Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1889-12-26
The Gleason College Issue.

Aho OkcsaisOH COlleK6 lSSues
The issue now between the friends
and foes of the Clemson College is
distinct.
The friends of the college wish to
provide for its support from funds
already paid into the hands of the
States officials and usually diverted
to, other purposes, its foes wish to
provide for it by imposing additional
taxes on the people, leaving all other
institutions, schemes and enterprises
in undisturbed possession Of thoir
present incomes.
Everybody now apparently fovors
the college. One party says: ooh
yes! Establish your college and take
all the money you wish for it, 80 you
take it from the pockets of the peo-
| pie and do not disturb any of our
pets" That is the position exactly.
Mr.. Haskell, for instance, in the
House, is willing to vote 100000 he
says, for the Gleason College, so it
is added in the tax levy and taken
directly from the tax payers.
The real friends of the college
look at it differentlM Their posi-
tion is that the agricultural interest
is the most important of . all; that
before we make lawyers, teachers,
doctors, soldiers, merchants and civil
engineers we ought to make the
farmers who are to support them all;
that thousands of the men who are
to have the control and management
of the States land in the future are
rapidly outgrowing their youth and
being hurried into the ranks of active
workers without the instruction re-
garding modern methods and the de-
velopmcnts of science in their bust
ness which would largely increase
their productive capacity and their
hopes for success.
They ask that the people be re-
leaved of new burdens, 80 far as is
possible. They do not ask for a
dollar which will directly or indi-
rectly increase taxation.
They ask that the accumulation of
money to meet debt which will not
be due in years be suspended awhile.
The very newspapers which clamor
most bitterly against selling the
phosphate interests to pay off the
State debt clamor with equal vigor
against taking dollar of the money
reserved for paying that debt to
meet n'~ pressing need for proper
agricultural eduo.-;on. The very
newspapers and men that c,n..d alond
for the State to assume large
amount of six per cent bonds for
the establishment of the South Caro-
lima College now cry to Heaven
against suspending payment in adj
vance Of such bonds to establish the
Clemson College. The debt is a
dreadful, horrible, pressing thing to
be met at any sacrifice when money
is to be diverted from paying it tc
build farmers college in Oconee
County; it is small, trifing and
harmless when it is to be added tc
operate university of polite litcra.
ture at Columbia.
The friends of the Clemson College
ask that the privilege tax on fertili
zers, paid by the farmers and now
used for other purposes, portions OF
the Hatch fund, given by the United
States Government for the specific
purpose of agricultural education
and the money now used for tho
Agricultural Department at Colum
bia be given for the establishment
and maintenance of an agricultural
college and experimental station al
Fort Hill. They also ask that tho
money now used for maintaining ar
agricultural annex as compare.
tivoly obscure and unimportant de
partmcnt of the State University bt
transferred to and used for a college
where agric ,lture will be the chic
purpose and feature.
1t is little enough to asl 1t doc,
not involve dollar Of extM taxa
tion, Il is simply a question: Of tht