Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-02-16
Answers to Objections.

soAA AOl~I CSluSllS nave maze TO the deG-
ignation Of the George Washington Uni
versny as the institution that is to adj
minister this appropriation for the bene-
mt OF the District OF Columbia. the COM
mittee would report as follows:
''Q) 1t was not the intention Of the act
OF 1862 to force each state to establish a
state college or university in order to
be qualified to administer this fund. AT
least six institutions on private founda-
tons. Offering the prescribed courses Of
study. have been SO designated in the
past by the legislatures OF their re-
specttve states; and such action has had
the approval Of the Interior Department
ana the tacit consent of Congress. for
more than a generation as being within
the letter and spirit OF the Morrill, acts.
Those institutions were: Yale University,
connecticut; Brown University, Rhode
Island; Clemson Agricultural College,
south carolina: the Massachusetts, Insti-
gers Scientific School. New Jersey, and
Cornell University, New York.
Connecticut and Rhode Island have
since established their own state institu-
institution; but Rutgers. Cornell and the
Massachusetts, Institute Of Technology
are still private corporations, and they
hold exactly the same relation to their
respective states In regard to the. local
application Of the benefits of the Morrill,
acts as the George Washington Univer-
sity would hold to the District of Co.
lumbia.
ut The PURPOSE Of these acts is to pro
ton Of the Industrial classes and the
designation Of the institution that is to
a ass,dn Ter. this his fund in the several
=, the Interior DEPARTMENT to the direre-
ton OF the state Legislatures. Congress,
as the legislative body for the District
Of Columbia. must therefore exercise a
teal and local features of this bill
by its present charter the George
washington University is already sub
TO Of he rs na epe1
pressly provides that the books Of the
university. shall at all times be
open to the Inspection or examination
States. and that. when required by
the duty Of dts) trustees to furnish
conduct. the state Of the Institution and
of Its finances. Moreover. by the terms
Of this bin four federal officials would
be made ex ofhcio trustees OF the uni
versity and an annual report on all it's
work would have to be made to Con-
Gress.
For the purposes OF the Morrill, acts
this university would therefore be a pub
lie institution. to the extent required by
these acts. and it could perform a much
needed public service for the District OF
Columbia.
"(2) Upon full investigation we find
that the charge that has been made In
certain quarters that the George WASH
ington University il q sectarian institu-
ton is without foundation. either in the
agement OF the present institution.
'.While the old Columbian University,
out of which the present institution has
been evolved. was under UNCONVENTIONAL
auspices, the new reorganized George
Washington University Is unsectarian.
Its revised charter expressly forbids any
denominational test In the selection of Its
trustees. ofncers or teachers. The pres
ent board Of trustees contains men whose
religious Affiliations are with eight Diff
ferent denominations. and out Of the
twenty-one trustees there are not to ex-
coed five whose affiliations are with any
one denomination. The personnel of its
faculty in this regard is also exceedingly
comprehensive.
Work Should Not Lapse.
90 The fact that at great expense the
George Washington University has al
ready developed certain Of the forms of
practical education called for in the Nor
this particular kind Of work unless addi-
tional funds are forthcoming. so far from
being q valid objection to this bill, is, in
our judgment, an excellent reason for
passing 1t.
I'm accordance with the intention and
the express terms of the first Morril act
the bill makes this annual appropriation
available for the District in order that 1t
may be used for the endowment, SUD.