Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-12-10
WANT BENEFITS
OF MORRILL, ACT

Continued from First Page)
took my seat on the bench of the Su-
preme Court of the United States
And the justice had to pause for the
outburst Of friendly applause which fol-
lowed this statement TO subside.
Mr.. Boutell well spoke" said the
Justice. ''of those people VINO live In the
District of Columbia Tor years--who have
to live here-and yet who are not citizens
OF the District. In their own states they
would get the benefits of this act, and
there Is no reason why they should be
denied them here
1t was as little as Congress could do.
ne added, to place the people of the Dis
trict or Columbia on the same footing
with the people of Hawaii and Porto
Rico in respect to the benefits to be de-
rived from participation in appropria-
tons made under the Morrill, act
II our institutions are to last as long
as we hope they WILL he said, 1T will
be because of the attention that is paid
to the education of our citizens
President Needham's Speech.
President Needham of the George
Washington University was next called
upon by Mr.. Boutell.
He gave a brief review Of the history OF
the university from its founding, in 1921,
as the result Of an attempt to carry out
the idea Of George Washington for A
great national university in the National
Capital, and told how IL continued on
practically the same footing at its
inception, until 1872, when a gift from
w. w. Cocoran permitted 1t to branch
out and to begin it's work along university
lines.
Mr.. Needham told of his connection
with the university, first as dean of the
law school. in 1s9s. and president In 1907
But of particular interest TO the COM
mittee was the fact that for the last
three or four years the university has
conducted courses in the mechanic arts.
including many of the subjects which are
prescribed by agricultural colleges, all Of
which, he argued. entitled the university
to participate in the benefits of the Nor
rill act. as proposed by the pending Bou-
tell bill.
said. about 1900 young men in the Dis
trict OF Columbia who have to depend
upon local institutions for their higher
education or else not receive 1t at all. He
spoke of the incalculable advantage to
many of these who now. through lack OF
advantages. became clerks and steno-
graphers. etc. to be able to attend well
equipped university with a completes
course in the mechanic arts.
This would be possible, he said, under
the passage of the Morrill, bill, as that
would insure to the university an addi-
tional income of about $4,000 q year,
tenance OF such course. The deficiency
on account of these courses in the uni
versity at present, President Needham
said, was about forty-one thousand q
year.
The university with this requested aid
from Congress. under the Boutell bill,
could well take care Of the remaining and
much smaller annual deficit. He added
that the university could secure, by do
nation. a building for it's department of
mechanic arts as soon as 1t was assured
that the course would not have to be dis
continued, which would be assured. he
said, If Congress passed the Boutell bill.
Other Addresses Made
Dr. Richard Harlan, a special represent
alive of the George Washington Uni
versity. went into the subject in great
detail and repeated before the committee
many arguments used in brief on the
subject, which he submitted in pamphlet
form.
He spoke of the record of discrimina-
ton in this matter against the District
Of Columbia, and gave figures ana facts
to prove his assertions.
"Only those who try to make their liv-
ng in the District" he said. 'can fully
understand the great need there is in
Washington of the collegiate course In
the mechanic arts which the annual Nor
rill appropriations would make it posi-
BILE to develop for the benent OF the
young people OF the community.
I'VE have scarcely any manulaclurers
here and outside OF the retail business Tor
local needs very little general commerce
Hence it Is too often true that the only
opentng in this city for many OF our
Young men Is some petty clerkshlp In
one Of the departments. with all Its un-
certainty OF tenure
"It Is important to send good many
Of these young men out of Washington
and. before they go, to equip them with
the kind of education that will enable
them to- start even with the young men
have had the practical education pro-
vided under the Morrill, act.
"Washington needs a college or the me-
chanic arts with four years OF collegiate
work that will cap the splendid work
done by the Mckinley Manual Training
School. The graduates Of that school are
clamoring for just such college, but
few of them have the money to enable
them to go out Of the city for such col
legiate work.
IF they get it at all they must get It
In Washington.
"If the bill is passed the George WASH
ington University, by means Of its new
college OF engineering and the mechanic
the Massachusetts Institution Of Tech
nology. 1t could then make good me
chanical, civil, electrical engineers out OF
these young men and send them into the
several states. where they would have
better chances to earn good living, and
thus make their contributions to the in
dustrial and copmercial life of the ma
ton"
John Joy Edison spoke briefly, review
ing the arguments in favor of action by
Congress on the Boutell bill at an early
date A. Lsner addressed the committee
along the same lines.