The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1895-02-28

~ ut JusI 10 the University for the statA
W connde their management to the morI
lnimeuiately interested agency of the rep1
enls OF tne University, if for no other resI
SUI SOn Ian tne logical result that the reg
e1'e ueiIs acuVely interested and engaS.
Gu al Tue tlme In watching opportuni., h
i lnes "Hu ueVlslng means to make the \
ANUS Immediately productive of avail
able resources for the Universitv 1yomiS
naturally accomplish more than conIG Nv
done by the state acting only in biennisI
sessions of the legislature.
These alternate sections of scboo,
ianuS, IL VIII be remembered, were Ia il
Gated by the railroads; and as TO N
every tenth sections" of the land f,I
located and originally donated to M
University, far less valuable lands were
substituted to the University for the
sections of which it was arbitrari;y III.
vested by the constitution of 1876 ii.
verting the land to the school fund. A.
one time the University regents were of.
tered . cents an acre for the lease Of
l6O0,0OO acres of the University lands,
but had no authority to accept it and the
state land board would not change the
minimum to that figure because the board
had fixed six cents as the minimum for
the school lands. The regents of the
university of New York have $4,000.
OOo OF property under their control and
SO successfully managed that no com.
plant has ever been made of their man.
agement. In fact in every state where
University lands have been turned over
to the regents the management of them
mas been far more satisfactory, because
more productive than when the lands
We're under state control. AS evidence
OF the political disregard with which
state Universities have to contend for
their existence, the gift of the alternate
sections to the University of Texas
which if the law had not been changed
by the costitution of 1876, would have
amounted to over three million acres is
not the only case in point of indifference
ny state governments to the property
rights of State Universities. In some
states land given to their State Uniyer-
sitnes were taken back from them and
given away as bonuses to induce immi-
grafton. In others they were sacrificed
1or song to actual settlers and a numb
er OF states have INDUCED in the Indian
PLY VI giving and finding pretexts for
ties. 81
In Wisconsin," as cited in the b;ssA, 4
OF the university of that state. "the do.
nomlnational colleges sent I'D petitions
asking that the university fund and its in
come De divided among them and the
university be abandoned. MANY names
were attached to these petitions, and tbe
local press favored the measure until
a pressure was brought to bear mon
the legislature that was almost irresisti-
bic; and on the 10Th of March, 1871, =
member of the board of regents (eIected
10 the legislature on the 18TH introduced
Dill into the assembly to repeal the
charter of the university, distribute it's
lunus, and give its income to the demo-
minatlonal colleges in the state"
ICarpenters Historical Sketch of the
University ~ 'ne
So near being sacrificed was this mi
Verslty, now one of the finest in the
country. Such facts from the history
Oh state management of universities
Deertainly intensity the arguments of
on the subject of the university lands
where he says:
There ought to be possibility of agree
ment between the persons desiring TO se-
cure a lease and the owner of the land
II some one is willing to give four cents
OF more the state should be in position
10 take the best contract offered. If two
cents IS the maximum that can be
secured, the revenue that would be de-
rived from this ought not to be lost in an
nnayalling effort to secure more. If
tne land is not worth two cents discre-
uon should be lodged somewhere to ac-
cept whatever could be secured. A lease
OF all the University lands for the past
IL years at even cent per acre would
nave brought to the University 1920. 900,
more than three times the amount ac-
tually received from flexible admins
tration of an infexible law"
The incorporation of the board of reg
ents has been suggested as perhaps the
simplest and most effective way to
place lands under their management. 1t
is the method adopted in most of the
states where the state university HIS
part of its endowment in land. az in
California and New York. In California
the university is realizing five times as.
much from its lands under the manage
ment of the regents as it did when thew
We're controlled by the state. Such facts
should impress the legislature of Texas
with the advantages of having university
lands managed by the university regents.
ONE DEATH-THREE NEW CASES.
Workman, Tex, Feb. 25.-(Special.)-
Inc report that came in this morning
from the smallpox district shows one
fhsA L