New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1909-05-12
An Unworthy Spirit

/ II" OuVVAShy SPun
Discussing with approval the law
adopted by the legislature at it's recent
session providing for a certain num-
Der of agricultural high schools in
this state, the Honorable Jacob r..
jacobson, statesman from Lac qui
Parle, former member of the house of
solons and latest unsuccessful candi-
date for the governorship, thus I'M
bosoms himself to the Minneapolis
Journal:
4'Nobody ought to complain of the
state supporting these schools. Why
shouldn't the farmers get $500, 900 a
year for educating their children,
when the cities get Sl,000,000 for the
state university"
The comment of the gentleman from
Lac qui Parle is absurd, and the Re-
view sympathizes and endorses every
word of the scathing criticism of the
Duluth Herald, when it says:
''The Jacobson interview is I'M
spleasantly like the kind of things Mr..
j Jacobson used to say when, as mem
Der of the legislature, he cracked the
whip of country prejudice against the
cities over the representatives of the
agricultural districts. It is unfair,
unworthy, and wholly uncalled-for; it
presumes dividing line between city
and country which does not actually
exist, and which would never exist
even in the imagination if 1t were not
for such remarks as that which Mr..
jacobson is quoted as making. =
I'm the first place, it is not only
arue that nobody ought to complain
of the state aiding in agricultural
education in any form, but it is also
true that nobody does complain.
Though Mr.. Jacobson's remark seems
TO be founded upon a belief that the
cities have complained or are going
to complain about state aid to agri-
cultural high schools, there isn't the
slightest evidence that anybody has
complained or will complain.
GAS matter of fact, it is largely
due to the farmer representatives in
the legislature that the session did not
produce larger use of state aid in
behalf of agricultural education. Next
so the agricultural high school bill the
measure of chief Importance along
that line was the Hackney law proyid-
ing for a correspondence school OF
agriculture in connection with the
state agricultural college, and that
came from city member of the senate
and was supported by the city mem
1bers of both branches. Its author
wished to appropriate $4,000 year
Tor this purpose, instead of 500, 000
but the country representative forced
athe reduction.
If the state university is a city in
stltution, it should he credited tc
Minneapolis, where it is located, an6
not to the three large cities. But il
isn't a city institution at all; it is a
state institution, and its attendance
comes from the country as we'll as the
acity. 1t is an old theme with Mr.
jacobson, this use of the state univer.
sity to stir up feeling between country
and city, and it is time he was drop
ping it. The state university is g
credit to the entire state, and it's grad
a,ates are doing their part in the de-
velopment of every community of the
state. It is not a city institution, any
more than it is a Minneapolis insti
tuition. The whole state is proud o.
it, and glad to support it; but tina
pride and support will not interfere
with the fullest encouragement of ag
ricultural education that the penny
wise economy of the farmer legisla
aors will permit