Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1899-06-27
AGRICULTURAL coLLEoG.

seSston OF too ILLINOIS ieGistatore over %
Expenditure Of the funds appropriated b
Icopgress under what Are known % th
morrill, Acsa which resalted In tho pai
sAge Of bill taking one-half such fund
from the university where they had bee
| perverted to other usea than intended b.
congress, and placing them for the az
OF instruction In agriculture, where the
rightly belonged. It vas . bitter con
test, and the president and trusteee o
the university are reported - usini
every means at their command to pre-
vent the passage Of such bill.
The Breeders Gazette says: "Illlnol
Il not the only state which has perverted
the Morrill, fund 70 such degree ~ II
call for Legislative correction" and pre-
dicts that the action Of the Illinois legis
lature Il not the last that will be taker
Ia this direction. II sums up the situa
ton as follows:
"There are other dereliets yet 10 bt
brought to Judgment. When New Hamp
shire received the land grant OF 1864 sh,
gave II to Dartmouth College ss the lead
ing Institution Of that common wealth
But Dartmouth saw flt TO use this FUND
w huNnUCC DaTtuIOQtu T8ttiCt ttAou ANUW
Hampshire agriculture, and In goodly
time the legislature gathered up whAl
there WAS Of the agricultural college and
moved II over to Durhsm, where II
stands to-day, a new and separate insti'
tuition. Rhode Island gave the land grant
TO its only educational institution OF In
portxnce, Brown University, and becauss
agriculture L. but . shadow Ia Rhode
Island the managers OF thsf institution
concluded that they could spend the 10.
come a. best pleased them, and sgricult-
ursi Instruction vas but fiction nj
Brown. while there are only handful
Of farmers Ia Rhode Island, they were
powerful enough to take away both land
grants from Brown University, and now
have their own agricultural college ai
kingstop.
"The farmers Of New England are no,
very numerous, perhAps, from q western
standpoint, but when their interests are
abused they can 6eht for their rights ~
well and successfully a. their ancestors.
Yale University knows this TO her sor-
row, for the farmers OF Connecticut
wrested the agricultural college funds
from Yale, and placed them with little
school on the hills Of Tolland County,
where flourlshing agricultural college
now thrives. Yale and Brown fought
the farmers In these movements at every
step, and only yielded when the DEGREES
Of the highest courts were against them.
Thus three New England states have
taken away the grants made by the gov
erument for agriculture from iostitutious {
with which they were originally placed
and founded sepsrste Institutions. Nor
have separations occurred only In New
England. South Cxrolins, Mississippi aud
Kentucky have esch separated its sgri-
cultural college from the state uuiver-
sity. In every case the cause OF the d.
vorce was the fact that agriculture was
not fairly treated by these universities
and separation Was considered the best
and shortest way out Of the unending
difficulties.
president Draper and bis trustees
may congratulate themselves, then, that
the Illinois legislature compelled them
to relinQuish only halt Of the agricultural
college funds, instead OF all Ne six other
state legislatures have forced state uni-
versities 10 do. A wise university msn-
agement win acknowledge the chsstise-
ment and arrange that hereafter the de-
sire Of the people be recognized and car
ried ou; in spirit as well as In letter.
There are several other stStes In the
Union where the recipients OF the grants
for agricultural educstion are woefully
abusing the trust. The action Of the
Illinois lawmakers, supplementiug that
Of half dozen other states, may or may
not awaken the managers to realize
tion Of the dangers under the present
system and lead them 10 conclude that
after all Il IL not wise 70 run contrary 10
the act of congress or the will Of the peo-
pie In the management OF these great
trusts placed in their keeping. The
Gazette is willing to 90 on record n pre-
that more legislatures will be
heard from in the near future II there Is
not mighty change In the treatment Of
agricultural departments OF certain
western and southern Institutions receiv-
ing the government grants for the ad-
vsncement Of agriculture" and
Farmer.