Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-11-23
WILL co To CONGRESS
Committee toWork for George
Washington University.
CITIZENS IND0RSE MOVE
Will Try to Have the Morrill, Acts
Amended.
INJUSTICE TO THE DISTRICT
Suffers From Discrimination in the
Granting Of Funds to Institu-
lions of States and Territories.
INJUSTICE TO THE DISTRICT

lions Of States and Territories.
A committee of Washington men met
| yesterday afternoon in the Office of Com
missioner Mcfarland, chairman of the
committee to devise ways and means for
| getting through Congress the bill to
amend the Morrill, acts so that the Dis
| trlct of Columbia and George Washing
ton University would be benefited. An
executive committee of eleven to pre-
pare a plan for the presenting of the
matter to Congress will be appointed to-
day after President Needham of the Uni
versity and Commissioner Macfarland
| talk the matter over.
| Inc bill provides an endowment for
George Washington University of $50, 900
| a year, because that institution is the
| only one In the District eligible under the
| old Morrill, acts to receive the money ap-
| propriated for the purpose by the gov
eminent.
The Legislation Desired.
In calling the committee to order Com
missioner mcfarland said that as all it's
| members had accepted service because
they believed in supporting the bill to
secure the benefits of the Morrill, act and
| the amendatory acts for the District Of
Columbia, and George Washington Uni
versity as the only college doing the
work which the acts require, the present
| question was how best to accomplish the
common purpose. Congress would meet
December 3 with its committees organ
| lied and ready to work, and it was de-
sirable that the citizens committee should
be prepared to present the matter i'm
| mediately. He said that the bill, which
he read to the committee, had passed the
Senate unanimously, and that he believed
| 1t would pass both houses at the coming
| session if it were properly pressed.
1t was, he said, matter of simple JUS
| tice to the District of Columbia which
ought not to have been omitted from the
| Morrill, act legislation and gave it only
what was given not only to the states
| and territories, but to Porto Rico and
| Hawaii The discrimination against the
| District of Columbia, probably uninten-
| tional, ought to be removed He believed
that every citizen Of the District would be
| In favor of the legislation and would be
glad to speak to senator's and representa-
tives in its behalf.
AS to the provision that George Wash
ington University should receive the an
nual appropriation provided in such cases
he stated that it was the only college
here doing the work which the acts re-
| qu1re In courses relating to agriculture
and the mechanical arts. He asked Presi-
| dent Needham to state what the univer-
| sity was doing.
President Needham's Statement.
| President Needham responded In a brief
summary of the improvements which had
been made in it's work and which had
brought it to it's present high standard
He read letters from a number of college
presidents and other prominent men prals-
ing it's work and wishing it success. He
stated that it was now doing the kind of
that if the District of Columbia was now
| receiving the Morrill, acts grant, George
| Washington University would be entitled
to the appropriation. However, he con-
tended that the great argument was that
| the District of Columbia deserved the
same treatment as the states and terri
| tories.
General Informal Discussion.
| general informal discussion as to
ways and means followed. Several mem
bers declared that the measure com
mended itself SO strongly that it would
| have the general support of the citizens
of the District of Columbia, and that
| vigorous action should be taken at once
| to bring about cooperation and to inter-
| est the friends of the District of Column
| bia in the states.
1t was said that there was no known
opposition to the bill in the District of
Columbia, and that the only outside OPP
| position known was that of some presi-
| to establish a postgraduate institution
| for the benefit of their colleges at Wash
| ington. and to get whatever appropriation
they could from Congress
The Morrill, Acts.
| The bill in which the citizens commit
tee is especially interested would amend
| an old act of 1862, together with certain
later acts, all granting aid to institutions
with courses in agriculture and mechanic
arts. so that the District of Columbia
would be included in the list of states
and territories now favored. The bill
designates George Washington Univer-
sity as the institution to be favored in
Washington as long as the courses in
mechanic arts and in the agricultural
pursuits are in the curriculum.
| Should the bill become a law the board
! of trustees would then take in as men,
bers ex off1cio the Secretary of Agricul-
| ture, the Secretary. of the Interior, the
| Secretary of Commerce and Labor and
the commissioner of education; also the
| university would report yearly to Con-
gress regarding it's educational work.
| The old Morrill, act of 1862 has in 1t a
section which provides that all money de-
rived from the sale of certain land by
| the states to which the lanQS are dp-
portioned shall be invested so that the
money shall become a permanent and
undiminishing fund. The interest from
this fund was directed to be taken by
| the states benefiting by the act to sup
port and endow at least one college in
| each state, where the leading object
should be the teaching of such branches
of learning as are relegated to agri-
culture and mechanic arts
/ Twenty-eight years later the second
| Morrill, act was approved. 1t carried a
provision that certain money from the
| sale of lands should be appropriated for
| endowment purposes specifying $4,000
as the sum. Still later, in 1907. the
amendment introduced by Senator Nelson
Of Minnesota increased the sum to 5O0OO
to each college.
The second Morrill, act provided that
the money should come from the sale of
| lands, but the Nelson amendment pro-
vided that the appropriation should be
made out of any money in the Treasury
not otherwise appropriated, and was to
be paid to each state and territory for the
nance of the institutions that had been
established or might hereafter be estab-
lished, in accordance with the Morrill,
| acts.
The Committee Of Citizens.
The citizens committee is composed of
| Commissioner Mcfarland, chairman:
Commissioner West. Allen D. Albert, jr..
Justice Thomas H. Anderson. Ross p.
Andrews, John T. Arms, Charles ]. Bell,
Ira E. Bennett Emile Berliner. Scott c.
Rome William c. Borden Bernard M