The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1890-11-12
Past, Present and Future.

IHSt, IIPSpUl anu GNtUTPs
A good deal is being said about the
record of the University of Vermont
for the past twenty-five years in its adj
ministration of the agricultural college,
but it may throw some light upon the
present discussion if we look at the
record of the University of Vermont
on another side. Four years ago a bill
was introduced into the legislature bv
a trustee of the university to establish
an experiment station and TO Abolish
the board of agriculture. 1t see ms
that these gentlemen desired to get all
the money expended by the state to
aid agriculture into their own hands.
How near they came to carrying out
their purpose through the subserviency
of The legislature to their mandates is
matter of history, and members of
present legislature and farmers through
ont the state can reflect at their leisure
on the results which would have fol-
lowed the destruction of the board
of agriculture, with the work it has
since been doing, and the forcing the
farmers to give up their farmers insti-
tutes and depend upon the meager re-
suits of the experiment station for their
agricultural information. Two years
ago the university appeared before the
legislature again. This time it asked
for the trifing sum of $4,000 What
for? TO enable it to give better
training to the farmers sons? BY no
means. 1t wanted this sum to build
hall for the students to drill in. The
over-taxed, poverty-stricken farmer,
about whom these gentlemen are now
50 concerned, came in for no share of
their sympathy or pity then. And with
this bit of history before them. the
present Legislators can form correct
estimate of the depth of the present
concern which the gentlemen of the
University of Vermont profess to feel
est the farmers should be too heavily
taxed
Senator Morrill, made an address TO
the legislature Of 1888, in which he said
some things 50 pertinent to the present
discussion that we must quote few
sentences. He said Z" 1t will be re-
membered that no portion of the ma
tional fund can be expended for such
purposes, however ispensable, that
is to say, for the erection or purchase
of buildings, or for keeping them in re-
pair. 1t was expected that state and
individual spontaneous assistance, TO
the extent of these minor and varying
wants, would serve to maintain the
county of the national government in
act, and that sufficient local considera-
lion and state interest in behalf of The
colleges would be enlisted to secure
heir prosperity and proper manage
nent." Well, now, that is just what is
going on here in Vermont. State inter
ost is enlisted, and is getting more en-
listed every day to secure the proper
management of the agricultural college
in this state. Then the senator went
On to show how much o; her states have
done for their agricultural colleges, and
il is now good time for us to think of
The large sums which nearly every
other state has expended to secure 10
itself the benefits of the national grant.
Vermont has done nothing, and has
deservedly got no benefit as to her
agricultural interests from the fund
Senator Morrill, instanced Brown Uni
versty as an example of giving the
fund to literary institution and told
what wonderful benefits the state de.
lived from this disposition of the fund.
But since the senator delivered that
address Brown University has, through
l. efforts of its new president, given
the fund back to the state to be used in
supporting a new and independent col
lrge which the farmers are establishing
IN Rhode Island
A word as to the future. 1t is true
that until now, whenever President
t'uckham and his colleagues have piped
he legislature has been ready to dance !;
out we do not look for any such per-