The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1914-06-11
PRACTICAL FARMERS THE PloN.
EERS

agricultural colleges prior to 1858, es
pecially in New York, Massachusetts
and Connecticut, and the constitution
OF the State Of Michigan, adopted In
1850, made provision for an agricul
tural school or college, which opened
in 1857. The Farmers High School o.
Pennsylvania (now Pennsylvania State
College) was incorporated in 1854 ant
opened for students in 1859. In 1885,
the legislature of Maryland incorpor
ated the Maryland Agricultural Col
lege, and in that year Mr.. Marshall P
Wilder, Of Massachusetts, obtained
from the legislature of his state q
charter of 1.-The trustees of the Massa
chusetts School of Agriculture"
1t has not been possible, however, to
determine just what particular in,
fluence was most operative in Undue.
ing Senator Morrill, then a member
of the house of representatives, in
1858 to introduce and press his meas.
ure for education in agriculture and
the mechanic arts, but he was guided
and supported in this by a consider
able number of practical men who
We're actively identified with agricul.
ture.
In a historical address on the In
luence of the Morrill, Act Upon Ameri-
can Higher Education delivered at
the s~emicentennial exercises in 1922,
President W. o. Thompson of Ohio,
developed the fact, as a result of his
historical studies, that ''in the great
agricultural states this movement was
born and cherished among the pro-
gressive and prosperous farmers in the
several communities" He showed
this by numerous references to the re.
ports of agricultural societies and
meetings the country over. There was
a widespread movement for a practi-
cal type of education which should
relate more directly to the everyday
life Of the common people. As DR..
Thompson said: This new educa-
tional reform sprang, not from the
educational philosophers or the profess
sional teachers, but from the rank and
file of the people themselves"
Mr.. Morrill's bill was first passed in
the house of representatives by a vote
of 105 to 100 on April %, 1858, the first
session OF the T~hirty-ifth congress.
During the second session of this con
gress, on February 7, 1859, the bill
passed in the senate by a vote of 25
to %. Nine days later the house
agreed to the senate's amendments to
the bill. On February "a, 1859, Presi-
dent Buchanan sen his veto to the
house of representatives. This veto
was based on his belief that the time
was inopportune, the possible effect
on the relations between the federal
and state governments, the effect on
existing institutions, doubt as to
whether it would actually promote the
advancement of agriculture, n the
contention that congress could not
appropriate money for education in the
states, and hence its aid by means of
land grant was of doubtful constitu-
tionality.
In December, 1861, Mr.. Morrill, intro
duced in the house Of representatives
his amended bill which granted 10000
acres of land for each member of con-
gress for the establishment of colleges
in each of the states. and May 2, 1862,
Senator Benjamin Wade, of Ohio, in.
troduced a similar bill in the senate.
Mr.. Morrill's bill was reported ad-
versely in the house by the committee
on public lands, but was passed by the
senate June 10, and nine days later
by the house. President Lincoln made
the bill a law by a~fixing his signature
July 2, 1862. The Morrill, Act granted
no moneys, but lands from the federal
domain, as mentioned above, the
amount being apportioned in accord
ance with the representation.
Second Morrill, Act.-As the organ
ization of the land grant colleges pro-
ceeded and the system of technical
education in agriculture and other in
dustries was elaborated, it became evil
dent to Mr.. Morrill, and other friends
of industrial education that the income
derived from the Immigrant funds,
even when supplemented by liberal
contributions from the states and
other sources, was inadequate to the
demands for modern collegiate instruc-
ton in such lines. The need of sup
Elemental appropriation by the federal
government was strongly presented
by the agricultural colleges, and es-
pecially by their representatives in
the Association of American Agricul-
tural Colleges and Experiment Sta
tons.
Mr.. Morrill, (then senator) accord.
ingly introduced a bill appropriating
to each state and territory (out Of
funds arising from the sale of public
lands) for the more complete endow-
ment and maintenance Of colleges for
~. Aoro6< ooricr1turo opd tho mo.