The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1891-01-23
Agricultural College.

The question us the Agricultural College
uf Michigan as at Present conducted, of any
Benefit to Farmers and Should it be Con-
tinued" has been practically answered in
the last issue of The TIMES. have taken
the liberty to quote the entire paragraph
which reads as follows: ''Those who have
petitiOned the legislature to abolish the Ag-
ricultural college will ind that even though
the present legislature might be ''agin" ed
ucation in general and the Agricultural
college in particular, the abolition of the
Agricultural college Is not within its power
When Michigan became State and secured
certain lands from the federal government
the contract between the State of Michigan
and the United States for the establishment
and maintenance of the Agricultural COL
lege became q perpetual contract. IL Mich
gan democracy would initiate the servile
sycOphancy of their party i'm Wisconsin let
them attack any educatianal institution and
the spirit of State pride in having the best
Agricultural college in the United States
andTthe greatest University would hurl the
party from power. No one objects to inves-
tigatiOn and proposes methods of improve
ment, but of all objects of Legislation school
matters most vitality affect the people. So
it would seem from the reading of this ar
ticle that there is some one after the Agri-
cultural college. You will perhaps remem-
Der that few years ago when the State
legislature made quite large appropriations
for the college and people were disposed to
grumble about it, it was claimed that as soon
as the buildings were finished and the farm
cleared up the Institution would become self
supporting with the aid of the money arising
from the sale of the lands granted to it by
the United States, which lands have been
sold more or less every year. We find that
TO-.
Of SOS, 800 for buildings and support of the
college. In the year 1887 there was an appro-
priatiOn of S65, 2O5; in the year 1889 there
was an appropriation of $50, 795 being an
aggregate of $l73, 800 for the past five years
or S34 ,664 per year. And to show that we are
not yet through being taxed for this institu-
ton the State Board of Agriculture has
lately been in session and has decided to
ask the'legislature for an appropriation of
over 900 for the next two years. In adj
ditiOn TO these appropriations we find that
the college receives from five to seven thou
sand dollars yearly in interest and from
thirteen to sixteen thousand dollars yearly
from the sale of lands. The college has a
farm of over 500 acres of excellent land in
the very best of cultivation, the proceeds of
which goes to the support of the school.
Does it not seem as though with the means
could be made an institution in which farm
er's sons could be educated at reasonable
expense? But we are told by those who
pretend to know that under the present
order of things, the young man who is not
possessed of plenty of money or backed by
% rich father, stands no show at all. The
time has been when young man could, by
working spare time and using reasonable
economy, get through the college without
paying over $3.50 or $500 per year, but
ut that time board was furnished at cost; at
the present time the scholars board them
selves on what is called the club plan,
which is said to be quite expensive.
In regard to the statement of the OwossO
TINES which have just read to the effect
that the State legislature cannot abolish the
Agricultural College, the editor seems to
have forgotten the fact that though 1t may
not abolish 1t, 1t may withhold the usual
appropriations and thus cause It to die
natural death or become self supporting.
The people have become tired of paying
enormous taxes for the support of an insti-
tuition which Is of no benefit to themselves
and in which nobody but the sons of rich
men can learn the mysteries of scientific
farming. To be sure Estate pride" as THE
TIMES says, may go some ways in recon-
Cling us to these things, but Is 1t policy to
keep up an institution just for the sake of
being able to say we have the best Agricul-
.ural College in the United States, il 1t is of
no benefit to us?
IL Is fact that ''of all objects of legisa-
ton school matters most vitality affect the
people, and Is is also a fact that there has
not been change made in the school laws
within the past twenty-five years but what
has cost the the people more money without |
a corresponding benefit. Let our State !