The sun., 1894-05-13
The Astounding Impotence Of Cornell

tonAl Federation OF America.
The Astounding Impudence OF Cornell
President ScHURMAN Of Cornell Univer-
sity made speech at dinner Of its alumni
on Thursday evening. in which he had the
assurance to declare that when THE Sun
says that the university has plan on foot
to capture the Constitutional Convention
and secure State support for our university.
It has Information Of which the Board of
Trustees knows nothing. and II asked would
say. no."
The Board Of Trustees. then. must be
ignorant OF what Ia actually going on.
Moreover. they must have forgotten the
address delivered by President ScHuRMAN
upon his Inauguration as the head OF Cor
nell In November. 1s9a. As that address
gives full and detailed history Of the
foundation Of the university and Its mag
nificent endowment by the State and as 1t
also reveals Its authors scheme for getting
more money from the public treasury as q
steady annual supply. 1t Is q publication
which requires consideration alongside Of
President S0HURMANs remarks on Thurs
day evening. Besides. the story is very In
tereeting reading In itself.
In July, 1861, LINCOLN signed tho act
known as the MORRILL, act, which provided
for giving public land to the several States
for the purposes Of college education. each
State to receive $1,000 acres for each Sena-
tor or Representative 1t sent to Congress.
The amount Of land thus distributed
was Of the enormous extent Of $780,
600 acres. and the share OF New York
aIA
did not contain within their own bor-
ders public land subject to sale at
private entry. received land scrip instead,
with the condition that they could not locate
1t In any other State or Territory. They
were required to sell the scrip. investing
the proceeds In safe stocks yielding not less
than per cent. as perpetual fund for the
endowment and support Of at least one col
lege for the teaching OF "such branches Of
learning as are related to agriculture and
the mechanic arts" besides other seisn-
tific and classical studies." and military
tactics" II this fund was ever dimin-
ished or lost. the State was required to
make 1t good.
or course. there was O great scramble TO
get the 800 900 acres allotted to New York.
and President ScIURMAS's address speaks
very contemptuously Of the rivalry with
which the existing institutions "clamored
for division Of the spoils.'" calling their
tactics Indecent" and saying that polit-
ical tricksters played their base and des-
perate game" But why was It Indecent
or even unreasonable to ask that col
leges already established should re-
ceive "the spoils." instead OF handing
In httl 20
to be established The upshot was that
EZRA CORNELL got the whole grant for the
inchoate Cornell University. for whose
he himself gave also s5OO. 900.
His individual gift was munihcent and It
entities his memory to all the great honor
President SCHURMAN bestows on 1t; but It
was small as compared with the vast sum
the institution has realized from the gift OF
the State.
As the markets then were glutted with
land scrip. the State was not able to sell It's
grant at more than so cents an acre. Ac-
cordingly. before the sale OF the great bulk
Of 1t. Mr.. CORNELL made a very clever
stroke in the interest OF his college and dis
played both business sagacity and liberal
spirit. by contracting with the State for
the purchase OF the entire right still unsold.
at the rate OF 60 cents an acre. for the bene-
fit OF the university. The scrip having
thus become his individually. he was free
to select and locate the lands II represented;
and this he did with so sound q judgment
that by holding them for a more favorable
market Cornell University had already
netted abut 81. 10000 from them In 1891.
though 1t still had over 10000 acres
to sell The value OF the whole. President
ScHURMAN then estimated at between
six and seven millions. or nearly one
half OF the amount realized from the sales
Df the entire grant OF 100000 acres TO the
States. By reason Of Mr. CoRNELL's wis
dom and his generosity in buying and
carrying the lands OF this State at great
cost TO himself the price obtained for them
has averaged about 81 an acre. while for
the other States 1t was only 81. For in |
stance. among the lands located by Mr.. |
CORNELL we're more than 10000 acres Of |
superior pine land In the Northwestern
states. principally in Wisconsin.
Other gifts to Cornell make up its en- |
iowment to total which President SCHUR- |
dAS gave in his inaugural In ls97 as s. .OOO.- |
90. exclusive OF lands still unsold." OF |
his aggregate property. one-hAlf has come |
rom proceeds Of the land grant. He eK-
plained further that the university had then |
5000. 600 In productive funds and |
N income from All sources VI about $780, |
90. How. then. could he say last Thursday
evening that I'VE are no bsnehclaTies OF |
he State Of New York." that the uni
'ersity owes nothing tO the State.
'ut that the State Il rather under
obligations TO pay 1t money for educating
he students from the Assembly districts.
. whom its charter requires It 70 give free