The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-01-20

to the board that the university should be
furnished as soon as practicable with proper
and suitable equipment OF buildings. potn LOT
instruction aud OF buildings also for dorinitor-
les and eating purposes; and so this BOARD mas
the honor to represent matters in this connee-
ton to you and to the legislature OF the state,
and to request an examination into this CUES
ton aud an appropriation from the STATE ueas,
ury for this purpose, with the iaudabie aim and
end In view OF placing our university upon re-
spectacle basis for giving instruction 10 the
youth of our phenomenaIly growing state.
The state can reimburse itself from the sales of
university lands hereafter to be made, as under
the law such sales are TO be made by state
necton the board calls attention to the fact that
most of the state universities are supported IN
whole or in part by means Of tax for educa-
tionel purposes and levied along Win sne gen,
suggests the adoption OF such course on behalf
OF our state university, II found to be IN con-
sonance with the provisions OF existing laws.
The proceeds OF such a tax levied annually
would render the university independent OF the
necessity of applying TO each successive iegisia-
ture for specific appropriation, and OF every
year or two repeating the grounds OF desire and
urgency actuating IL in Its application.
The university lands donated 70 the state OF
Washington for university purposes under the
fourteenth section OF the enabling act Of con-
gress, approved February %, 1883, amendatory as
well as confirmatory OF prior acts OF donation,
deductIng the lands confirmed TO the vendees OF
the territory by the act OF March ii, 1854, Will
amount approximately to several thousand
acres, divis bic into two classes-6rst, the lands
already selected {the acreage OF which this board
has no means accurately TO determine) and not
sold by territorial authority; and secondly, the
lands vet 70 be selected aggregating some
200 acres as nearly as this board can estimate
them. This board presents herewith the report
OF the former regents concerng these lands aud
renews the recommendation therein urged that
the legislature create special board OF commits
sion TO examine the status OF these lands, and
give 1t power TO take charge OF and control OF,
after entertainment of, the lands already Sc
lected and not sold, as well as to select at once
the lands yet remaining open to the state LOT
university purposes. If some such course be not
pursued Immediately, it viii become difhcult,
with the vanishing away Of public lands, TO
make good selections. such board should be
invested with ample powers OF Investigation
and control and selection and should be
aided by u sufficiently large appropriation OF
money to perform It's duties creditably. II will
require prolonged and thorough search Of all
the records of the interior department of Wash
fngtoD, D. c., 10 straighten out this perplexed
subject and unravel It's intricaeies and elucidate
the exact lands which the state now owns and
the precise acreage which it is yet entitled to
select
The last legislature. under the act passed
March 2s, 1885, provided means whereby bona
fde purchasers Of university lands heretofore
sold under territorial authority could confirm
their titles, which act hes the effect probably in
law TO divest the state and, ergo, the state uni
versity OF all its beneficial interest in lands
sold by territorial authority after March IA, 1862
This board further recommends the passage Of
lands, as the state Is empowered TO do, under
provisions OF sections il and II of the state en-
abiing act, SO that there may be some income
derivable from such lands for the benefit of the
university, however small be the returns. such
leases under the law can be made for periods
OF not more than five years, in quantities not ex-
ceeding one section to any one person OF com
pany." The matter of sales of university
lands is now regulated by sections 10 and II of
the legislative act OF March 27,ls90, to which at
tention ia directed, while the matter OF leasing
1t Al <lsla l@.s de r1-fr HafA
seems 10 have been left TO the state, which, like
the former territory, has neglected to place the
immediate control over them in any board or
person.
The matter of the establishment of an agricul-
tural college and school of science by our state
to avail itself of the benefits conferred by the
enabling act, has been provided for by the act Of
the legislature approved March Is, 1880, which
act also provides for an agricultural experiment
station; so that these ques tons 20 longer con-
Germ me university regents, as they appear TO
manifest by legislative action that such college,
school and station would not be established in
connection with the state university, or as de-
partments or adjunets thereof.
This board suggests that in the first legisla-
ton hereafter to be enacted by the legislature
relative TO UNIVERSITY lands there be embodied
ling act relating to the donation of lands by the
United States 10 the state OF Washington, and
accepting the same, as has been similarly done
in respect to other donations by the United
States and our state.
With respect to the sale of university lands
the legislature is requested to make some
specific provisions Section IA of the enabling
act enacts that "none of the lands granted in
this section shall be sold at less than ten dollars
per acre" The state university act simply pro-
vides that none of such lands shall be sold Eek
cept as may be provided by the legislature OF the
state of Washington, without providing how
and when and for what reasons such lands may
be sold.
T. NJ Catch, president of the faculty,
reports last years attendance as the larg-
est in the history of the university, 2e7
students being enrolled, or seventy more
than the preceding year. A boarding-hall
for young women is urgently needed Col
lections during the year have been SIS, 1899.
In an appendix is given the report of the
university regents TO the legislature from
April Is, 1885, to September IS, 1889; the
report of the committee of the legislature
appointed TO investigate the title TO uni
versity lands in the city of Seattle, alb
stract of title, ETC., all of which have here
tofore been printed or summarized in the
Posr-INTELLIGENcER.