Omaha daily bee., 1907-04-21

approve an appropriation for $4,000. Gould
Of Greeley. who was q member OF the
senate finance committee. suggested cutting
the appropriation to $4,000, and he sue
eeeded ln getting the committee 20 rec
ommend this amount. Again the governor /
sent word to the Kearney lobbyists that ]
they could not get more than $4,000. Luther |
=. Ludden. a member OF the State Normal |
board. insisted that the Kearney member 1
accept 10000. A meeting OF the Normal /
board vas held and the appropriation was
discussed. At this meeting Ludden rec
commended the $4,000, but Gregg and
Thomas would not stand for a. but ar
gued that II they could get the bill through
the legislature Governor Sheldon would
sign It at the personal solicitation OF Sen
ator Norris Brown Gregg and Thomas
we're then asked to put the appropriation
In two items. but they refused to do this,
because they said the governor would
likely veto one OF them. The bill was then
log rolled through the senate and went to
the governor. It was necessary for him
to cut out $4,000. and he did the normal
appropriation being in the list"
How Board Members Feel
As TO whether the Normsl school needed
the 10000 or not the members Of the State
Normal School board are the best
judges Member McBrien, state SUI
perin4endent. was for a bill carrying
$4,000 Rev. Mr. Ludden, another mem
Der Of the board, was In favor OF
the appropriation for $4,000 and urged
! Gregg and Thomas to accept that amount
No other member Of the board. so far as
the records show was here looking after
the larger appropriation. Gregg was the
only one who made a fight for it. Hon
Peter Mortensen, for four years n member
OF the board, was opposed to the 100000
and publicly said $4,000 would be sufficient
| for the needs of the school. Members OF
the Nhouse understood the governor would
veto the appropriation II 1t were over $1,000
and IT is the general belief that 1t could
never have passed the house, and senate
| except for the public information that the
! kovernDr would not approve the measure.
| Il was semi-public property that the kear-
ney member OF the board expected Norris
! Brown to influence the ex-governor to change
his mind.
That the Kearney people may know how
member OF the State Normal School
/ board feels about the veto, the following
statement from Superintendent McBrien is
published:
1T might not be out of place here TO call
attention to what the state has done for
/ the State Normal school at Kearney as
| compared with what it has done for the
State Normal at Peru. The legislature Of
1858 appropriated $4,000 for a normal school
! building at Kearney; in 1905 $4,000 for
heating plant there, making total of
SIS, 600 l The proposal of the citizens OF
! Kearney to the Board OF Education OF the
State Normal schools to locate the new
state Normal school there contained the
following subsidy: (a) Twenty-acre Site
$4,000; o. Green Terrace building, SO,oH;
(c) Repairing Green Terrace building,
$1,000; (d)w9ter right from Lake kearney'
$4,000; (e) Saving to state for sewer system
and water mains, $1,000 total $1,000 The
members of the executive committee, speak
ing for the citizens OF Kearney in their
Proposal said: This amount 0sl,OOO being
a conservative estimate of the cost to the
state for providing these necessary essen
tiais' This 50, 900, plus S65,O0O, makes Sl5e,
600, amount of the states property In the
State Normal school at Kearney"
d I'm the beginning of Peru, Mount Vernon
hall. built in 1866 by subscriptions amount
ing to 5000, and a site valued at about
$1,000 were given to the state when the
normal school was established there year
later. The appropriations by the state nave
been as follows: (a) In 1869, for completion
1 of dormitory already started by subscrip-
! tlOnt ADB III 1919 hOANh WINS $1,000
building, $4,000; (c) in 1873. power house
6, COO; I'D in 1877, library building, frame
$4,000: (e) in 1885, south wing main build
ing. $4,000; % in 1897. dormitory to replace
old one destroyed by fire, $4,000; 90 In 1908
new chapel, &42.5 800; (h) in 1906 new library
$40 coo; ID in 1906, remodeling old library
for science hail. $500; 90 in 1907, heating
plant $4,000; total, including site and origi
nal Mount Vernon hall. S2O7,S00.
Comparison of Two Schools.
''In four years the state has made per
, manent investment OF S56,OOO at Kearney
In forty years It has made a permanen
investment of S2O7,SOO at Peru. Peru hal
had to turn away mGa' students than kear
: ney during the last year. Under the In
creased entrance requirements at the Stat
Normal schools, Kearney will be no NOR
, crowded than Peru during the current bien
1 mum. In the light OF the facts set fortl
! herein. It is safe to say that the rea
danger TO the success of the State Norma
: school at Kearney lies not In the veto o
Governor Sheldon. but in the attitude Of tn
Kearney Hub and the Fremont Herald
We want the State Normal schools, boil
at Kearney and at Peru, to prosper anC
to grow greater in their influence anC
power for good from year to year. In my
| opinion the next legislature should make
an appropriation Of $4,000 for new build
ings at each of these schools. But no edu
cational institution. public or private, mus
be promoted at the expense Of the common
! schools The common schools have waited
long and patiently for their hearing, and
the people OF the state, regardless of po-
litical ahiliations will approve the action
OF the last legislature and Governor Shell
don in their attitude toward the common
schools, which are OF, by and for the peo-
pie. The logic OF time will vindicate Gov
ernor sheldon's every act In the matter Of
appropriations"
AS matter Of fact It is believed around
here that Mr.. Gregg and Mr.. Thomas are
more put out because the Legislature
passed the junior normal school, bill and
n was approved by the governor than ovei
the veto Of the appropriation bill. This
hill creates three more Junior normals
making eight in all, and should they b'
located in the western section OF th'
state. and they viii be, Of course the at
tendance at Kearney this summer viii b
reduced materially. II is understood TN
Kearney boosters did not want this bill