Year: 1871




NASHVILLE, Dec. Is.
EDITORS CHRONICLE: The special COM
mittee to investigate the East Tennessee
University made their report to-day. This
report does at once great honor to the i'm
partiality and craftsmanship of the COM
mittee, and to the integrity and fidelity of
the Trustees of the University. The COM
mittee report that the Trustees have COM
piled with the requirements of the statute
in every particular; that the University
owns the necessary amount of property; ;
and the State bonds issued to it are in the
hands of the Treasurer land are so en-
dOrsed and stamped as to render them en-
tirely valueless in any other hands" The
committee, however, state that 'they do
not think the spirit and intent of the
act of Congress have been strictly COM
piled with in that the Board of Trus-
tees do not require all the students
who are physically able, to work
on the farm, except by way of punish
ment, when it was clearly contemplated
by Congress that practical instructions in
agriculture should be prominent feature
in the course of training in said institu-
ton" hope the attention of the trustees
will be arrested by this criticism of the
committee. The conclusion of the report
is so sensible, and shows such eminent i'm
partiality, and is so characteristic of the
candor, want of prejudice, and enlarged
liberality marking the entire report, that
give it in full:


Your committee, in submitting this
report, would most respectfully suggest
that it is highly desirable that this ques
ton should be finally settled at as early a
period as possible, in order that the mu-
nificent gift of Congress may accomplish,
to the fullest extent possible, the beneficent
oh tnH in % w
mated it to our State. This object can not
be attained while there isan ever-recurring
agitation of the question of new disposi-
tiOns of the fund and an abiding sense of
uneasiness as to its permanent location.


JOHN w. COULTER,


Chairman on part of Senate.


J. \. TRoUSDALE,


Chairman on part of House.


Senator Coulter in presenting the report
stated that he hoped the agitation of the
removal of any part of the agricultural
fund would now cease forever; that the
conditions had all been complied with,
and that the Legislature had no power, if
they had the disposition to interfere with
said fund He moved that the report and
the testimony be published in the Appen-
dix in order that the necessity for future
investigation might never arise. This
motion prevailed. And now we hope
there is an end to this controversy. Sena-
tor Coulter admitted that he had gone to
Knoxville prejudiced against the Univer-
sity and determined, if possible, to
find some excuse for legislative
interference; but that a full inves-
tigation removed his preiudices and
and satisfied him not only that the law
had been complied with, and that the
fund was in safe hands, but that it was
utterly out of the power of the Legislature
to make any other disposition of said
fund. a#r e.. n- l..-..r rf1- I.I


[ will here say that the action of the
President and other officers of the Univer-
sity, in being ever anxious to furnish all
the information desired, in opening every
thing to the gaze of the committee and
the hospitality and general politeness
with which the committee were received
and entertained, had no doubtits influence
in inclining the committee to be liberal
and statesmanlike. The Legislature has
just appointed the Hon. J. M. Coulter
Trustee of the University in place of Mr..
Roach deceased. @f fEIaF


I congratulate the people of East Ten
nesse, and especially of Knox county,
upon the auspicious results of this investi-
CATION. YOURS.