The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1890-12-31

exactly a waste of time to point out
few of the particulars wherein you err.
In the first place, after sketching the
history of the controversy in Rhode
Island, and quoting the decision of the
court, you say: "It was the opinion of
some of the abest lawyers of Vermont
that our State University could not
legally divest itself of the trust which
it assumed by its acceptance of the
charter of the University of Vermont
and State Agricultural College, and in
view of the above opinion it is GER
tainly not improbable that such would
have been the decision of the Rhode
Island court had that point been spe-
officially raised before it," That is,
had the state voted to take away this
trust and place it elsewhere, and
had the University wished to get rid of
it, there would have been no way of
doing i'll If that is the law, so much
the worse for the law. The RIB ode
Island court takes no such ground as
that, and you have no assurance that it
would. On the contrary, no sane man
would say that when all the Interested
parties to a transaction wished to
change their policy it would be impos-
sible to do it legally. Any legal him
drance to such change would either
be swept out of existence or would
become a dead letter. Moreover, a
great precedent to the contrary notwith-
standing, contract between the state
and private person or corporation can
never be permanent and Interchangeable,
if the state wishes to break it, The
state must be a free willed sovereign
within its province, or it is no state
When the people of Vermont say in a
formal manner that they wish to change
the location of their agricultural college,
they will either make the change or
they will suddenly realize that their
government is not {" of the people, by
the people and for the people"
Then again, you say that in accord
ance with this decision an institution
which is to receive the grants of 1890
"must be something more than an ag-
ricultural school or a mechanical school,
or school of agriculture and the me-
chanic arts. 1t must be college proper,
and a college established under the act
of 1862" 1t makes little difference
whether the name "college" or
"school is used. The essential thing
is that certain courses, such as those in
military tactics, English, mathematics,
and physical, natural and economic
science, be taught. These separate
institution in this state would teach
and these, with agriculture and the
mechanic arts, are all that the acts oil
congress require. But they require al
these, and no institution which does
not teach them all is entitled to the
funds. Is it not so, esteemed contem
porary? Yet the institution which yor
defend does not teach mechanic arts
and for nearly quarter of century i
did not even pretend to teach agri
culture. The name college" has NJ
reference to the size of an institution
1t can properly be used to characterize
a very small school of learning which
is of high standing. The word " uni
versity," however, is a misnomer, excep
when applied to an institution having
postgraduate courses. In other words
a newly-established agricultural school
thoroughly equipped but having NJ
more than dozen students, would b
more correctly named a " college " thai
the Burlington institution is named
university"
g We told the advocates of the sep
arate college bill in our late legislator
that what they were chartering was no
a college but a lawsuit" Nobody VIII
knows President Buckham suppose
that he will give up these national ar
preparations of his own accord. II
will fight the new college at every point
He will manipulate the legislature an
possibly the supreme court, and he wi
defeat the will of the people just a
long as the people let him do it. Bu
all this will not alter the fact that tn
purpose of the congressional acts wa
: utterly disregarded for more tina
twenty years and is still practically d.
feated. 1t will simply illustrate tn
power of selfish politician, though
| college president and doctor of d
vinity, over an indifferent or badly o
; ganized people.