Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-03-03

est number OF people In the State have
the highest admiration for Of any in
stitutiOn that the State has ever Great
ed; and ask. and move you, sir, that,
when the vote be taken upon this sub
ject. it be taken by yea and nay vote.
Mr.. GARDNER of PenobscOt: Mr..
President: l wish to say not n word i'm
regard to amy Of the technical points
which may be under discussion, but /
wish to show what the university Is
doing and to speak with reference to
a suggestion which was made in re-
gard to the matter of tuition. l submit,
first, that there is but one University
of Maine. 1t is located in the central
part of the State, where it .iccOmmO-
dates our people more than any other
college i'm the State. 1t is the poor
mans college; and / say that the sug-
gestion that the tuition in this institu-
ton should be increased, is wrong, and
| will state briefly a few reasons why
it is wrong. This touches me in ten
der spot, and appeals directly to the in
terests of my constituents. l live in
farming and numbering section, where
the people are not wealthy. and they
hive not been there long, but many Of
the boys there, who otherwise would
be deprived Of a college education, do
go to the University of Maine; and
know that a great many boys who
leave my town to go there would be
unable to attend that institution if the
tuition were placed as the senator sug-
g.sted at the same sum as that charged
by other institutions. Many a boy in
my location could not go to BOwdOn.
could not go to Colby, for the reason
that he is located d long distance from
those institutions, and the matter Of
tuition would seriously affect him. I
speak Of the poor boys, the farmers
BOYS and those who are struggling to
educate themselves. and | think that
any suggestion that may be enter
tanned in connection with this matter,
that the tuition be increased is not
to be thought of for a moment; and I
am surprised that the senator sug-
gests that i'm order to pay for some
printing which is necessary for this
institution tllat we call upon those
poor boys to pay it. with all due re-
spect to the senator, and trust he Will
pardon an aiiusion. In our country we
have an expression which covers suS-
sestionS of this kind. l will repeat it.
Ii seems to me that to attack this in
stitution generally on this matter OF
printing is small potatoes. 1t is a
matter. as l understand it, of less than
$1,000; and the general trend of the
senator's remarks is an attack upon
the Institution and a criticism because
it comes in competition with the other
colleges. Let Ine repeat. This is poor
mans college. 1t is an institution for
the poor boy. for the farmers boy and
the boy from the frontier section. 1t is
located in the central part of the State
where it conNenes more nearly than
any other institution, that class of
boys l know i great many boys who
go there who can hardly afford to nave
decent clothes to wear. who are strug-
Cling along to get an education.
Many of these boys have gone from
this State and are a credit to the State.
Many are getting into occupations that
they never would dream of getting into
if it had not been for the University OF
Maine. I hope no suggestion will ever
be entertained by this Legislature TO
increase the tuition for those boys.
Mr.. STETSON Of Penobscot: Mr.
President: When this matter was
brought up for discussion. it was not
thought that moro than Is or 70 min
utes would be taken: and realize that
the Senators are interested in another
question which is to follow this one.
Not for moment, Mr. President, and
Brother Senator'S do l wish to assume
that the Honorable Senator from Cum
berland. who comes from the town of
Brunswick and from beneath the
shadows of the elmS CT BowdOin Col
.ege, Of which he is ar honored grad
uate. IS biased in the slightest degree
in his attempt to put rider on the
bill for an appropriation for the Uni
versity of Maine specializing and point
ing out that as one of the institutions
of the State. ami the Only one at the
present time that he attat ks. and ne
says they must pay their printing. The
laws of 1895. Chapter IS specifically |
states that OF the reports of the Maine
State College it shall have so many |
hundred annual copies: and. as the |
Senator himself has stated. in Chapter |
three of the Revised Statutes. it speci- |
fically states that the bulletin for the |
College. for the experimental station |
shall be paid for by the State. He at |
tempts to assume tha,. when these |
laws were passed. the members Of the |
Legislature had no knowledge that |
they were on the books. He attempts to !
assume that if appropriations were |
given the University of Maine. that the |
members on the committee, or the |
members of The Legislature. did not |
that the printing was done |
by the State. as ii was for other in |
stitutions ana other departments Of |
the state: and 7 say here that it is not |
fair-it is not right. nor is it just to |
one institution, where all |
should be taken and acted upon col |
He made here the broad as
sertion that the STATE of Maine had |
appropriate a large sum of money to-
ward the maintenance and development |
of this institution. which, as you all |
know IS doing a grand work for the |
poor boys of the State of Maine; but. |
fellow Senators, he did not tell you,
:nat the total appropriations from the