Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1890-11-07
THE MOTIVE DISCLOSED.

The Burlington Free Press of Tuesday,
speaking of the attitude of the State pa
pers on the agricultural college matter,
says: ''The Middlebury Register, with
motive which is more obvious than cred
liable, has a spteful article favoring the
establishment of new institution
The motive of the REGISTER in advo-
eating a new institution was the desire
to rid the State of a humbug; and the
Free Press, knowing how great that
humbug is, naturally enough finds the
motive "obvious." Whether such mo-
tive is creditable does not require argu-
ment. But things have come to pretty
pass in this State when a newspaper,
nine-tenths of whose readers are farmers,
cannot express their and its opinion on
this subject, even when it differs from
that held by the Free Press, whose man.
ager and chief owner is member of the
board of trustees of the university, with
out having unworthy motives attributed
to it. Perhaps the readers of this paper
will pardon it for so doing if the Free
Press doesn't.
But this questionable proper DISPOSE
tion of the agricultural funds-is not one
of newspapers or persons or institutions;
it is matter of business honor Here is
large sum of money which Congress
has at one time and another, wisely or
unwisely, appropriated for a specific pur-
pose. The first of these appropriations
(Which yields $3.50 year, was given
to the university of Vermont twenty-five
years ago; and the same institution has
the further sum of $4,000 year for an
experiment station, under the Hatch bill
of 1887. The last Congress passed third
act granting the State $4,000 the first
year and $1,000 additional each succeeding
year till the yearly payment reaches
So, 900, and that amount is to be paid
indefinitely. ,he total annual income
from these sources will presently be
SIS. .l30 year. The university desires
the benefit of this income. 1t has had
thesSSl3O yearly since lSGj. The point
of issue before the legislature is very
simple; it is this and nothing else, Has
the university so administered the funds
entrusted To its care a. to warrant giving
it this new money: IT the answer is aflir-
native, there is an end of discus,i ion if in
the negative, then the best plan of utiliz-
ing the grant is to be considered. Shorn
of all sophistres and cant, that is the
problem which the legislature must solve.
The act of Congress of 1862, under
which the university of Vermont and
State agricultural college" was incorpor-
ated, says with reference to the course of
instruction in institutions established un-
out excluding other scientific and clas-
sical studies, and including military tao
tics, to teach such branches of learning
as are related to the mechanic arts in
such manner as the legislatures of the
States may respectively prescribe, in or
der to promote the liberal and practical
education of the Industrial classes in the
several pursuits and professions of life"
The intent of Congress is perfectly
plain-''to promote the liberal and prac-
tical education of the industrial classes"
Section of the act of the legislature of
1863, incorporating the university of
Vermont and State agricultural college,"
reads: