News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1890-10-30
Senator Morrill, Talks about the
Agricultural College.

Senator Morrill, Talks about the
Agricultural College.
Senator Morrill, spoke at Mont
pelier in the Senate Chamber last
Friday upon education and the agri-
cultural college. He appeared by re-
quest of the committee on education,
and the fact that he was to speak
upon this important subject drew a
full house. Below are his remarks:
81 came here entirely unprepared to ad-
dress so large an audience as this, or even
any audience on this subject, but l am very
willing and ready to give out the words that
bespeak the faith that is in me in relation to
what is ordinarily called the agricultural col
leges. | may say that the index maker of the
Congressional Globe in 1862 gave them that
title and it has seemed to stick ever since
the colleges were emphatically land grant c, l
| leges. n
Isuppose that there can be no one p x,ps
y~ysi.S United Stars who fefneS pn.sal p'ar2s,
YIN 2inec~- r7~s-~zs-.ssess or Gs~ss 1a-seges
than myself / have been somewhat familiar
| with the oper@ tions of all of them, for they
nearly all SEM me their reports, and 1 may
say that out of As of those colleges, certainly
Al of them have proved a success. and are
satisfactory to the people where they are
| located.
The object of the introduction of the bill in
| 1862 was to give chance to the industrial
| classes of the country to obtain a liberal edu-
cation, something more than what was be-
slowed by our universities and colleges in
general, which seemed to be more based on
| the English plan of giving education only to
what might be called the professional classes,
| in law, medicine and theology.
! Since the establishment of the land grant
colleges, it is true, that most of the UNIVERSE
| ties and colleges in this country have modi-
| fed their curriculum, so far as to admit of a
much larger attention to the practical sci
ences. and giving a chance for other practical
studies-that is dispensing with some of
| what are called the classics, Latin and Greek
| for French and German and other scientific
studies.
The success of these institutions through
out our country has been so broad, that
some are even claiming that they will be the
foundation ultimately of an American system
of colleges in this country.
| found, however, that the land grants did
not supply a sufficient amount of funds to
the smaller States, and especially to our own
| State for such a purpose. Such States as
New York, of course, with their Cornell uni
versity, could maintain all the professOrships
and give all instruction in technical as well
as practical matters relating to agriculture
and the mechanical arts. But it is very ex-
pensive. Perhaps the most expensive sYs-
tenn of education of any in the world is
the system of practical sciences SO taught as
to give a broader field for the Industrial
classes.
1t now turns out that the students of
these colleges almost as soon as they gradu-
ate are asked for in all parts of the country.
Some of them are so bright as to be asked for
before they graduate, and | suppose very
large number of them have been EMPLOYED as
professors in other colleges, after their in
struction in these land grant colleges. In fact
| know that there have been more than so
of them so employed as professors.
Now it seems that under the late act giving
further endowment to these colleges, it is pro-
posed to establish something that will
amount to nothing more than an agricultur-
al school for our State. | should regard that
as a revolution and subversive of the whole
idea of the land grant act of 1862, which was
of a much broader kind. 1t included, to be
sure, the idea that agriculture and the
mechanical arts were to nave leading or
first position, but it also included much
more. 1t was for the industrial classes to
promote their instruction generally, and it
was not to exclude even the classics. There
fore, | should regard any change from the
original act as a diversion of the fund, and
revolution of the whole practical idea.
suppose an our States as in some other
States, they are establishing what they call
9 Farmers Leagues" which must inevitably
if not so intended. become a political compet-
itor of the republican party 1t is to super
cede it, practically in the end, or it amounts
to nothing. take it that it is the real OBJ
ject of some of the gentlemen engaged in it,
perhaps not all, in establishing those Farm
ers' leagues in our State.
| may say that far as concerns myself
| was brought up on farm until was if
teen, and know something about how to
plant corn, to pull fax, and to dig potatoes
| do not think the education of boys should
be hampered with these practical labors at
the time they gaining their education |
know it was great disadvantage to me that
| could not go to school, for ! never have
been to school since | was fifteen years of age
To obtain the little education have, it has
cost me many evenings, Sundays after
church and scraps of time that could be de-
voted to it, involving far more labor than it
would have necessitated if could have been
sent to proper institutions oflearning to have
acquired a liberal education. Now, Mr.
Chairman, in relation to the subsequent act
that was passed to give the colleges estab-
lished under the act of 1862, the additional
sum of SIS, 900 each for the first year. in
creasing it by 1000 annually until it
reaches the sum of S25, 900, wish to say it
was proposed by a distinguished Senator to
put into that act provision by which u pro-
portion might be diverted to new colleges in
various States. | objected to it and told
him my idea to reinforce those already
established, and that it would be very disa- |
greeable to me for him to present any
amendment of that kind even to allow it to |
be done. and he therefore consented to with |
draw it, and the amendment putting in a |
provision to allow State to change from |
the colleges established in 1862, and was not |
presented in the Senate, and did not get in |
any other way.
1t has been supposed that such a privilege |
was covered by and warranted by the follow
ing words, in the recent act of Congress:
That the appropriation is to each State
and territory for the more complete en-
dowment and maintenance of colleges for the
nf a. bn m bnn al rtc
now established or which may be hereafter es-
tablished. In accordance with an act of Con-
gress approved July 2, 1862"
That, Mr.. Chairman, and gentlemen, was
intended to cover merely the new territories
and States which might hereafter he admit
ed, and was not intended for anything more.
Then, there is a provision for the esta blish=
ment of colleges for colored students in States
where they had a college established under
the act of 1862, that they might esta blish
colored institution in addition, and that the
funds should be equitably divided, But l do
not wish to discuss that point of the question
further, | merely desire to say, supposing it
was right and just or legal for the Legisla-
ture to take away the appropriation from
the University OF Vermont and State
agricultural College, as ] cannot believe If to
be, my own Judgment is that we canndShavc
an institution that will give anything like
the amount of valuable instruction for the
farmers and mechanics, and the industrial
Vermont and State Agricultural College,
with the additional means for that institu-
ton will have to provide further and better
than has ever been given hither-
to. If it was all plain sailing that the
coast was entirely clear if it would be right
and just and proper, in my Judgment it
would be very great mistake; and we could
not have the amount of valuable instruction
in any school, or so.called college of agricul-
ture, as can be obtained in the Vermont Uni
4 4 IL
instance. that institution has a property
there of half a million of dollars; it has its
buildings, its library and other appurte-
nances that are necessary for the instruction
of its students, that | take it the State of |
Vermont would not be willing to supply, and
wherever it has been supplied it has cost
states very much money-some states to the |
amount of half a million, and some two or
three hundred thousand dollars The plant :
would not only entirely absorb the first ap.
but may say to you that these
stock farms, and fancy farms are very expen
sive, and require large sums annually and /
none of them are remunerative,-they all re-
luire constant donations from the states
where they exist. {
One thing further let me say, both the
. Hatch act, making appropriation for the ',
experiment station, and the act last passed |
the endowment for the land grant {
colleges are based upon the fact of our bay-
ing resources to be supplied by the sale of
public lands. Now it is extremely probable
that the sale of public land within the next l
ew years will dwindle down and finally be- !
come very small so small that my own Judge !
nent is that when congress finds there is not !
sufficient for the experiment station, and the I
additional land grant, they will cut off the S
experiment. station first and put that upon (
he land grant colleges to be maintained bv
hem out of the fund that is appropriated {
or the increased endowment of such colleges l
lie be sure we had in 1SSS-S9 large sums. but f
hey were mainly from the public lands then