Kansas City daily journal., 1897-02-07
THE ATTEMPT TO LOCATE A STATE
NORMAL AT WICHITA.
is THERE TO BE A "RAkE Off"
SCHEME Is TO SELL GARFIELD UNI
YERSITY TO THE STATE.
G.someone" Said TO Hold an Option on
the InstitutiOn-LObby Actively
at Work for the scheme
other Kansas LeGis-
IntiSe News.

ropeka, Eas.. Feb. G.-(SpeciaL1 Charges
are being made In political circles to-day
that the determined effort TO saddle on
Garfield university at Wichita on the state
for normal school purposes is not prompt
ed wholly by patriotic motives. 1t IS sald
that certain individuals have Il seliish rea-
son. The pernicious activity of the lobby,
together with the many junketing trips OF
various members of the legislatureto Nlch-
ita, tend to confirm the charges.
As the story goes. an option has been Sc
cured by some Wichita parties on the uni
versity at very low figure, and if the
state can be induced to buy it at ''rea-
sonable' figure, there are thousands in it,
Just who expects TO get the thousands is
not exactly known.
Early in the session of the legislature
Senator Lewelling introduced bill For
the establishment of a state normal school
at the city of Wichita" Section of said
bill provides that the board of regents of
the state normal school shall be authorized
10 purchase for the use of the state in the
maintenance of normal school at Wich>
ita the building known as Garfield univer-
sity, with the fourteen-acre campus, fur
niture, library and apparatus. In order to
ascertain the value of the building and
site the bill provides for the appointment
of a committee, consisting of one senator
and two. members of the house and an ar
Chitect, to appraise the property, the eX-
pense of the trip of the committee and the
architect to be borne by the citizens of
Wichita. When this is ascertained, then
the state is to give three-tifths of said es-
innate. The state is to pay $4,000 in cash
and issue bonds, payable in live equal In
Stallments, for the balance.
This proposition seemed very fair, but
later several other bills to establish state
normals were introduced-uo less than sew
-l,s. lF,Fass tn
state a fine county high school building
and campus free of charge, providing it
would open a normal school there. Sena-
Tor Ryan, of Crawford, introduced a Dill IN
which the city of Pittsburg offered to give
a large tract of land and erect handsome
building If a state normal were established.
there. Wichita, however, did not meet the
bid. But the members of the Legislature
were not disposed to establish any normal
schools and in the senate a resolution was
voted down once against the proposition.
This did not daunt the Sedgwick delega-
tion in their efforts to push the claim of
Wichita, however, and they nnaiiy sue
go there and look over the field and inspect
the buildings and grounds. AS soon as
this was accomplished, the lobby became
very active in behalf of Wichita. Last
Sunday delegation of representatives
went down there to spend the day.. To-
night, another big delegation went down
They will be cordially received, so they
We're told before leaving. The junketing
party tonight comprised some of the.
members of the educational institutions
Now there may not be, and probably is
not, any effort being made to use money
on the legislature, but propositions have
been made to outside parties that there
Is some money in it.
The story also says that Representative
Irwin has a political interest IN the deal.
1t is said that eertain Popnlist citizens in
Sedgwick have agreed not to fight him
very hard if he becomes. the Republican
nominee for senator to succeed Lewelling,
who will resign shortly to take place on
the railroad board in consideration of his
support to get the normal school project
through the Legislature.
The outcome of this affair will be
watched with much interest on account of
Wichita's action in not meeting the gem
erous offers of -Atehson and Pittsburg.
Garland university is now owned by Ed
gar Harding, of New York. who took the
property on a mortgage 1t was founded
by DR. w. B. Hendry&. Schoolmate of
the martyred president. James "A. Garfield.
- After the assassination of the president
the doctor decided to establish a college
and name 1t after his departed friend.
During the boom, the property became
very valuable. but with its collapse came a
collapse of the institution also. DIR. Hen
dryN is now dying of softening of the
brain at Indianapolis.