La Junta tribune. (La Junta, Bent County, Colo.) 1881-1939, 1906-06-30

/ Editor TRIBUNE: | read your ar
ticle in last Wednesdays issue of
the TRIBUNE on the proposed college
for La Junta and thought you did
not say enough about our location
If La Junta gets that college it will
not be because of our raising a
/ S2o, ,0sU bonus. the amount asked for,
as other places will do the same.
but rather because of our favorable
I location.
A college is not like other kinds of
business. 1t cannot stand eompeti-
ton except in large cities IL must
have large open field without en-
tering the territory of any other
college. Now. look al our situation.
There is no college west of us until
We reach Colorado Springs. none
east of us until We reach Topeka.
Kan, and none north or south of us
for indefinite distances. This would
make large field from which col
lege could draw patronage and get
support, and that. too, without op-
position or competition from any
other college. a college is almost
sure TO get large sums of money if
it is located in the right place, and
none know this better than the men
who are back of this movement. Our
location Is our most important as
set.
A case in point: spent six years
at the Northwestern University
thirty-hve years ago. 1t is located
at Evanston. ILL.,. a suburb of Chica-
go. and is under the patronage of
the NJ +. church. When entered
the college it had only four profes-
sors, less than one hundred students,
and property not to exceed so, 900
in value. received catalogue
from this university last week. and
by actual count it has ll9 professors,
eighty instructors. eighty tutors.
fifteen special lecturers. $500 stu
dents in the degree comforting de-
partments. and 4.OOO students alto
gether. Its property is valued at
81, 900. $50.
Evanston. named after Governor
Evans. of Colorado. one of the uni
versity founders. had at the time |
was there about l.0OO people. II
now has a population of 10000. and
this university is its only attraction
or asset All this has taken place in
thirty-five years.
/ A college located in La Junta
might not have such growth, and
! yet, who knows? This is "A new
country. A college is like century
plant. it grows for hundred years
or more. The Presbyterian church
of Colorado is back of this college,
and this church don't do things in a
small way. IL is one of the large
churches of this country and repre-
sents great wealth and learning.
La Junta is near the center of the
Arkansas Valley and this valley is
now undergoing a more rapid devel-
opment than any part of the state,
and is attracting much attention
from abroad. Ii is estimated that
there are 10000, 900 acres Of farm
land in Eastern Colorado that have
never been touched with the plow.
and If the Campbell system of dry
farming should prove successful. as
now seems probable. or only parti-
ally successful. most of this land will
be under some kind of cultivation in
less than twenty years.
believe the people of La Junta
would make grievous mistake if
they did not raise the $50 900, for
feel sure we will get this college if
we raise this money. 1t would do
more for the growth of La Junta
than the railroad shops and all other
enterprises combined. II would
more than quadruple the value Of
every piece Of property in La Junta.
II might not do it in a year or two,
but it would do it in time.
NJ. FINITY.