Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-03-10

may be, to the resolve now pending.
While have no personal interest In or
attachment to the State college. am
deeply interested in the all-importaht
question of education. Ten years OF ser-
vice on the school board In an industrial
city mas deepened and intensified my In
| terest in the education of the industrial
classes. A city having a college and II
good one. too, one having. ! believe, more
graduates in the field today as tenchers
than any other. AS IA citizen OF Lewiston
am proud of Bates college, of the great
| work 1T is doing, and the high position 1t
holds. Its honored president is now and
mas been for twenty years to my personal
knowledge an earnest supporter and pro-
moter of the education of the common
people, and an untiring worker In THIS
noble field of labor. God made him on IL
too generous and broad minded plan to
he jealous or envous of the success OF
any movement to promote this great end,
When our forefathers set sail for a new
!and ana a new country, they left be-
mud them the colleges and the universe
ties of the world This severance de-
prlNed them of the privileges of edu II
ton, but in process of time the churches
took the matter in hand and founded c>l-
leges and universities. We shall have
reason to thank God for ever and ever
for the Noble men and women who found
ed these institutions of learning that are
the prize OF our land, and which are now
so FIRMLY established and richly endowed
1t was. however, the cherished wish and
dying hope OF Washington, knowing as
| he did the great incentive ii would be to
patriotism and love of country to make
education national in character and to
use his own language thereby to do
away with local attachments and state
preJudices. To this end in his will he
bcqueithed in perpetuity fifty shares he
held in the Potomac Company, valued at
the time $500 each, toward the endow-
,hcnt of an university to be established
i'll the District of Columbia under the
auspices of the general government 1t
is an established fact of history that he
selected the site where he desired this
university to be built. His correspond
lence with jefferson and others relating to
| this matter. so dear TO him. is preserved
| and shows that 1t was in the great
heart of Washington to make education
national and free. This cherished hope
OF the FATHER of our Country. owing to
the disastrous failure of the Potomac
| Company was never realized. and the
grand Tea slumbered until God raised up
a statesman who could see and under
stand the needs of this mighty land as
IL developed in agriculture and the
rhechanic arts, but then engaged in civil
strife. us Washington had feared and
tried to prevent. In 1867 this statesman
inspired. | believe. of God, introduced in
Congress what is known the land
grant act which granted to the several
states public land for the endowment,
support and maintenance" of ut least one
college where the leading object shall be
without excluding other scientific and
classical studies and including military
| ttNtlCs. 10 leacn Sutn branches OF learn
ing as are related to agriculture and the
| mechanic arts in order to promote the
liberal and practical education of the in
| dustrial classes in the several pursuits
and professions of life. This act was
signed by the martyred Lincoln. but its
author. Justin S. Morrill, America :
Grand Old Man. has been spared TO us
and now lives to see about forty of these
institutions of learning established in
our land. where the flag floats on the
campus ground every day. inspiring love
of country in the breast of every student
and where the manual of arms is taught
fitting its graduates to be ready to spring
to arms for civil life to defend and uphold
the honor of our flag at the country
eau, until that glorious day shah come
| When swords shall be beaten into plough
shares. spears into pruning hooks, and
when nation shall not lift up sword
against nation. neither shall they learn
war any more. The land grant act pro-
Vldcd that any state which may take
and claim the benefit of the provisions
or this act shall provide within five years
at least not less than one college as
described in the fourth section of this act .
or the grant to such state shall cease.
The act while providing national aid
with far-seeing craftsmanship, requires
| the cooperation of the state. Its ISitri-
otto purpose and design being to unite
in mutual interest the federal and the
state government in institutions OF
learning, founded on the great agricul-
| tural and mechanical resources of the
country. Our fathers thought it would
be wise for Maine to receive the bene-
hts OF this act of the general govern
ment upon the conditions imposed. and in
| 1860 the State College of Agriculture ANA
| Mechanic Arts was founded. When
they did this they pledged the support OF
| the State for all time unless the receipts
from the sale of land scrip should b~ sur
| ncient. In some of the states these col
, lcSeS are richly endowed from this
source. but ours is not. find, however,
| from Il careful examination of Il report
nl:dc wears by 'Gmmit n no,
| Legislature in relation to the sale of the
| land scrip that we Jared much better
than those in some of the other states.
| Name has not paid as much for tho sup
| port Of her State college rs have several
| Ora he other states for theirs. but We
never hear anything about that. Thel
nave got more sense than we have and
| Keep such matters to themselves 1t is
| an old saving that its Il foul bird that
VIII soil it's own nest" and that is just
| what We have been doing with our STATE,
| college tell You. gentlemen. il is a
| burning shame Gf the gentleman from
| Skowhegan will allow mo to use that
| %oro. IT'S burning shame the way
| TINS grand. successful institution has
| been banded about in the public press.
| Your committee. composed of members
| from sections of the State remote from
the college and naturally the least inter
| eStcd, were unanimous in the belief that
| Tor the honor of our State an appropril-
| ZION must be made for "A series of years.,
and this college taken out of politics.
| cases. One 10th mill WAS appropriated
for ten years for the State militia. and
last week this length of contract was
| made for water for the State prison
| The amount fixed upon is 18th mill
ana at the present valuation will yield
| $2i.WU annually in round numbers and
| Is less than the college really needs. This;
| arrangement is the work of the commit
| tee. for as have said We were united in
| the determination to report and support
an appropriation for ten years. ! con-
| Tess l knew but little about the needs of
| this college until ! was placed where it
| was my duty to look into the matter and
| examine it carefully. which both with
| the committee and individually have
| done most thoroughly. | know the in
| Stitution with the inadequate buildings
| that must soon be rebuilt. the expensive
| improvements required for it's work. with
ITS patronage more than doubled in the
| last few years and the sure increase that
| is to come. will need this amount Your
| committee have against the Judgment of
| the MANAGEMENT. recommended Il tut
! ton of $50 for non-residents of the State
| but we do not recommend a fee for tut
| ton for the boys and girls in Maine
| We have no right to fix the fee for tut
| ton for private colleges. but for the
State college We have. Section Il of the
| act of 1865. establishing the college pro-
| vides that mo charge shall be made for
| tuition to any student who is an inhab-
itan of this State Education free of
| charge for tuition was the idea of the
| founders of this institution .,r1 II ,,-..,