Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1914-04-16
NO MISUSE OF FUNDS
AT THE UNIVERSITY
Chief Justice Powers Refutes Charges of the Car
,negie oundation-Senator Morrill's Concep-
tons of the Land-Grant College ..

The following address was delivered by
Chief Justice George NJ. Powers of tn,
Vermont supreme Court at discussion
of the Carnegie Foundation report be.
fore the Young Mems improvement
class of the Methodist Church and tn,
Brotherhood of the CONGREGATIONAL Church
held in the Universalist Church in Morris
Tille Sunday evening;
do not come here as lawyer, to de
fend another charged with an offence. but
come to defend myself. For a | hap.
pen to be a trustee Of the University OF
Vermont and state Agricultural College
am the prisoner at the bar At least
! am one of them; and standing in the
dock with me are NJ. IL. Buckham, T. j
Phelps Senator Proctor, Senator Morrill,
Judge Wales, G.. G. Benedict, II. H. Pow
ers. John Converse, Governor McCul-
Tough, ID. Il. Kingsley, Senator Dilling-
ham, Senator Page, Governor f. d. Proc
tor, and the long line of illustrous and
patriotic Nermontcrs living and dead, who
have, at different times served our State
as trustees of its highest institution of
learning,-the University of Vermont and
State Agricultural College
1t is customary in criminal ;rials to read
the indictment to the jury, that they may
know of what the respondent stands ac-
cused. So ] win read the charge which |
am here to refute. 1t appeared, a few
weeks ago, in our own paper, the Norris
willie Messenger, and in this editorial Ian
guage:
Those of our readers who have careful
ly read and considered these reports (the
installments of the Carnegie Foundation
TeporD as printed in this paper, can judge
for themselves. One thing is certain: the
L. V. NJ. faculty has made no attempt to
explain why State and federal funds in
tended for the Agricultural College have
been used otherwise An institution that
stands convicted by its own books of mis-
Use Of funds had better keep STILL
This false and lbellous statement and
others of like import appearing in a few
other State papers furnish my excuse for
taking part in this discussion.
] may say at the outset that the faculty
at Burlington have nothing to do with the
expenditure Of the funds referred to. The
responsibility is wholly with the board of
trustees. Nor is any question raised in
the Carnegie report or elsewhere regard
ing our expenditure Of the State appropri-
alton. So l treat the references to these
as editorial inadvertancies.
| When | called the editors attention to
the falsehood Of his comment, he referred
me to the published uttcrances of the
Foundation and its officers, and insisted
that his statement was thereby warrant
ed Turning to these 1 am obliged TO ad-
NIT that neighbor Thayer finds therein
some justifica ton for his charges. For
on page 1859 of the report, appears this
statement:
This expenditure of the federal appro-
priations on subjects other than agrlcul-
turc may or may not be strictly legal"
The natural. and doubt intended, eff
feet of this language is to create the i'm
preston that, in the minds of the Carnegie
experts, the expenditure is illegal.
But this is not all nor is it the worst
In his letter Of February :. 1914, pre-
pared for publication bN Mr.. Clyde
Furst secretary Of the Foundation. in
summarizing the report, it is said that
The report shows that the University of
Vermont neglected agriculture and used
Its appropriation fo- a medical school
Small wonder then that neighbor
Thayer accuses us of the misuse of funds;
for he was justified in understanding that
Secretary Furst was charging US with
using an appropriation intended for agri-
culture for the support of our medical de-
partment. So interpreted, the statement
WAS wholly and absolutely false. The
weak and unsatisfactory explanation made
by the secretary himself makes the state
nent wholly unnecessary and mea ming
csS; for everybody knows that the State |
money used for the medical college is ex-
'ressly appropriated for that purpose and |
10 other. Not a penny of federal funds
over went to the support of the medical !
Iollege.
Federal funds come to the so-called |
Agricultural college from three sources
l. The act Of Congress of 1862 known |
throughout the country as the First Nor
ill act"
2 The act of Congress Of 1890, known in |
Ike manner as the Second Morrill, act"
g. The act of Congress of 1907. known a
he Nelson amendment"
leave out of consideration the agricul-
ural experiment station, which was es-
ablishod and Is supported by other acts
claim is made that any of the expert
nent station funds have been diverted I |
eed only say that the federal department
agriculture makes an annual visitation
nd inspection OF the station, and a rigid
xamina ton of all the expenditures from
he federal funds in connection with the
YORK Wnlcn IS conducted, and that "Only |
fter approval of these financial reports
the payment Of funds to the station
ontlnued."
Under the first Morrill, act we receive
1870 per year. This sum represents the
lterest on the avails of the land scrip,
hich was sold and the funds received
lercfor turned over to the State as trus-
be-. The act provides that this interest
shall be inviolably appropriated by each
ate 10 the endowment, support,
nd maintenance of at least one college
here the leading object shall be- without
cluding other scientific and classical
ldleS, and including military tactics, to
ach such branches of learning as are
lated to agriculture and the mechanic
rs in order to promote the lib
al and practical education Of the indus
lal classes in the several pursuits and
rofessons In life" u
Language could not he much more COM n
extensive. 1t is frequently and correctly
id that Greek, Latin or Sanscrit could
taught under this grant. The Founda-
bn appreciates this, and does not uues-
pm the legality of our disposition of this
rt OF the federal funds Indeed,
further and convincing evidence
ERE needed to the wide scope
the instruction permissible under the
leral law of 1862, it may be found in the
rmont Senate Journal Of 1865. Here the
istees of the Vermont Agricultural Col
re, with no less man than Justin S.
hrrill fat nor of tho whole movement | ;