Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1892-07-14

: the State restored by taxation, but
in 1887, when the $4,000 was
given by Congress to found a
/ scientific experimental agricultural
4 station in each State, South Caro-
Lima also donated to this Clafin
University in perpetuity $4,000
of that fund. Thus there was
1 $1O,574 annually voted by the
. State to this colored college out Of
the funds generously bestowed by
the National Government without
theslightest obligation under the
terms of the grant to do it You
|may examine the Federal statutes,
land you will not find a line or 9
word in either. the act of 1852, OF
the act of 1887 requiring any of
the Statesto make any provision
for establishing colored colleges.
my state,did it voluntarily-did+
Fit with magnanimous change Of {
policy, determined to test how far
the negro was capable OF taking
higher education.
Now, when this third fund was
provided by the Federal Gov
|.ernment under the act of August
80, 1890, our State Legislature, in
pursuance of the terms of that act,
passed a statute donating toClafin
University or colored college one
half. of that fund. But there is in
that act provision. which gives
the Secretary of the Interior a
sort of general supervision over the
use to which the appropriation
may be applied so as to see to it
that in no case shall the provision
made for colored colleges be
diminished, lost, or misapplied.
The actIbyits title and provisions
says the purpose was to make
more liberal provision for higher
4 education of the colored race. It
provides that the Legislature of
the State may propose a just and
equitable division," and that the
officers of both the white and col
ored colleges benefited by the
] fund shall make an annual
detailed report to the Secretary OF
Agriculture and to the Secretary
es.a .-;Tg;FtssY 3 - :. sc-sar that.the
:; Isl re- o.;:s.:sr p.ae ne5i4r able so
sii.4s:ssa..;::ii -; aa@i,s,zs:''l
i-apd ascertain oa de- - i.J,rl:l'-
.tioii US % whetner ;.is E'f'G e
! being led oeno
i regards coloyad @ol,esiyte es3o-
cation.
Now, the Secretary of the In
terror has certified that all the
other States are entitled to this
fund except South Carolina. WHY
he excluded her 1 cannot see. |
do not know whether politics had
anything to do with it, in view
of the national Presidential
nominating convention. I do not
know whether fanaticism,
obstinacy, or ignorance caused
the Commissioner of Education
and the isecretary of the interior
to take that positions. But some
how or other they tooksit; and like
the Irishman who said that the
horse was is feet. high when his
attention was called to the mistake
would not change it to hands, SC
they would not change their
decision even when / called their
attention to the debate in the
Senate, which clearly showed
that the purpose had been to leave
it to the discretion of the Legisla-
ture of the State to propose q
just and equitable division, and
;. THAT the Secretary of the interior
J had no discretion, except to see
that the fund was not diminished
lost, or misapplied, and that the
colored race received their share
of the benefit. of it.
To make this matter perfectly
clear I-beg g9to read a.faw..linei
from the. debate in the Senate
between Senator Culiom and Sen:
ator Morrill,, the letter gentlemrr
not only having charge of the bill
bnt being its author, as he was
the original author of all the bills
making donations for collegiate
i, education in the old States:
} Mr.. Cullom. 1 should like tc
know whether on donation Of
this land where two institutions
are established, 1T is under an act