they
should not have two sickly institutions;
that they should have one strong insti-
tuition, which should be credit to the
state of Minnesota. The regents had
complied with that grant in every re-
spect, and paid as much money out as
they had received interest oh the agri-
cultural college fund. The regents had
no small job. 1t was very great un-
dertaking to build up state university:
and the gentlemen associated with him
as members of the board of regents had
sonai obligations for the institu-
ton. They also gave their time and
had managed it as we'll as any
institution in the State.'
He enlarged upon the purchase of the
experimental farm and the erection of
an agricultural school, which had been
done without any call upon the state.
The Improvements they had made upon
the experimental farm made 1t worth
to-day S40O, 900. and he denied that the
regents had been derelict in their duty
towards the university or the agricult-
ural department.. 1t was the desire of
Gov. Pillsbury to let the Legislators see
that the board of regents had not
neglected the interests of the agricult-
ural department of the university; for,
he continued:
"Geutlemen, it is exceedingly dis
couraging for those who have put in
their time for the success of the uni
versity,as Gov. Sibley and others, along
with myself, have done, and then the
charge to be made that we have neg
lected the agricultural department.
Our aim and object has been to build
up an institution that will be credit to
the state. We have not had success al
together in the agricultural department..
we could not. we Qlu not KNOW now.
We could not find what the farmers
wanted. They have not generally been
willing to cooperate. There has been
kind of feeling. among very few,
let me say. in proportion to the popula-
ton of the state, that this agricultural
college had been misappropriated, until
they brought up this bill for separation
which you gentlemen of the senate
considered"
.Pillsbury came to the denouement
of his speech, and his audience were
startled out of their seats, but recov-
cred themselves sufficiently to make
the capitol reyerberate with cheers. He
said:
''The agricultural school is giving
satisfaction, and we have no doubt but
what this agricultural problem is solved
by the establishment of that school.
We have forty-one scholars there, with
facilities for about fifty. We asked
from the legislature an appropriation
tor the erection of buildings, which will
be the first money ever asked out of the
state treasury for the conduct of the
university and the agricultural depart-
ment. We asked s25O, 900. and you gave
us $4,000. AS / have said before,a great
portion of twenty-six years Of my life