The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-08-12
WANT THE COLLEGE TO STAY.
OPPOSITION AMONG THE AGRICUL-
TURIsTS TO BROWNS PLAN.

Take the Normal School From
Athens to Atlanta.
Right eagerly are the sessions of the
state agricultural society being watched
by the friends of the state agricultural
college and the. state normal school to
see if any movement is precipitated at the
convention indorsing the proposition to
remove these institutions from Athens to
Griffin and Atlanta.
It is known that Hon. Pope Browns
committee, which recently visited Ath-
ems to investigate the agricultural college,
has vigorously advanced the proposition
to have the college taken away from Ath-
ems, where 1t has for years been run in
connection with the Georgia state Uni
versity and removed to Griffin, where 1t
may be run in conjunction with the ex
pertinent station.
Nothing has evolved out of the agricuI-
tural convention at Tybee thus far to
Indicate that this agitation will be pre-
cipltated here, but the friends of the ag-
ricultural college, who favor its remain
ing in Athens, are on the field and watch
ing with unabating interest lest the pro-
ton at any time.
1t is already clear that If such a step
is taken by any of the committees or fac
tons OF the convention there will be no
scarcity of members to oppose it. A red
hot fight will be precipitated the moment
the proposition is brought up for discus
sion. The fears of the Athens contingent
that such agitation may be started at the
convention, perhaps, are based upon the
fact that Hon. Pope Brown, who is the
leader in the proposition to take the agri-
cultural college away from Athens,
chances to be the president of the state
agricultural society.
After the session held yesterday these
fears We're considerably allayed. 1t is
now believed to be less probable than it
was before that any such motion will be
sprung before the convention for the rea-
son that so many leaders of the society
have publicly announced that they are
opposed to springing anything of a politi-
! cal nature before the society at its meet
ings and this question is considered as a
political issue, despite the claim that it
is an economic or business question.
Very recently the report became current
| that there was also "a movement afoot to
take the Georgia State Normal School
away from Athens and establish it in
Atlanta, 1t being probably that the build
| ing erected by subscriptions several years
ago for a soldiers home in that city can
| be obtained for the normal school.
| President S. D. Bradwel of the normal
| school is in attendance upon the agricul-
| tural society's meetings, and will deliver
an address to the convention this morning
on the workings of the school He is
| regularly booked for this address, having
| been requested to make it before the So
ciety by President Pope Brown himself
President Bradwell win have nothing to
| say, however, in his address concerning
the recent proposition to remove the col
| lege from Athens.
ION that subject I can not speak," he
said to a Morning News reporter yester-
day, "for the reason that it is not within
| my province TO say anything concerning
| it. l can only tell of the inside workings
of the school, and talk of its past, present
and future from my standpoint as one of
the faculty and not one of the commits
| sion, or board of trustees.
THE school has been surprisingly sue
cessful as operated in Athens since its
establishment. We have more than 3l5
students in attendance there now and the
term is still in progress and good for sew
eral months yet. 1 am sure that we will
be turning students away long before the
summer session is over.
The chief reason for such large attend
ance, to my mind, is that we have made
il so cheap to the school teachers of the
state to come to the normal and take a
course. You will doubtless be surprised
to know that board only costs 81 per
month at the normal school, and this in
cludes lodging, table board, washing, SER
want hire and everything which is usual
ly considered boarding.
The committees from the legislature, the
the trustees or commission and every
A. 49,
the school has made fiattering reports
about it. The fact that we have so sys-
tema tized the dormitory feature as to Of
fer good board and offer it at such low
cost, has surprised many of the authori-
ties who have to do with the educational
interests of the state.
THE normal school. as is known, occu-
pied the old Rock College building on the
outskirts of Athens. This building was
formerly the agricultural college build
ing for the state. There is a large tract
OF land around the college, though the
normal school. so far, has only been given
about ten acres of this
President Bradwel declines to express
an opinion as to the ACCESSIBILITY of the
normal school being removed from Ath-
ems and established in the Georgia SOL
diers' home building. near Atlanta. He
says that is a matter for the board of
| commissioners of the school to talk about.
The commission is composed of Hon. G..
A.. Glenn state school commissioner. who
arrived yesterday 90 attend the agricul-
tural socety's meeting; Chancellor w. +.
Boggs of the state university. Prof. Law
ton b. Evans of Augusta. Mr.. w. II.
Baker of savannah and Hon. r. j. Quinn.
secretary, of Atlanta.
The friends OF the normal school who
favor holding the school IN Athens declare
that a. cannot be removed without wping
out all the law by which q was estab-
lished. and starting over again entirely.
relying as they do upon the following sec.
tion OF the act by which the institution
was first established:
/ BE 10 further enacted by the authority
aforesaid That said school shall be located
at Rock College. Athens Ca, and for the
purposes OF said school said Rock College
and the land contiguous thereto, not less
than six nor more than ten acres. tender
ed by the board Of trustees OF the univer-
sity OF the state for said purposes. are
hereby accepted by the state as rendered
in the resolution OF said board Of trustees
reported to this general assembly by the
governor"
Assurances have been given By the mem-