The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1897-02-14

erty or the capacity for government
This historic protest and proclamation
was prophetic OF the policy which Was
practically adopted BY the young repuDhc'
II was Incorporated in the first consutu-
ton OF independent Texas. and II was en-
acted into law as soon as the new gov
crrment was fairly established In It's sepa-
rate career. No considerations OF pupile
| or private poverty. financial distress or Oh
| fetal embarrassment were allowed 10 utter
fere with or suspend SO wise and useful a
| movement for the public good Under the
| administration OF the second president OF
the republic. In 1899. the first laws were
passed for laying the foundations oil a
\ system OF free public education by liberal
| donations OF public lands, and 1t is Sig
nifIcant fact that the attention OK those
| early statesmen was first directed towards
the higher branches OF intellectual culture.
| The practical wisdom of this method or
| inaugurating a system OF State education
| has not been sufficiently appreciated. as
| shall take occasion TO remark further ON.
BY the act of the Texas congress in 1883
| fifty leagues OF land were set apart as an
! endowment for State university, or, as
| they then contemplated, two universities.
/ When the site OF the new capitol was Sc
| lected at Austin In the same year, the forty
acres on which the main university build
! ings now stand were especially designated
and set apart for that purpose. The fifty
| leagues thus appropriated were located and
/ surveyed in various parts of the State, and
! the proceeds OF their sale constituted the
nucleus of the original permanent school
| fund of the university. In 1884 the state
| adopted the policy of encouraging the con-
struction of railroads by land donations
of sixteen sections per mile of road actual
! ~ built, and it was required that every al
ternate section of land surveyed by the
railroads should be appropriated to the
public free schools. When the question oil
! the State boundary and the public debt
were finally settled with the United States,
the sum of So, 900 in United States bonds
was set apart to the school fund The uni
versity received no part Of these extensive
land and money donations, but In 1855 an
act was passed appropriating 500 900 OF
United States bonds then in the treasury
to the university fund, and every tenth
section of lands donated to railroads under
the act OF 1854, and similar acts, was like
| wise appropriated TO the university. This
seemed TO promise most useful and ample
fund for it's early Inauguration and success
full maintenance hut the civil war COM
pletely overshadowed all such peaceful
prospects, none OF the lands thus donated
were ever surveyed and given to the inst-
tuition and in 1860 and 1851 the legislature
proceeded to take away the 500 600 of
b'hho anu dtNuiAiAldltu iuAtltots ny hpllO-
priatng the sum of 1874 .I6S.62 belonging 10
tho university fund to the protection Of the
frontier and the payment of the salaries
and per diem of its own members stpula.-
ing that the forced loan thus levied upon
trust fund should bear no interest
In 1866, by act of the Legislature, the act
OF 1898 donating the tenth sections of rail
road lands was repealed, which repudia-
tion of this extensive land endowment was
confirmed in the constitution OF 1876. The
money or bonds borrowed or taken from
the university In lS60-6l was refunded in
1883 by the legislature, but they only paid
back the sum OF Sl3i+72 g. being 1896 rs
less than tho original principal, and the
interest for twenty-five years, which at
per cent per annum would have aggregated
$1bi,aS3.el was not paid or offered to be
paid at ALL Thus the university lost the
sum of $l55, 0.21 at a time when It. was
most urgently needed
BY the constitution of 1876 and an act of
the legislature in 1883 two millions OF
acres of public domain were set aside TO
the university. but these lprds were located
on the extreme frontier, are comparatively
vnlueless for present purposes as com.
pared with the original landed endowment
which they were supposed to replace, and
no available return from them can be ex-
pected for many years.
Thus we sec that the endowment OF the
university has decreased in its real po-
tency for available needs, instead Of in
creasing as it should have done under the
plans Of its original founders.
The present available fund of the institu-
tlon, from all sources. annually is not
more than S4I,9l5.15. To this may be add
ed the matt iculatlon AM other fees from
the students OF its various departments
amounting annually to about $i500 making
the actual cash at the disposal OF the re-
do IRON,
the legislature might extend, the sum of
| SOL ,9l5.l5.
FOR the purpose of comparison and to
enforce several points which / think IL de-
sifahle 10 notice in this connection | beg
to submit the following figures showing
the relative liberalty of the State toward
the university and its other public insti-
| tuiions for series of recent years This
| IL NOT done to draw invidiouS distinctions
| as TO the comparative merits OF other pub-
| nc henefactions, but to demonstrate what /
shali endcavor to show-that more lib
erai policy toward the university would
| leally result in practical economy to the
S'ate, as tending to increase it's available
industrial resources ana to diminish the
! expense OF many OF the necessary penal and
| Vhailtable foundations now supported Mt
| public cost "
me great public interest in which all
| W. hvi"'e'lou is deeply and closely COn .
cerhed is the system Of public free schools
anu no one would wish to diminish lts re.
sources and endowment
mere statement Of the present magni
tude OF the common school fund and re-
sources attests the llberality OF Texas m.
ward this fundamental institution OF civil
| cation VI cNlh-
permanent school fund
Lana endowment. %. 900 900 acres unsoIs
S'ate' county and railroad
nonus ana cash .,.........S74 49 Ooo .,
| Available school fund
receipts from all sources for
ne year ending August 81.
Ihe Agricultural and mechanical collogo
,,nvchlically part OF the university has
IikeWlse been highly esteemed by tho nao
lle OF tho state and its functions ara
valuable adjunct to the practical trai,,,s
OF our young men. Originally aeriv,nr W.,
existence from a law of congress- 4, 10
. peen accepted and fostered by the stato "a as
texas with great munlfcence. lie ro W.
sources aside from Its tuition fees ana ia
rom the legislatures, are as follows, "' u'o
permanent endowment in bonds COMO mn
annual available income f-V''VVo