The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-12-08


become actively interested in the future
OF the Agricultural college. To he ex-
piiclt, as stated In an official utterance
OF your club, In your opinion 1T is not
for the best interests OF this State that
the Agricultural college be moved from
Logan. but that il should he further built
sentatlves from Weber county are TO be
requested ITO oppose any act that might
oeoPardize Its present location"
rms important result OF your meeting,
taken with the fact, as expressed I'm the
call OF your president, Mr.. Pingree. that
IT'S primary purpose was TO cement the
lations now existing between Weber and
Cache" In my opinion warrants me in
saying that this gathering over which
you had The honor TO preside was some
what notable one.
BY way OF apology for seeming TO thrust
myself into your public undertakings.
wish 10 say that | have myself taken
some interest in the Agricultural college.
L have tried in my own way TO appreci
ate Its great Importance; have thought
much of. the ways by which IL might be
made to accomplish irs great purpose. and
honor 10 the State. | recall that It was
from Prof. Kerr. now president OF that
institution, that I received by. first lesson
oh this subject, which has taken the at
tention OF your club. it was about thir-
teen years ago that ! learned from him
the close and intimate relations existing
learning. Including that OF scientific ag-
rlculture, and how very important It was
that patriotism and public good should
prevail over ,partisanship and private IN
terest In their promotion and control The
legislature was In session and | remem-
Der that n Mr.. Sanborn. then president
OF the Agricultural college,, was engineer
servant-of Logan. The appeals that he
made to the Ogden contingent were so
cXQuisitely timed and so adroitly execut-
az D ~ I,N,-
Ing half the session, keeping chart on
his maneuVers. AS n manipulation OF pre-
Judice, Ignorance, sectionalsm. and SINH
lar things which private promoters are
troll public functions for sinister ends, he
made good" al every turn. We were
introduced to the spectacle OF n sordd
private promoter grasping for the man
agement Of our higher learning and max
Ing havoc OF our educational hopes, We
contemplated the time when some person
get his extensive private concerns so
mixed up with the public activities that
he could not tell the difference between
his interests and the interests OF the
State; and so we should have him Civ
Ing instructions 10 the guardians OF the
public funds. I'm order" as we are In
formed by your president, ITO cement the
already pleasant social and business re-
latlons OF the Cache Commercial club
and a similar association In Ogden. You
viii pardon my repeated mention Of this
bll bI COUDtneTCltl commonplace, nllI lne
fact Is, that while Mr.. Pingree may have
thought that he was pointing the way 10
q great service 10 the State, as you In
innate In your resolution, his call sug-
gests so strongly the lingo OF a profes-
sional lf-seeker, the least one can do
In friendship is 10 let him see how an
enemy might read sense OF evil into
words intended TO be magnanimous.
Indeed. one does not have 10 look
obliouely at this entente cordiale between
the merchants OF Logan and the mer--
tokens OF private, selfish purpose.
Looking al the thing on the level. what
has the Social and business relations OF
the Cache Commercial club and the We
Der club TO do with the adjustment OF
the states higher education? The truth
is that while the manifest skirmishing
FOR a defensible position on the part OF
the Logan interest shows a remarkable
persistence. the fact is betrayed that its
promoters are in woeful confusion as to
the character and virtue OF their cause.
on the college commission for the purpose
as II would seem. Of advocating separate
on the ground that II is a
bad thing 20 disturb an established In
tain time consolidation might have been
a good thing The president OF the
college alumni follows him.
urging that consolidation Is bad altogeth-
er. on the ground that the Agricultural
department would be dwarfed thereby.
Now comes the mercantile interest, with
whom the right OF control seems 10 be
assumed. 10 serve the State by opposing
anything that might jeopsrdize the loca-
ton OF the college at Logan. In the
meantime President Kerr. while fighting
for the Logan interest, holds fast to his
original belief In the virtue Of consoi-
iation.
In brief, from the Logan point of view.
any road. however clrcuitous. is good
that leads TO Logan. Any logic. how
ever fallacIous, is good that seems TO sus-
;aln that proposition Any statement Of
preceded II, In the same line OF argu-
nent, Is good II II seems TO furnish am
in support Of the Logan inter
est.
II the thought should enter your mind
hat this Interpretation of the Logan ar
sument is not warranted ask Messrs.
Sullen and Walters II they would oppose
disturbing an established institution" by
coating the University at Logan; ask Mr.. |
Porter OF the alumni II he would oppose
'dwarfing the Agricultural college" by |
uniting II with the University at Logan. |
Ask President Kerr if ! have misrepre- |
'ented him In this statement.
In the meantime. the prominence Of |
President Kerr In the controversy and the |
theories have made him an exceptionally |
important factor in the discussion, II is |
important TO know that in the early skir- |
nishes OF this fight his slogan was "Con-
ness" He contended that the only way |
TO successful career for the Agricultural |
college was In union with university, |
and presented evidence 10 show that in |
such combination the various branches |
of higher learning would stimulate and |
uphold each other and the prestige OF tho |
united institution would be a guarantee |
Tor the standing of It's several depart
ments. This is the position which he |
urged with oil his zeal and ability In the
convention. He has held |
10 this faith In his administrative policy |
as president OF the Agricultural college |
No man knew better than he that the |
single department of agriculture. standing
alone, representing the center and cir
,umference OF an institution OF learning |
,ould not sustain itself In this State or in
any other. He knew that some had failed
m an attempt TO pursue consistently this
policy. and that those colleges which have
seemed TO succeed as agricultural colleges
nave in reality found their success In the
of courses not essentially ag-
TO an extent equal to some uni
Upon taking up the management OF the
Agricultural college. he proceeded at once
10 lay his plans for success In the only
way It could be achieved namely: by
building up a university upon the grounds
IF the Agricultural college, making agri-
culture coordinate factor In the per-
'ected Inetitution, II has been reported
II the original programme OF his admin
sltration that It's principal aim was 10
build UP an institution that would at