News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1914-04-29

! Morrill,, the father of the whole movement
as chairman set forth the proposed course
of study for the college founded under the
first Morrill, act. This course includes
| Latin, Greek, moral and intellectual sci
ence, languages and literature.
The second Morrill, act, which provides
$25 900 a year, also specifies the purposes
| for which the money therein appropriated
| may be used. These are obstruction in
| agriculture and the mechanic arts. the
! English language. and the various
| branches of mathema tea, physical, nat
! ural, and economic science, with special
reference to their applications in the in
| dustres of life and to facilities for such
| instruction"
1t may be admitted that this language is
somewhat less liberal than that of the
! first act, but / submit that it is cOmpre-
| hensive enough to cover everything
usually taught in American colleges, eX-
cept foreign languages and the intellectual
and moral sciences, and, of course, medi-
cine, law, theology and the like The Car
negie report shows on page 16S that we
| have used this money to teach engineer
ing, natural and physical science botany
and zoology. agriculture. mathematics,
| ttOllOllIlC SNlCllCC' anu IAll5l ioAl'
| The Nelson amendment, which carries
an additional $4,000 per year, specifies
that this sum shall be applied only for
the purposes of the Agricultural Colleges
as defined and limited in the first and
second Morrill, acts.
l need not stop to enquire whether or
not under this act, we could apply any
or all of this appropriation to the teach
ing Of foreign languages, ancient or mod
ern, or to intellectual or moral science;
for we have not. and do not intend, thus
to use it. This money has been expended
for teaching the subjects enumerated as
is shown by the cable on page 16S of the
report
Every dollar of this expenditure is with
in the acts And this seems so plain to
me, that / suspect the honesty of him
who asserts or insinuates the contrary.
1t is a matter of common knowledge,
however, that from time to time, sus-
picion has existed, mostly among the
political agriculturists, that the institu-
ton at Burlington was misusing these
federal funds. Such a suspicion was
spread abroad in 1874, nine years after the
passage of the act uniting the Agricultural
College with the University of Vermont. 1t
resulted in the appointment by the Legis-
lature of joint special committee to in
vestigate and report whether the act in
cooperating the University of Vermont and
State Agricultural College has been prop
erly complied with by the officers of said
institution, and whether the funds here
tofore paid to the institution have been
expended in accordance with the act of
Congress which created the fund" This
committee consisted of James X. Tobey,
D. s. Storrs, and Edward d. Dana, on the
part OF the House, and Il. p. Walton and
Simeon Allen, on the part of the Senate.
On Nov. IS, 1874. this committee filed its
report completely indicating the lnstitu-
ton. The committee reported that 1t had
fully complied with the terms of its char
ter, and that it had expended the federal
funds in accordance with the act of Con-
gress. This, of course, related only to the
funds received under the first Morrill, act,
as it was long before the second Morrill,
act was passed. On page of this COM
mttees report, we find this significant
! language: Some of your committee en-
tered upon this investigation with doubts
and suspicious; they have been gratiied
/ to find shese doubts and suspicious re-
p
| in asking for the Vermont University and
State Agricultural College the favor of the
sons and daughters of Vermont who de-
sire the best education for the practical
business of life, and commend the institu-
ton to the confidence and fostering care
of the State"
! Not a very bad endorsement for hos
! tile committee, 1 submit.
| In 1873, the institution was again inves-
tigated by a committee, and thoroughly
legislative committees, between that time
and 1890, visited the institution, and in
every case commended it. And in the
year last named, the biennial report to the
Legislature showed in unmlstakable terms
just how we were interpreting the Morrill,
acts.
This was the year useO) in which came
acquitted and commended. And several
the legislative fight. led in the House by
our Morristown representative, Fred b
Livingston. to separate the Agricultural
College from the University and establish
it elsewhere. Whatever the fact had pre-
viously been. the expenditure Of the fed
eral funds wa then thoroughly brought
home and explained TO every member OF
the House and Senate. The attempted
leeparation failed, as some now present
well remember.
No similar attempt has since been made
Nothing has occurred in legislative halls
and little outside. indicative Of distrust