The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1913-01-05

members that Massachusetts has an
endowment of only $4,000, 900 and
New York only $1,000 900 for the sup>
port of public schools and that other
eastern and southern states except
Texas. have far less, one sees why
Montana having such a princely en-
dowment for common schools may
reasonably be expected to do more
for university, education than states
forced to maintain by taxation both
public schools and a university.
Land Grants.
The four state educational institu-
tons have still unsold 269, S23.20
acres of public lands. These are the
picked lands of the state and are
worth from $40 to 800 an acre. Five
thousand acres of these lands have
been sold for more thar $500. 600, more
than $50 per acre. 1t may be safely
asserted that the remaining are worth
at least $25 an acre, making a total
value of approximately $1,000, 900.
The four institutions now have an
endowment from the sale of public
lands of more than $1,000, 900. The
agricultural and mechanical college
1880 '-'~ ~ I - " x
ceiving from the national government
an income of sos, 900 a year, equiva-
lent to an endowment of 50, 500. 900.
Bills now pending in congress will give
the agricultural college, the school of
mines and for the training of teachers
an additional support of $4,000 or
100000 a yea Not counting these
not Vet assured congressional funds, it
will be seen that the consolidated Uni
versity of Montana would eventually
have from the national government
n the sale of lands an endowment
of more than so, 900, 900.
Mill Tax.
h great political parties of the
state seem to favor a direct mill tax
for the support of the higher %institu-
tons of learning. Our present governor
is a vigorous and able advocate of a
mill tax for the support of these insti-
t%utions. He has stated that Montana
should establish at least a one and
one-half mill tax for the support of
these schools. Other states such as
Nebraska and Illinois whose public
school endowment compared with
Montana's Is small have established
a n mill tax for the support of their
universities. In other progressive
states like Michigan, Wisconsin and
California, where the mil1age tax is not
so large. the legislature makes special
appropriations for the university of
$4,000 or more each year. Assuming
that Montana will place herself in the
rank of the most progressive states
and establish a one and one-ha1f mill
tax Tor the support of the proposed
university, the annual income from
this source after the first year of its
enactment lit will be two years be-
fore it could be enacted) would be
approximately $500, 900. 1t is conf
IDENTIFY believed that in 10 or Is years
the taxable wealth of the state will
be doubled, and if this be true the
university would have at the end OF
that period an annual income from this
source of more than $1,000, 900, equal
to an endowment Of 500, 900, 900.
Hence it will be seen that the con-
solidated University of Montana would
have in 10 or Is gears from it's OPEN
ing a financial backing of not less
than $4,000, 600, sum greater than the
present endowment of Harvard or
Nt'fNt ~ iltl W ~ d.
great as that of Yale or of Cornell.
Nor is this all. The national gov
eminent has in Montana approximate
ly 100000 acres in forest reserves
In the eastern and southern states The
government has practically nothing in
forest reserves, and, moreover, there
are those who are constantly appeal
ing to the government to buy certain
| n1rtS of tha t,,,, 1,,I;n,, ,,,. e..
national forest Reserves. The govern
ment has already spent some $40, 900,
900 or 81, O00, 900 for this purpose
Now, in view of these facts, it is
scarcely believable that congress will
refuse, if the matter is properly pre-
scented, to donate out of the IS, OOO, 0OC
acres in Montana forest reserves at
least d half u million acres for the
maintenance at the university of a
forestry school, a department of fish
cries, and scientific laboratories es-
tablished to discover the cause and
cure of spotted fever and other dis
eases peculiar to Montana and the
western ~states.> But inasmuch as nc
one knows what congress ma do, We
do not count with the assets of the
university this reasonably hoped fol-
land grant.
Mistakes to Be Avoided-Campus and
Grounds.
Each of the old and great universi-
ties of the east has made the colossal
blunder of not providing an adequate
campus. Harvard, Yale and Columbia
nave spent millions to enlarge their
grounds and they are still seeking to
enlarge them, but at an enormous
cost. Even the great state of Michi-
gan set aside for it's university a
campus of only forty acres. Every
enlargement of that campus has been
MADE at heavy expense. One would
have expected Minnesota to avoid the
mistakes Of nearly all it's predeces-
sors, but Minnesota provided for her
university a campus of only 40 or SO
acres. Recently the campus of that
university has been enlarged to about
100 acres, but at a cost, we are told,
of apprOXimatelV 81 600 600 Manv