The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1896-03-12
FREE TUITION IN COLLEGES.
Shall the State institutions DO Kept Oper
for all Students Without Charae7

| Shall the State institutions DO Kept Open
] for all Students Without Charged
! The night session OF the Senate was
one Of lively and interesting debate.
Tho educational bill was up for con-
sideration, and this measure never
fails to create u lively interest and de-
bato.
! Mr.. Efrd offered IN amendment that
ali pupils should pay an annual tuition
| Of $50 year.
Mr.. McCalla offered en- amcndmont
making the tuition $25 year.
Mr.. Watson said we are giving too
much toward higher education that
We are spending money for twenty
| four per cent. OF the pupils while
saventy-six per cont. arc going without
| aid. He said there were SO many Office
hunters they werc afraid to deal fairly
with the question. Every man who
| had no Office was expecting to run for
one. Ho said wo were paying $500 a
year each for boys to get an academic
education. Tho State said to overy
boy: "Wo will pay five dollars to your
| education where You pay ono" Solf
reliance WAS the first principle of re-
pubicanism, and we should teach our
young men to roly upon themselves for
at least a part Of their education. 1t
| was an idlc dream to expect a roal col
! lego in the South till VIC could get on
dowmonts.
! If Clemson was maintained az q
| Mechanical and Agricultural College,
if it was strictly chronological school
as intended, it would not step on any
body's toes-it would do tho Legitimate
work for which it was created, and
our colleges would get along harmo-
niously.
Mr.. McCalla: "You speak Of our
collegesp Did 'our colleges ever GO
into the highways and hedges for poor
boys and attempt to educate them p"
Mr.. Watson: Il don't exactly under
stand you. The truth is, only one poor
man out of every Thousand goes to these
colleges. 1t was an idle dream to OK
pect real collogo in tho South till We
could get ondowments."
Mr.. Norris said whilo he agreed will
the gentleman from Edgciiold on many
points, they had tried to frame q bill
to meet the exigencics of all occasions
The bill proposed was a compromise
They had to distinguish botween the
indigent and those able to pay ; to offer
| beneficiaries was unfair to some, and
to admit all free seemed impOssib BILE.
| Therefore they had decided to put tho
tuition at $40 per annum.
Mr.. McCalla wanted to know why tho
State shouM aid these colleges, If they
charge $40 tuition That was the samo
as denominatiOnal colleges.
| Mr.. Norris said he hardly knew how
to answer tho question, but we had no
| right to undermine the denominatiOnal
institutions. He said If we charged
$40 all the denominational colleges
| would combine and wipo out our insti-
| tutions.
Mr.. Watson said Of the 65 900 pupils
in the colleges only $1,000 were in
State colleges. He wanted tho State
institutions not to supplant but to sub
stitute the work done by other col
leges.
representing colleges, but his people
The argument of Mr.. Watson he said
proved that the State had been derolic
in its duty. There were no other col
leges doing tho work Of Clemson and
Rock Hill. When he saw the poor boys
and girls collecte | from every section
and sent to these colleges, he thanked
God for q b. II. Tillman. These young
people could never have gone else
where. The preparatory department
at Clemson merely showed the impossi
bility of properly preparing those boys
for college.
Mr.. Archer said Mr.. McCalla's queer
argument meant that the State could
not compete with the denOminatiOnal
colleges, and that because rich men
paid the taxes thoy should hayo the
benefit Of their taxes.
MIR. McCalla: | beg pardon, but
never said anything Of the kind.
Mr.. Archer: Your argument said it,
Is it necessary to pay $500 each in Or
der that young men may learn to road
and write ? We have begun to build
at the top, no said. From u political
standpoint, wo had como here as Re-
formers, We old rascals. We had run
into Office on tho poor mans college,
but the poor man had footed tho bill
} to the tune Of $9l2,0O0
Mr.. McCalla asked what tho old
crowd did for the poor boys Of the
State?
, MIR. Archer said If they did not build
, any schools, they didn't waste thou.
sands Of dollars playing big lko in
spending money for brick and mortar
In the passage OF tho appropriation
bill, Senator Watson moved to strike
out the provision requiring free tuition
in tho South Carolina College for two
, young mon from each county In the
State.
Mr.. Moses and MIR. Finley denied
t that such was the policy Of the State
, and thought that the amendment
-. should not DC adopted. TO deprive the
= poor boys of this State of such a,privi
I lcge would be lcgislating for class.
/ Mr.. Watson did not want to go or
: record as an enemy Of higher cdu"a
: tion although some people insisted or
b. putting him there. The State aid MOI
. need more teachers, and if they did
0 the colleges would not furnish them