Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1898-11-26
CORRESPONDENTS.
History ofthe Normal School Act.

History ofthe Normal School Act
BARTON, MD, Nov. 81 1893.
To the MINING JOURNAL.
| heartily and fully endorse all YOU
say regarding the obligations which
the citizens of Frostburg are under to
Hon. Ashley M. Gould for the friendly
disposition shown by him as chairman
of the Ways and Means committee in
permitting the A liegany delegation the
unprecedented privilege of attaching
an amendment to the General Appro-
prlatlon bill, by which your town Sc
cured the site for the Normal School.
| will also go as far as James +.
Ratigan in according Thomas F. Nc
Cardell his full need of praise as the
originator Of the Normal School
amendment. for which thanked him
personally. | have told the editor of
the MINING JOURNAL and the other
earnest, hard working committeeman
of Frostburg's most progressive ci;i-
zens, Of the obligations We were all
under to McCardell.
But it would take columns Of your
valuable paper to give due credit to
the many friends of the measure and
enumerate their services in Wrestling Il
victory from the influential Cumber-
land clique which had before that
time been SO universally successful in
their efforts to benefit themselves and
their city at the expense of others.
For the clique to be opposed and
thwarted by the generous, easy-golng
citizens of the Creek was presumption
unheard-of, not to be tolerated. And
all those engaged in that struggle
know that it was not victory easily
won.
But my object in writing this article
is to correct wrong impressions, unin-
tentlonally conveyed in Mr.. Ratigan's
letter, In doing Mr.. Gould injustice by
saying that I'VE were not aware that
Mr.. Gould had interested himself to
any extent whatsoever in behalf of the
measure after it had passed from his
jurisdiction in the hands of the Ways
and Means committee" Mr.. Gould
not only urged the passage Of the bill
through his committee, but. accord
ing to peasonal understanding which
| had with him. he was willing to take
the floor and advocate its passage
through the House. Mr.. Ratigan may
justly praise Mr.. McCardell, but he
should not do so by detracting from
the merltOrlouS services of Mr.. Gould.
Here is where Ratigan's lack of in
formation carries him into error. He
says:
The whole scheme, repeat, was dead
when Capt. McCardell breathed new life into
it with au amendment that was his concep-
ton alone
That the measure was dead is not
true. Uad the amendment neeer been
M0ught Of, neoer introduced and passed. tile
Normal iScho0L ,could still haze been l0cuted
M.fr0Stbmy, and that. too, with less eX-
pense and trouble than the amend
I ment entalled.
The real facts are that the original
bill had been Introduced, passed its
first and second readings, and on the
third reading file, when, on account of
| numerous other bills and the nearing
of the end ofthe session, grave doubts
were entertained whether the original
bill could be reached. In this emer-
gency Mr.. McCardell offered the dele
cation the amendment, and it was
accepted and successfully pushed
through. But, contrary to our pre-
sentiments. the original bill came up
and met with opposition on account of
the amendment having already been
passed. On my explanation to the
House that the original bill carried
more specific details and was prefer
able on this account to the amend
ment, and that Senator Dick had
promised me that he would either
withdraw the amendment in the Sen
ate or strike out the appropriation in
the bill so that it would not be carried
in both, the original Frostburg bill
passed the House without opposition.
This original bill reached the hands
of Senator Dick in the Senate, where
he, by earnest labor, had secured
enough votes to have it passed,
and it would have so passed had
not the amendment been passed
previously, leading some of the Sena-
tors to fear that on technical grounds
complications might arise which would
prevent both measures from becoming
laws. Senator Dick then consulted
with the Allegany delegation and
several lawyers as to the validity of
the amendment, and, ascertaining that
IL NouIu answer the purpose OF tne
original bill, the latter was permitted
to be defeated.
The multiplicity of the private af-
fairs and the everyday vocation of
the citizens of Frostburg have thus
far apparently prevented them from
realizing the great moral, practical
and financial benefit the Normal
School will be to them. Otherwise,
some public testimonial would ere
this have been extended to the COM
mittee Of their own citizens whose
labors made the Normal School pos
sibility. JAMES CAMPBELL.