The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-03-25
EDUCATIONAL ARTICLE.
robert S. Campbell Discusses the
Constitutional Proviso.

constitutional PrOvisO.
To the Editor of The Herald:
In reading the proposed article upon
education submitted to the state con-
Stltut1on by the committee on educa-
ton, am led to the conclusion that
there are propositions therein that, if
left as originally reported by the COM
mittee, not only leave our higher ed
ucational interests for the school year
beginning July 1st, 1895, in a state
bordering on chaos, but. are indefinite
in other particulars.
The article as reported provides in
Sec. for the establishment and in
c1usion in the school system of: First
Kindergarten; second-CommOn
schools; third-High schools; fourth
a University.
Section reads: The University ......
shall comprise all departments or insti-
tutions of higher learning in the pub
lie school system including -. the
Agricultural college and shall
be located at one place
If the constitution be adopted. with
this article intact as reported from
the committee. that then unites the two
institutions and at one place.
There are conclusions on this action
which should be given publicity. and I,
therefore, take this occasion of pre-
Senting some facts, obtained from a re-
liable source, in which the citizen and
taxpayer of our state are directly and
deeply interested:
cides to unite the University and Agri-
cultural college and locate them at
Logan then .
The present college buildings at
Logan will accommodate all depart
ments of both institutions. The build
ings are twelve in number. The main
building, one of the largest college
structures in the country, has seventy
fine rooms now finished, of which num-
Der thirty to sixty are occupied. The
first cost of these buildings was $751;
1884. The main building cost $780,
5000 and the contractors lost heavily
on it. The buildings cannot be dupli-
Gated for less than 100000.
The scientific apparatus, machinery
and domestic arts equipments cost,
without setting up. $4,000 Much of it
cannot be removed without great ex-
pense and injury
The college farm comprises 10S acres
of fertile bench land under close cufti-
walton, one mile from the business
center of Logan. 1t has permanent
water right, isSa furnished with fire
hydrants, high water pressure, irriga-
ing canals and fumes, choice orchards
and vineyards and young forest trees.
The free use for twenty years of a
fertile tract of meadow land in the
Logan City Park has been granted to
the college experiment station and is
planted to m7ny k's:s of forest trees
The title to these grounds is in Logan
City and the grounds will revert to
that city in case the resent use of
them is abandoned. The first item of
expense Tor loss) in removing from
figure of $3.50, 900.
Second-In case it shall be decided to
remove the university to the Fort
Douglas site, it should be known that
l. The new buildings necessary to
accommodate the combined institutions
will cost over $250,000 in cash at once
This second item of expense is more
than one years territorial revenue, so
that such removal, if decided upon
cannot take effect for several years to
come.
2. That the present university
grounds would ,then revert to Salt
Lake city. These grounds and build
ings are worth $685. This will be
the third item of expense.
8. The proposition to unite the
institutions at Salt Lake city in the
name of economy is really a PROPOSE
tion that the territory shall lose the
use OF the property WOTun quarter OF
a million dollars, which will revert to
Salt Lake city, of another property
worth the same amount which will re-
vert to Logan city, and also of an i'm
mediate expenditure of another quar-
ter of a million dollars for just such
buildings as the territory now has at
Logan.
In round figures the union of the two
institutions at Salt Lake city will en-
tail a net loss Of nearly $75O,O0O as fol-
lows: Loss to the state of the Logan
site, etc, $25O,0OO; loss Of the present
Salt Lake site, S25O000, and cost of
erection of new buildings on the Fort
Douglas site, $250OOO.
In view of these facts do the people
of Utah want the question of union
irrevocably determined in their consti-
tuition or left for future legislative
action.
A loss to the state of S750,0OO without
commemorative benefit, is worthy OF due
and considerate reflection.
If above is admitted to your columns
[ thank you for the courtesy.
Yours truly,
ROBERT S. CAMPBELL.