The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-11-29
AN OBJECT LESSON FOR THE TRUs-
TEES.

/ AN ObI LllSSON FUR
TEES.
The trip of the trustees of the State
University as the guests of Mr.. George
Foster Peabody to the University of
Wisconsin was an educational one.
And there is no doubt that Mr. Pea
body. who is deeply interested in the
State University, intended it to be.
The trustees were given an object les
son as to what the State University
should be in order to be of the great
est possible benefit to Georgia.
The University of Wisconsin is a
very large institution. 1t teaches the
people how to get the best results from
the resources of their state. Wiscon-
sin is largely an agricultural state,
and, hence. the chief object of the
university is to show the people how
to make two bushels of wheat grow
where only one grew before. 1t is do
ing that quite successfully, since the
average yield of wheat is ten BUSH
els per acre more than it was when
the university began it's work. We
do not mean, of course, that the in
vestigations and experiments are con-
fined to wheat. They extend to every
thing that is produced in the state. and
especially to dairy products and live
stock.
The people, particularly the farmers,
see what the university is doing for
them, and, hence, they vote money
freely for its support. They under
stand the university is doing a great
deal more for them than they are do
ing for it.
Georgia is largely. an agricultural
state, and there is no doubt that il
she had such an institution as Wiscon-
sin has, the output of her fields would
quickly be doubled. Her old red hills
and sandy low lands would be made to
bring forth double the amount of cot
ton, corn and cane they now yield,
and she would produce more than
enough meat, poultry and fruits of
the kind to which she now gives but
little attention, to supply her own
wants.
The trustees, Mr.. Peabody's guests,
are enthusiastic over their trip. They
now realize, to a greater extent
than ever before, the agricultural pos
sibilities of their state, and they are
prepared to set about at once Great
ing a public sentiment that will in
fiuence the Legislature to deal more
literally with the State University.
But where is the money to come from
with which to enlarge the appropria-
tions for the State University? We
have no doubt that the. people would
gladly submit to an increase of taxa
ton for the enlargement of the uni
versity's field of usefulness along the
lines adopted by the Wisconsin Univer-
sity, but they are prevented from do
ing so by the constitutional amend
ment that was adopted at the last state
election. That amendment limits the
rate of taxation to five mills, and it
will be some years before the wealth
Of the state increases to such an ex-
tent that there will be surplus of
revenue with which to be more liberal
to the State University. There are
other institutions that are crying out
all the time for larger appropriations.
There is no doubt that double the APP
preparation to the State University, if
it were applied to the promotion. of
agriculture, would be splendid in
vestment.
1t may be that for the next few years
the state can increase the appropria-
ton few thousand dollars annually,
and as she grows richer increase it
many thousands of dollars. 1t is re-
grettable that she hasn't the means of
increasing it greatly at it's next ses-
sion.