Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1914-12-27
TRAINERS OF THE CONSTITU-
TION SHOWED EXCELLENT
JUDGMENT IN AWARDING
LARGE LAND GRANTS FOR
HIGHER EDUCATION.
MORE THAN 100000 ACRES
Funds Invested for Seven State
Institutions June 80, 1914, Am
ounted to $1,426,661.69.
Editors Notc-(This is the
first Of series Of articles dis
cussing educational matters.)

j.. 4.
By way Of introduction, short
sketch of the state institutions is
necessary as foundation for the ar
ticles which are to follow.
These discussions will be confined
to the state educational plants which
depend solely upon state aid. That
is, the University, Grand Forks; Ag'
ricultural College, Fargo; Normal
schools at Valley City, Mayville and
Minot; State Industrial school, Ellen
dale; Academy of Science, Wahpeton,
and School of Forestry, Bottineau.
All but the Minot Normal were To-
Gated by the constitution when it was
framed. This institution has been
added later by constitutional amend
ment.
Land Grants Awarded.
The Valley City Normal was award
ed land grant Of $4,000 acres; May
vile, 100000; Glendale Industrial
school, 10000; Wahpeton Science
school, 10000.
Especially generous in the matter
of land grants the state has given 40.
900 acres to the School of Mines, To-
Gated at Grand Forks, in connection
with the State University, and $4,000
acres for the University proper
Agricultural College Lands.
The Agricultural College lands ag-
gregated 10000 acres. The greater
portion of these grants has been sold
and the money either invested in Sc.
curities or. due In the form of con-
tracts. In the case of the e'Agricultural
College alone the total purchase price
of the 93,S19.49 acres sold aggregates
$1.22O,469.O2.
When the heads Of the institution
regard these grants of land as insti-
tutional property per Sc they err
greatly. These lands were given to
provide a permanent school fund for
the state and lift the burden of tax
alton as much as possible from the
people of the state. They really are
lands held in trust for the people OF
the state, the money derived from
their sale to he invested so as to yield
perpetually an income for the institu-
tions.
It is as important that the income
from this source should be expended
as carefully and economically as the
educational dollar raised in the form
of direct taxation
Grants Aggregate 416,oso Acres.
For these institutions alone, state
land grants aggregated 416,OS0 acres.
OF this grant there has been sold 1885,
455.46 acres. On June 80, 1914, there
had been invested in bonds for these
institutions $1,426,661.69.
This gives some conception in out
line of the permanent provision made
for these institutions. Unfortunately
log-rolling and sectional strife in the
constitutional convention located
the educational institutions not
for the future, but under stress
of political expediency and in accord
ance with the distribution Of the
states population in 1889.
Great wisdom and foresight were
shown in creating permanent income
for these institutions, but in decen-
tralizing rather than concentrating
the educational units lies one of the
reasons for the present high cost OF
education in North Dakota without a
corresponding degree Of efficiency.
Whether the. state legislature will
have courage to tackle local opposi-
tion by forcing consolidation of our
educational plants remains to be seen.
If this were done, long step would
he taken toward eliminating the waste
and duplication under the present
regime.
The next article will discuss this
phase of the educational system.