The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1899-11-21
THE SALE OF THE
UNIVERSITY LAND
From the Huntsville Mercury.

From the Huntsville Mercury.
If the sale of the university lands has not
been consummated 1t would be well for the
trustees to call meeting and revoke the
order of sale. The alleged sale may have
been made in perfect good faith, but the re-
cent trouble over the sale of the Montevallo
school lands will have tendency to shake
public confidence in such matters, and may
cause feelings of distrust toward men who
are sincerely and earnestly working for the
university.
The policy of selling the university lands
is wrong The trustees of that institution
have seen from the royalties on GAO acres
of land that sales are not to the best inter-
ests of the university, The royalties on the
$40 acre tract are about two-thirds as much
per acre for one year as the selling per
acre price of the proposed lot of AGO acres
In other words the royalty on the $40 acres
is about IS per acre per annum while it is
proposed that 400 acres shall be sold for
$3.50 per acre.
No necessity has been demonstrated for
the proposed sale. The act of congress
under which those lands were donated to
the university specifically states that the
money derived from such sales can only be
used for the purchase of apparatus, while
the income from royalties, leases and rent
ais may be used for general purposes. In
fine the university is literally endowed If
the lands are properly managed. 1T is
reasonable to presume that these lands will
increase in value, and it is equally rea-
sonable that interests will continue to grow
smaller on fixed investments, therefore the
folly of selling valuable lands to invest the
proceeds in per cent. bonds.
From the Bessemer Weekly.
Sickenang disclosures of the secret sale
of University lands by tine board of TRUST
ees AIT a called session of Which the call
failed to state the sale as an object OF the
meeting, are being made, showing a W.
tual swindIe and a glazing raid upon the
treasury of the University. This sale was
made against the protest of President Pow
ers of the University, and without the
knowledge of Treasurer Fits and in direct
opposition to the recommendations of the
former and in defiance off the report of tho
latter showing an infinitely more adVant-
ageous disposition of the lands in the in
terest of the University.
The action of the trustees IN the brazen
violation of their sacred trust is incred-
fbie What is Alabama coming to If it toll
crates upon the pant of its leading citizens
such s1arlng abuse fer selfish ends of the
powers entrusted to them?
THE statement of Treasurer Fits shows
tLsat the University is already deriving from
royalties on a small portion of the lands
now leased included in those sold much
greater annual revenue than the University
can ever derive from the total sum for
which all the lands we're sold, and that
i. was only matter of ordinary mango
nent to increase that revenue three and
Ieur-tfold.
Will the people of Alabama tolerate such
gross npismangement and sacrifice of her
most sacred interests? Would the people of
any American state tolerate 1t?
We fervently hope that ehe matter viii be
probed to the bottom, and Immediate steps
be taken to prevent the contamination of
ills utterly inexcusa5le and outrageous
sale.
A very regrettable feature cropping out
of these disclosures lis that our governor
seems to be a party TO the safe-theut ne
prevented the lease OF a portion of the
lands with definite guarantee of not less
than $3.50 a month and the reasonably GER
tain prospect of a largely Increased annual
income in the future. Why should the gov
ernor of Alabama, having all the Interests
of the state at heart and practically in his
keeping, sacrifice the interests of our SKATE
University, Hhe most sacred OFF trusts, or
permit 1T to be done?
1t is question that we believe the people
will require answered.
From the Pratt City Herald.
Another school land deal has come to
light in the last few days. This time it
is in connection with the lands belonging
to the State university. 1t is stated that
4,4OO acres of these lands have recently
been sold by somebody at $3.50 per acre to
the Sloss-Sheffeld company. They are said
to be valuable minera. lands that would
yield large returns if leased ON a royalty
as certain of the lands of the school are
already leased. 1t is stated that $40 acres
of these lands have yielded in four years
over $4,000 INCOME. and that this ratio can
be maintained for twenty years to come.
In the presidents annual report attention
was called to this fact, and 1t was conse-
quently stated that the lands of the uni
versity were Withdrawn from sale on tho
market on President Powers recommended
tion.
From the Piedmont Inquirer.
The university land deal of our "Busf-
ness Admins tration" is occupying the at
tention of the state papers at this time.
DIPLOMATIC POET
From the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
stern DOet has Denned some r1yu1as
that show he is born diplomat. Here Is
a sample verse:
And the goldenrod dreops down it's head
In sullenness of despair;
For its splendor that famed is outshone
CHI