El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-12-17
National University Revived
Movement Started by George Wash
ingtOn Is Given New Life; First
Endowment Disappears.
: By Frederic }. Haskin :
AsHINGToN. D. G. D.. -

" r ASHINGTON. d. c., Dec. 17.-FOr
w 126 years presidents, senators,
governors, educators. publicists
and soldiers have actively advocated
the establishment of a national univer-
sity in this country. Not a single de-
cade has passed in which distinguished
and earnest champions did not arise to
urge this nationwide expression OF
American culture. 1t was an idea that
Washington carried with him from VAL
ley Forge to his death bed. The first
president of the union spoke for il in
his first message to the first congress,
and left a. bequest of SIS, 900 for it in
his will. The idea is older than the
country itself, the form of such an in
StitutiOn has been growing Up in Wash
inftOn in separate units for over a cen
fury, and now it remains to be seen
whether the bill soon to be fathered
by senators Dillingham;, of Vermont,
and Sterling, of North Dakota, sue
ceeds in bringing about, at last, the Of
fetal establishment of The University
of the United States"
In'1775 Gen. George Washington, Maj
BlOdgett, young Samuel BlOdgett and
others were watching the burning of a
New Jersey school house by the Amer
lean troops. Young Blodgett expressed
the opinion that a higher school Of
learning, typical Of the new govern
the little New Jersey school house.
Washington turned to him and said:
young man, you are a prophet. in
spired to speak what ] am confident
will one day be realized" From that
dialOg sprang the idea which poverty,
indifference, prOvinciaHSm, sectional
jealousies wars and tremendous COM
mercial expansion have been unable to
kill.
James Madison. Charles c. Pickering
and others strOve in the constitutional
convention to give congress the au-
thority to establish a national univer-
cit na Of fa1f,
but the objection of GOuverneur Morris
that such an authorization would not
be necessary. and would serve 10 en-
cumber the constitution with useless
prOvisOs, operated to its exclusion. This
was unfortunate. because on December
p, 1916. the house Of representatives
on this very Question of constitutional
authority, voted down the national uni
versity project by Sc to 81. Today no
doubt such as this could beclOud the
forthcoming Dillingham; Sterling bill.
Washington Advocates Measure.
Washington advocated the measure
in his first message. January 8, 1880,
and in 1894 and 1875 and 1896. Refer
ence TO it was omitted from his fare
well address only at the insistence of
Alexander Hamilton, who, while in
favor Of It, thought the occasion map
propriate- In his last will and tesla
ment, dated July 9, 1893. Gen Wash
ingtOn bequeathed to the national uni
versity project so shares of the PotO-
mac company, valued at $500 each, to
tai value $4,000. the sum to be invested
in stock of the Bank Of Columbia by
mis- executors or by the treasurer OF
the United States, under the direction
of congress. This bequest disappeared
completely and no trace OF it has been
found to this day. Professor George
Brown GOOde, Of Smithsonian, declared
in a speech delivered in 1891, that the
little $4,000 bequest with compound
interest, would have amounted to S4,-
100000. Today it would be about So
00O,0 900.
John Adams Urges Movement.
John Adams followed Washington in
declaring to congress that the nation
should found and maintain national
university, and so did Jefferson. Madi-
son. Monroe, John Quincy Adams and
Jackson. Four other presidents have
gone on record officially to the same
tenor, and not one has opposed 1t JET
fersOn, in his enthusiasm planned TO
transplant bodily to Washington the
faculty of the famous College OF &C.
wanted the first congress to fulfill
WashingtOn's wish. Samuel -Blodgett
dedicated to the cause the proceeds Of
his "EconOmica,' published in 1906, the
first book on political economy printed
in the United States. Later BlOdgett
went to congress and worked on the
plan until the day Of his death He sue
ceeded in raising private pledges total
ing $300 600, but all in vain. Then came
the adverse vote of the house in 1916.
Following this fiaScO, Edward Cut
bush, Thomas Sewan, Judge William
Cranch and others founded in Wash
ingtOn the Columbian institute for the
promotion of arts and sciences IN 1913.
It was incorporated by congress in
1921 as Columbian college, became Co
lumbar university as time went on,
and is now known as George Washing
ton university CuUbuSh and his aSsO-
ciates intended this. institution to be-
come the cOuntry's national university,
but 1t is so only to the extent that II
is situated in Washington and received
federal aid in the early days. But there
are other universities in Washington,
and federal aid to individual education
al Institutions has become very COM
mon. The federal government has given
land grants to 81 institutions Of learn
ing in 20 states.
New Attempt Made.
Another attempt to found the truly
national university which congress
never could see its way clear to au-
thOrize was made in 1S49 with the or
ganization of the National university
of Albany. In 1851 it became the Al
bany Law school, and the present
Union university at Schenectady is an
other OffshOot of the same project
The most fervent and effective de-
voice Of a national university in this
latter day has been the late John Wes-
ley HOyt governor OF Wisconsin IN
1867 he visited every university in Eu-
rope and the United States, making a
special report to congress. From that
time until his death few years ago
governor HOyt made Il the main pur-
pose of his life For 30 years he vas
at the head Of every conference Of pub
lie men which net to consider and al
ways to endorse the plan.
In 1890 senator George Z. Edmunds,
of Vermont, introduced his bill TO
found the University of the United
States" It set aside the sum of So
100000 in four percent treasury bonds.
as the endowment fund, and appropr1-
ated $500, 900 for grounds. The site was
to have been the ground beyond the
Mall, within sight of the white house,
where the Naval college and the ny
gienie laboratory Of the public health
service are now located. The board OF
regents was to consist Of the president
of the United States, the members OF
his cabinet and u private citizens The
bill was favOrably reported from com
mittee and dragged along for four
years before it died of inaniuOn.
Congress Admits Feasibility.
Acts of congress of 1892 and 1871
threw the various departments and bu-
reaus of the government in Washington
open to students and scientists, with
competent instruction" which has been
Interpreted to mean that congress IN
that phrase admitted the feasibility OF
a federal school of higher learning On
Toll Fa 81