The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-06-02

WI III CdA OllHd 4U,UU0 900
The total income Of above universities.
except ours, is on an average 2 to
time the above State appropriations while
the annual income of the University of
| Pennsylvania is 81, ,490,0 ,00O
The plain truth is that our State should
take larger conception of its duty to its
institutions of learning We need to build
on larger lines, to push out and make our
selves part of the greater life which
is building up the States north Of rs
There should easily be 5000 students here
with It's century and decade of faithful
| service to speak for US, when Wisconsin
gives ITS university $500 students and
Michigan University has 1900 and Min
nesota University S,700 each OF which
States have about our population and
Calltornias University has 9.O57 students
with much less population and notwith-
standing competition of Leland Stanford
University with its $40, 100000 endowment
Not one Of these four state universities
can count half the years of ours, vet they
average over 1850 students and we think
that we arc fortunate to have GOO. not
much more than one-sixth as many.
1t Is true that while these States have
about our population, they are vastly
richer, but they are wealthier precisely
because they have taken care to educate
their people.
There are, believe. twenty-one sep |
arate and independent colleges at OK /
ford, in England. These are organized
into to the University of oxford which
eonfers the university degrees upon ex- /
animation of the graduates of each col /
lege. On the banks of the Cam. SIM. I
lar union of sixteen colleges composes the
University Of Cambridge These univer-
sites have thus existed for centuries bur
from the limitations upon intercourse in
former times, the colleges of each uni
yerslty were necessarily in the same town
Georgia, however, availing herself of the
annhilaticn of space by the telephone. the
telegraph, the steam and electric car has
united its six higher State institutions
of learning, situated in different towns
INTO the University of Georgia. Thus the
day will and must come when the insfi
tuition here, the great college at Greens
boro and the other State college at Raj
eigh with their many thousands of stu
dents will be organized into the greater
University OF North Carolina Connected
by telephone, the management can be
carried on with the greatest case and
much economy and the comforting of de-
grees can be made here or at each of the
three points in succession. This PROPOSE
tlon would meet with great opposition if :
made now, but the idea i'll grow and i
with time viii come to pass.
The increased numbers / have spoken
o. VIII in no wise affect the denomina-
tlonal colleges. There is raw material
enough in our State for al the colleges
In addition to all whom the State insti-
lutlons can educate. Such colleges have
had their numbers increased, not dimin- :
shed, with the growth of the State Uni
verslties, in the States / have mentioned J
Why have we not made such appro-
prlatlons? The truth ought to be told,
md plainly too. 1t has been the in
sufficient revenues of our State which I
~ defective system of taxation have 2
3een derived in the past almost entirely t
rom private property other States have I
lad the same trouble to face though not S
o the same extent as we. In New York. Il
he highest court has Just held, at the q
nd of long and fierce litigation, that the s
NV taxing railroad franchises. the in s.
angible but most valuable property Of K
ech corporations, is constitutional and
must be enforced. The same fight has
Ways been won for the people wherever
ubhe servants have stood squarely by
heir duty. In no State however, has the
Exemption of this and similar property r
cen carried to greater extent than here or
nth a corresponding cramping of every IN
enerous enterprise beyond the barest ca
eeds of government. In 1890 the rail II
Dad property in this State was returned
0 the Census Bureau at $3.50, ,000, GOO and -
! the same year it was listed for taxa 10
on at $12,000O00 or about one-thirteenth
$ much. Since then several hundred i,
liles have been added and the increased u
rofts have been greatly increased. BY
leir own returns the net profits of rail
pads in North Carolina last year show
4 per cent basis, s157, 100000 of mar
ct value, en- which they arc taxed less
IAN $42000,00O, leaving s115,000,O00 of
alues untaxed The Legislature of 1901 oa
-dered as / think, this immense ex- leI
nption withdrawn and taxation thereon va