The Durham daily globe. (Durham, N.C.) 1889-1894, 1894-08-20

W q
execution was threatening. The numoeI
Of students for eleven years of his lif'
averaged only 9j annually. Nor was h'
entirely without help from the state, be
cause in his day, when aliens could no
hold lands in North Carolina, handsome
fums occasionally fell in from escheatec
lands Moreover, the teaching force o.
| old times, four or five professors and in
structors, would not meet " de
mands.
, You have shown that Governor
Swain had a good income in addition 10
| tuition receipts, and that this income
came from sales Of land wrrants in Ten
pessee given to the University by the
state.
Besides this, it should be noted that
students before the civil var were gen
orally able TO pay tuition. With these
aids the university nOt only kept in the
State the scores Of thousand dollars which
otherwise would have been spent at
Princeton, the University of Virginia
and other institutions, but brought into
the state over 80 students per annum
from abroad. who spent in our limits at
least So. 900 or $4,000 a year.
3 After the civil war destroyed the
endowment of the University, Governor
without state aid. The hardships suf
fered by the professors because Of o
payment of their salaries were intense
Colonel Martin and DR. Hepburn resigned
and went elsewhere DR.. Pool obtained
leave Of absence without pay. There
were only four professors left and the
under graduate students uwindled from
107 in 1861 to 81 in 1868 Governor Swain
applied to the legislature for aid. He
obtained a grant of $1,000 in money and
the transfer of the agricultural land
script, but he and his faculty were dis
placed by the trustees appointed under
the reconstruction acts of congress before
this new endowment could be made avail
able,
4, 1t thus appears that DR.. Ourham's
argument that | ought to have made the
University prosperous without state aid
because my predecessors had done so,
has no foundation whatever. History
shows that it was prosperous under Gov
ernOr Swain because he had such aid, and
was on the verge of ruin both under DR.
Caldwell and Governor Swain when such
aid was absent.
). Now as to DR.. Durham's charge
tn at, with these examples Of the success
of "self support" before my eyes, l from
choice resOrted to the legislature, he is
wrong. The truth is that for
five years, from 1876 to 1881, | diligently
endeavOred to support the university by
soliciting contributions from the friends
Of higher education. into the eX.
tremely unpleasant business of begging
in various parts Of the state. In 1874 IS,
as secretary and treasurer, when there
was an enthusiastic desire to reopen the
doors of the institution, obtained hand
sums for repairing the buildings so
to make them habitable. But when,
as president, | asked for contributions
for annual support, the usual answer
"The university is by the consti
tuition placed under the care of the gen.
eral assembly. Apply to that body"
| reported to our board of trustees
hncn facts onH thnu ;nrtr,otol no =,
accordance with my recommendation, to
ask the legislature of 1881 for aid to en-
able us to meet necessary expenses.
Afterwards, when thought the time
had com for making the University
more worthy of a great state by adding
other prOfessorships, brought this need
to the attention of the trustees. Under
heir instructions, which in my judg-
ment were mos wise. | asked the gen.
eral assembly for additional help, which
was given.
will add that the receipts and expen
litures of the University have been reg
llarly inspected and approved by a com
of the board of trustees, some Of
the best and most trusted business men
n the state, and have been regularly
submitted to the general assembly. The
inspection by all the members of
The legislature, or a committee of that
body, has been urgently asked for, ard
will be asked for, by the authorizes in
char sc Of this institution.
Very respectfully,
KEMP p. BATTLE.
Chanel Hin, y. c, AUGUST Il 1894