Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-11-28
GOOD FOR THE UNIVERSITY.

=
The people of Utah may well civ
thanks also for another good thins
purely a gift OF Providence, supple
lnented by the action OF men in Cor
gress and enforced by decision of tn
supreme court of Utah.
Ages before the day when men ap
peared on the earth, the ocean was a
work in this part of the earth laying
down beds OF salt as if on purpose fol
the use the people now make of them
At the shore OF some vast arm of tht
sea, where the land must have partially
separated from the main ocean but
renewed periodically by oVeriloWS ifor'
the higher tides, these beds of sail were
formed during untold centuries, Tire
shore land probably subsidized while the
mainland slowly arose from the seas
or ocean, the rate OF shore subsistence
being equal to the rise of the CONT
mental rising. At all events, only some
such conditions would result in the
accumulation of the vast beds of salt
now found to exist in several parts Of
this state.
A clause in the Enabling act by which
Utah was admitted into the Union of
States provides that lands to the extent
of two townships in quantity, author
ICED by the third section Of the act of
Feb 81, 1855, to be reserved to the es-
Establishment of the University of Utah
are hereby granted to the State of
Utah for university purposes, to be held
and used lin accordance with the pro-
visions OF this section; and any portion
of said lands that may not have been
lected by said state. That III addition
to the above, 10000 acres OF land to
: be selected and located as provided in
the foregoing section Of this act, ana
including all saline lands in said state,
are hereby granted to said state, for
the use OF said university, and a00O0t
acres for the use Of an agricultural
college therein. That the proceeds of
the sale of said lands, or any portion
thereof, shall constitute permanent
funds, to be safely invested ana held
by said state, and the income thereof
to be used exclusively for the purpose
of such university and agricultural col
lege, respectively"
When recently the Western Pacific
was building through Tooele county.
the excavations revealed deposits of
salt of perhaps sixty miles in area,
the depth of the deposit varying from
one to eight feet. The salt is said to
be Of superior quality, comparatively
free from dirt and foreign matter. The
Montillo Salt company filed upon these
lands, and the State brought suit 10
prevent the company from acquiring
title to them.
Under the terms of the Enab bling act.
the State through it's Encouragement
maintained that, under the Enabling
act, the commonwealth was entitled to
dition to the 10000 acres of land, ag-
ricultural in character, which that act
bestowed for university purposes In
answer the defendants maintained that
the state had already selected 10000
acres of land under the Enabling act,
and that it was entitled to no more;
that the Enabling net expressly stated
that saline lands should be included"
In the 10000 acres. They therefore ar
gued that the title to the lands rested
in the government, and that 1t, the
defendant, had the right to take up the
ground under the law governing placer
locations.
The decision OF the court Is that The
intention of Congress was ITO grant
110, 900 acres of lands and also all saline
lands in the State"
This decision is founded on the con-
struction OF the words of the clause in
the Enabling act and on the inten
of Congress as evidenced in the record
of the proceedings during the passa ge
of the act.
The result Is clearly one that is
strongly In the public interest, The pre-
else value OF this endowment is OF
course not ascertainable at this time
but it is supposed that it may reael
several millions of dollars. In the neal
future this property should be power;
ful factor in placing the University o
Utah upon such n basis Of excellence
as TO make Of this State an educationa
center.