The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1904-09-16

SAAcu " 6SA-pSfpeluatiug BOARD OF
thirty trustees, of which the State has
only four ex-ofieio members, and
while the officials and trustees appear
to be amply able to take care of them
selves, still. as this is a semipublic
Institution. and the attack is so I'M
just and the misstatement Of facts so
gross and inexeusable, feel that it
is due the public to know the truth
Mr.. Llttleton says the national gov
eminent has given to this university to
establish and maintain an agricultural
and mechanical college $500 600
The treasurer, himself a distin.
guished Republican, says II has re-
ceived from the national government.
through the Morren fund and the
Hatch fund 1852, 500. The gentleman's
statement appears TO be in round num-
bers just 81 900, geo from the truth. He
sayseit receives annually from the ma
tional government 100000. The treas
urer says 1t only receives $4,000. He
says in addition to this sum the State
of Tennessee has regularly and often
Ianrropriated out Of our own State
treasury thousands of dollars for the
use and benefit Of this school,
The fact is, the State Of Tennessee
had never given one dollar out Of is
treasury for this school until the last
session of the legislature, and 1t then
gave $4,000 to buy moro land for ag-
ricultural and experiment station pur-
poses. He says that the trustees sold
the farm the federal government
bought for them. Tho treasurer says
the federal government never bought
or gave foot of land to the college,
but that as a condition on which the
fund was given, the university had to
furnish a farm, and that the land sold
was outlying ridge land, unfit for ag-
ricultural purposes. which was owned
by the college before it received gov
eminent aid, and the proceeds were ap.
piled TO building Science Hall, where
engineering and the mechanical arts
could be taught.
He says the money appropriated by
the national government has been and
is being diverted from the purpose pro
vided by the act Of congress. The
tree urer says not one dollar has been
So diverted, and that reports of how
the money is expended are sent annu-
ally to the secretary of agriculture at
Washington and by him passed upon
end approved. He is distinguished
Republican official.
My competitor says the experiment
| station is mere pretense and a fraud.
Mr.. Wilson. the Republican secretary
of agriculture, says it is one Of the best
equipped and best conducted stations
in the country, and that 1t is doing
a great work for agriculture and tho
farming interests of Tennessee and
the South. And there are thousands
OF progressive farmers over Tennos-
see who have received its bulletins
and reports and its aid and sugges-
lions who are ready to give like tos-
timony.
But for fear you may think ! do the I
gentleman an injustice. listen to what !
the Knoxville Journal and Tribune,
the only Republican daily paper in
Tennessee, and a supporter of Mr.. Lit
Teton says:
Where Mr.. Littleton got his In
formation. we are not prepared to say.
but his statements concerning the Uni
versity Of Tennessee are as erroneous
as they well could be. We regret that
Mr.. Littleton did not seek information
where accurate information could be
had before making statements that
are so directly in conflict with the
facts"
Did Mr. Littleton know the facts
about this institution when he made
his speech ? To say that he did not
would be to reflect upon his intell-
gence, and this would not do. Then.
what was the motive that made him
ignore facts, that he might strike Mt
this great institution Of learning?
Every officer in the board of trustees
is distinguished Republican who
has dared to think for himself and
who has resented the dominating boss
lem Of Mr. Littleten's SPONSOR the
Hon. Boss Brownlow.
Judge 0. p. Temple is chairman Of
the board; the Hon. William Rule. edi-
tor of the Knoxville Journal, Is secre-
tary; the Hon. James MAYNARD. the
son Of the distinguished Republican, Il
the Hon. Horace Maynard, is treasur.
er, and the Hon. b. T. Sanford, who
lad the audacity to run against Mr..
Littleton for the nomination before
Brownlow's convention, Is chairman
of the finance board. If there has
been any misappropriation Of funds,
these are the men who are RESPONSE
ble for IL. WIZ did Mr.. Littleton at-
tack them through the university? |
Was he ordered to do so by his "bosr,"
or was 1t because Sanford dared to op
pose his nomination on the grounds
that he did? I leave him to answer as
to these gentlemen, but as to the uni
yersity. protest that any candidate OF
any party who will, for some fancied !
partisan advantage to himself. run
down, decry and misrepresent one of
the great institutions OF the State. i
which offers such advantages and is I
doing 50 much for the ambitious boys
ond the agricultural interests Of the
State, does not deserve the confidence /
end support Of fair, honest and pa.
triotic men Of any party. II