The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-03-06
AS TO CONSOLATION.


In the struggle between the univer-
sity and the Agricultural college at
Logan a good deal of confusion and |
misunderstanding has arisen from an |
incomplete knowledge of the public as
10 the issues and the power of the leg
islature in the matter To begin with, |
the question has two sides. a business
phase and a matter of sentiment. Edu-
cationally, the question hinges on the |
advisability of attempting to admins
ter with one staff two institutions of
distinct and dissimiIar purposes.
On the business side, the university
adherents urge that the cost of admin |
istering the two Institutions as a con-
solidated concern would be very little
If any greater than the cost now of
managing the university. They con-
tend with some show of truth that
much of the Agricultural college work
parallels the university courses; and
they claim. with less reasonabIeness
that an agricultural college could be
established and managed here quite as
successfully and for less money than
now required by the Logan college.
The public generally has not been
advised as fully on the facts as could
be wished. Statements by the two sides
are conflicting in many essentials, and
the commission appointed by the gov
ernor showed such evident bias that its
conclusions do not carry the conviction
such a report should carry.
Internationally. II may be doubted
whether there is any advantage in hav-
ing parallel courses in two state insti-
tutions SO near together as these two.
If the Logan school were confined to
purely technical work, If its courses of
study were only such as relate to agri-
culture and it's scientific development
there would be less cause for conten-
ton. But-and this is a strong argu-
ment for the Logan school-some
knowledge of the purely academic
branches is necessary to any study,
whether it be scientific or not, whether
IT relate to agriculture or dairying or
horticulture or an ybranch of farm life.
~ tCS VI SUI AOL lSCnfli-
cal study without a knowledge of Eng
fish, of mathematics. OF all the common
school branches. Irrigation implies
some study of engineering; dairying
and other Logan lines imply some
knowledge of chemistry. The study of
soils and their products is not to be
undertaken without correlative studies
Of science. No successful agricultural
school could be conducted without
curriculum that duplicated the univer-
sity courses in many lines.
The question, therefore, resolves it.
self into this: Could the Agricultural
college be conducted successfully as a
part of the university apd be located in
salt Lake?
Would the results Justify the aban-
donment Of the costly plant at Logan?
Would the economy in operation by
consolidation insure as successful eSiu-
catlonal results in both university and
Agricultural college as have been
achieved by separate maintenance and
operation?
These are great big questions, not to
be settled off-hand by such a commits
sion as Governor Cutler appointed or
by any coterie OF men whose. Affiliations
with either institution prejudice their
judgment The constitution has pro-
vided wisely that any change of loca-
ton shall be submitted TO the people
for an amendment of the constitution
before It can become effective.
There is no doubt but that a consids
erabie sentiment is in favor of con-
soiidation. Nor is there any doubt
about the strength of the sentiment
which opposes any change. AS be-
tween these two forces the legislature
is bienniaIly torn and divided into fac
lions. its work is hampered and its
business impeded by the constantly re-
curing struggle between the two insti-
buttons. It seems to US the only way
70 stop this costly and annoying strug-
gle is TO submit the matter TO a vote
of the people for final and permanent
decision.
If the people of Utah want to move
the Agricultural school. they ought to
be permitted to say so at the polls; Il