Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-02-18

ttoenital. all OF whom appeared In opposi'
,,on 70 the recommendation of the spe-
c,al Joint committee on the expenditures
of public institutions.
After session of three hours the BODY
went into executive session. and decided
not 10 report as TO any OF the institutions
until All OF them affected by the recon-
mendations have been heard from. Chair-
man Cooke called the committee to order
a few minutes after O'Clock. Mr.. WITH
row. Of the special joint committee, was
present.
NEEDS OF THE V. NJ. /.
Colonel Poague. treasurer Of the Viz
ginia Military Institute. first addressed
the committee. He said he believed the
authorities recognized the Importance OF
economy I'm the administration of the al
fairs OF the State, and were willing to
share any burdens that might be made
necessary by the condition of the Com
monwealth The institution, he thought,
. would be willing 10 accept what the com
mittee had suggested but for one thing,
they needed new heating apparatus
The authorities hoped TO be able TO do
that this year. and would be satisfied II
the Legislature would give them 5000 for
this purpose. The property was a valu-
able one to the State. If the institution
was limited TO the appropriation, as pro-
posed by the committee, additional neat
ing apparatus could not be put In. The
outlook for the Virginia Military 1nsti-
tute was better than it ever was, and he
believed that 1t would not be a great
many years before II would be able TO get
on without any appropriation. Though
he was not young man. yet he hoped TO
live to see the day when this happy re-
suit would be reached.
Chairman Cooke asked Colonel Poague
whether or not the adjunct professor did
not perform the duties of Professor
Brooke more than the latter did himself.
Colonel Poague replied that he could not
answer that question, as he did not know.
AS TO STATE STUDENTS.
Mr.. Withrow asked Colonel Poague II
the fifty State students only received
what would amount TO $4,000 for their
tuition, etc. which was the case, what
benefit did the State receive for the other
$20.OOO2 Colonel Poague replied that ne had
thought il was the policy of the state
to foster education. Mr.. WithrOw asked
if the state cadets were not required
under agreement to teach a certain
length Of time or else forfeit bond they
were compelled to give. The Colonel re-
piled that such was the case. Mr.. With
row then asked him if he ever knew Of a
cadet teaching after he graduated from
the institution. Colonel Poague said he
had. Mr. Cooke asked him why those who
had not taught had not been compelled
TO pay the bonds, and the Colonel replied
that some of them had done so. The i'm
left on the committee however.
was that very few OF these cadets had
been required to carry out the letter OF
the law.
WILLIAM AND MARY'S PRESIDENT.
Mr.. Lyon G. Tyler. president OF the
William and Mary College. was next pre-
sented 10 the committee. He reviewed the
early history of the institution Ihe
President then submitted pamphlet. pre-
pared by him. in reply TO the report OF
The committee. recommending the sale OF
the property. and the reduction OF % per
cent. in the appropriation.
REPLIES TO THE COMMITTEE.
The paper submitted by Mr. Tyler is
quite a long one. Referring to the re-
of the special committee
that the appropriation TO William and
Mary. be reduced from $4,000 to $500
and the sale of the property, Mr.. Tyler
says:
Subsequently in both houses members
Of the committee moved to strike out so
much as set up a title for the State in
the college property. l am left to sup
pose that, had the State a title TO the
the recommendation to sell
woulG still be deemed advisable by them.
/ am at loss to know what the com
mttee has found cut regarding the man.
agement Of the college. but be that man
agement ever so bad, it furnishes 10
reason for the destruction Of the college
itself. hope there is enough patriotism
left in the Board of Visitors, the presl-
dent. and faculty Immediately to get cut
of the ws- If upon a proper investiga-
ton they are found so inefficient as no
longer to be safely intrusted with the
welfare of the institution. In 1892 there |
were many adverse criticisms upon the
Virginia Polytechnic Institute unoer its
old name of the Virginia Agricultural |
and Mechanical College. Its attendance |
had sunk TO the number Of l16, but the |
Legislature then did not think of abol-
ishng il. They stood by it, and the joint |
committee itself has justified that conf |
dence by expressing an eulogy upon its |
present management, and recommending |
a continuance of its full appropriation.
WOULD BE VANDALISM.
Had the state title TO the property OF |
William and Mary College, to sell it with |
all its memories OF two hundred years. |
the Alma Mater of Thomas Jefferson, OF |
John Marshall, of James Monroe, of Win |
field Scott, of Edmund Randolph, and OF |
Peyton Randolph FIRST President of the |
Congress, whose remains, to- |
gether with those of Lord BOtetourt the |
best beloved of the Colonial Governors,
and many other men illustrious in his |
tory, lie entombed in its ancient chapel, |
would be, in the opinion of many, an act |
Of vandalism without parallel i'm modern /
times. The mere proposition of the com |
mittee to do this could only find it's paral- |
lei in suggestion 10 sell the sacred man |
sion of Mt. Vernon and the tomb of the |
great Washington, whose last public Office !
was that OF Chancellor of William and |
Mary COlegel But the report Of the COM
mittee is based, as il says, upon the re-
port made to them. This must mean my |
report. as am the only person, so far as
know, that made a public report re-
sardng the institution to the committee.
Under this report the committee say
that they are unable to see that the
work done at the institution justifes any
at ALL No objection is
taken TO the expenditures. nor could there
we'll be, for the pay OF the professors and
The expenses of the Board of Visitors
were shown TO be, by my report. less
than the expenses Of any other institu-
ion In the State--t0e pay OF the pro-
lessons only $500, without house rent or
my other perquisites. and the expense of
he Board of Visitors $l9l.97 on the ave-
age for two years.