Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-03-17

YOU that the State Of Maine Is doing q
good deal, just as much as any o. ~.
state In the union iniuentialiy, ior .ni.
college. He would have you peIiese ." III,
down there in South Carolina, IA iac, a.
through the South. these COLLEGES a..
simply preparatory schoo's
schools, kindergartens.
The West Is a great county, ~ a., aJ,,.
stepping us with gigantic striues i y,
cation. 1t Ia a Islander upon the ihsIitu-
tons of these states to say ina, .,ies 10
not compare with the colleges oi NV
England. While the Valuation III nia' H.
per capita is $4679l that OF iIi,no on, 20
only $2i6.55, less than one-half. ana WneIe
Maine has 10 students In college, iiiinois
hsa 2l9. more than twice as many. w i,eh =.
look upon the list and see - s'htos -,
the union. every one OF wnicn ~ ppoie.
than Maine. and all except seVe =, a nJ,ms
more for education than Maine IS ooihg
| think there is something WRONG. ). ~
time we were waking up to the edoca-
uonal conditions Of our state: ~ M, NY
opinion. 1--we do not want any tuition. .nsre
should he one place In the State OF Maine
where the poor mans son can complete
his education. Place tuition there ana
he will stay away. Before, Wneh tui,ioh
was placed upon the institution: there
was a falling Off In attendance OF % per
cent.
DO not draw the line between the boys.
The young American does not want TO
be beholden to anybody. or considered
an object Of charity. IN i t3 ma scnoo D.
feel that he Is on an equal footing with
any other person. 1t Is asked why we
give them $25.000 when they got along
with $4,000 two years ago. me STATE
college Is different from any other col
leee In the State of Maine, as 1t requires
more professors on account OF the differ
ent classes. In classical college one
professor can handle 30 or III students IN
IA class, but I'm the mechanic arts and
courses of engineering one professor
must handle but a very small number or
students. Again, the cost or mechanical
appliances and the laboratory expenses
are large. and additional students mean
additional expense. In 1895 we had 203
students. Now we have SIS. The aver
age income to the college from the state
is SS6.96. Give us the $4,000 that we ask
for and we have an average OF SIl.4J, or
an actual decrease of Is per cent. and
the appropriation of $50 900 two years ago
was not enough. With anything less
than the SIS eco asked the college must
close its doors against many OF the APP
plicants that come there In the future, II
not to turn away some that are there al
ready. The senator from Androscoggin
puts in an amendment that he does not
want 1t for 10 years. We pass resolves In
favor of our academies every session.
and, in fact, the State militia receives
one-tenth of mill. about s$s.WJ run
ming forever unless this Legislature calls
q halt. Why should we not give this for
partment, they have their military drills
az good United States officer as can be
found for that purpose they study the
military tactics, and in the future, lf any
trouble should arise. they would be the
ones to lead in battling for the old flag.
They are doing as much for the State %
Maine as the State militia.
know | can judge what my constitu-
ents want. They say: DO not cut chat
appropriation below s25 90, Do not send
those poor boys home that | know must
go home and be prevented from attend
ing that institution anything less than
$50 600. That father and mother. SUR
rounded by poverty. rs they look into the
cradle, do II with the same hope and am
bition. with the same expectation for the
future. AS 40 the proudrst and the
Wealth!ast in the lard. Let us say that
the state of Maine Is great. strong and
wealthy enough TO give to every boy
within her borders an opportunity 10
complete his education side by side with
the rich mans SON without any gr5u and
of distinction.
MIR. Stearns of Aroostook. express the
hope that the amendments VIII not pre-
vail, but that the bill as passed by the
House by almost u two-thirds vote will
receive our concurrence and become II
law. 1t seems to me that the necessity
of aid TO this institution is proven con-
clusiVely by the reports OF the officers and
the fact that there has been a constant
increase of students I'm the institution
Without our appropriation there is no i'm
mediate prospect of such aid being given
to this institution as will enable il to
carry out its scheme. There are other
obligations upon the State than arose by
the acceptance of the terms OF the grant
from the United States. There is found
an obligation in the compact that we are
living under, that the good OF the people
OF this commonw ealth should be sub
served. and can only be subselvod by- the
greatest dissemination of education that
the welfare and the happiness of the oeo-
pie of the State of Maine cannot he that
which we are entitled to enjoy until there
is placed within the reach OF the son or
daughter of the poorest man the oppor-
tunity to gain an education that will lit
them for the highest duties of life and
! cannot believe that we have discharged
sum of $4,000 10 this institution. and halt
and cut in down to s2o.0oo 1t seems to
me ii is not to be deplored because. the
tailor'S son who is educated at this insti-
goes out into the world where he is fac
toy in the progressive civilization of man
kind. He has chosen wisely. and we
ought not to deplore the fact II has
been argued that If an appropriation be
granted. it ought not to be of IL perma-
nent character, that there should be no
10 year term in the law, and it has been
said that the Executive has raised the
question that there are grave constituA
tional objections to this. With Difference
10 the Executive, | submit that II we
cannot grant a 10 years appropriation
here in this case. we have erred In pass
ing to be enacted certain resolves at this
very session. if we cannot pass this for
10 years. 1t seems to me passing strange
that the United States government has
undertaken to grant an anmity for per-
petuity. as it has, the annmity which we
are enjoying in the very case of the State
College. of course So, 600 a year. 1t is due
to DR.. Harris. upon whose shoulders rests
the burden of care. that he be allowed to
return to his work with the assurance
that that work shall not fail two years
or four years hence for lack of means to
carry it on. 1t is true that the charg-
ing of tuition would yield a revenue
and would relieve the people of the
state from some burden of taation, but
there is something in this proposition
that is hateful to me. because of the dis
elimination it makes between the stu
dents. The burden of poverty rests
heavily enough upon the son of the poor
man, as it is now. If tuition be charged
at all. its charge should be universal
Whatever aid is granted to this college
is in the line of preventing the occurrence
of instances where the worthy and ambi-
lions shall be denied that education which
Will give them the implements to engage
in the struggle among their fellows in
life. l hope the Senate will reject these
amendments. do an act of justice to the
institution that should be the pride of the
State of Maine, and give effect to those
the best impulses of humanity which
will so elevate the people by giving them
educational advantages of the highest or
der.