AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE.
The LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR announced the special order for this hour being the consideration of Mr. Stein's bill [S. 156], accepting certain donations from John Purdue and others, and locating and naming the said Agricultural College. (Locating it in Tippecanoe county, and naming it "Purdue University.")
Mr. HANNA moved to recommit the bill with instructions to strike out from the enacting clause, and substitute therefor new matter, locating the Agricultural College at Bloomington in connection with the State University.
Mr. HANNA had an idea that an Agricultural College isolated and alone could not be maintained; that in order to the success of such an institution it must be connected with some university. The adoption of his substitute would at once raise the State University to a high place among the institutions of learning in this country. We ought to hesitate before we undertake to establish this College disconnected from any other institution of learning; for if this is done, year after year it will be coming up asking for appropriation after appropriation to keep it alive. He understood that no other buildings would be needed at Bloomington to carry on this Agricultural College there. He insisted this College located anywhere disconnected with any institution of learning would surely not be self-sustaining, and appropriations would necessarily have to be made for its support from time to time. The Legislature ought not to look to the wishes of the people in this matter, but should look solely to the good we can do, in disposing of this great trust, to the rising generation.
Mr TURNER desired to see this question deposed of. He desired to see no more time consumed upon it, It is impossible to locate this Agricultural College at Bloomington. There are but two great contending parties here, neither of which is Bloomington. As between these two he had nothing to say at present. Regarding it as a fixed fact that the location will be made either in Indianapolis or Tippecanoe county, he opposed the substitute.
Mr. MORGAN had always favored connecting the Agricultural College with the University at Bloomington. It is very important to every citizen of the State that the Agricultural interest should be husbanded and brought to its fullest perfection. He opposed the establishing of a separate college, and having two sickly institutions relying upon the State for support. Should the Legislature determine not to unite this fund with the State University, he favored giving it to some institution to use on its own hook, and not make the State liable to be called upon year after year for appropriations for its support.
Mr. GRAY came up at the beginning of the last session as a passive Senator on this question, because his constituents have no preference as to where this college shall be located. Last session he voted where-ever he thought his vote would be likely to locate it, but on hearing the offer of Hon. John Purdue read, he thought he should vote to locate this college in Tippecanoe county, from the fact that the otter was made by an individual against whom no objection could be made. He agreed with the Senator from Sullivan that the propositions for the donation of money made by County Commissioners are very uncertain; and he regarded the propositions coming from Tippecanoe county as infinitely better than any that has yet been made.
Mr. CRAVENS did not want to discuss this question, for his views are well known. The amendment was exactly in the line of his preference, and he desired a test vote upon it. All these local propositions had not the weight of a pin. The State of Indiana is a bidder for this Agricultural College, and the best bidder in the market. Her resources and her ambition to make it what it should be will far exceed any locality in the State. If, upon a test question, it is decided that the State will not add this fund to the State University, then he had his preference. There is but one valid bid before the Senate as far as localities are concerned, and that is the bid of an individual who has the ability to carry out his designs and the ambition to back his ability.
Mr. HANNA readily assented to arid adopted the suggestion that his motion be now considered as an amendment to the bill by way of substitute.
Mr. STEIN, while professing to be a friend to the State University, opposed the substitute on the ground of impracticability. We are here, possibly, in the last week of our session, and it is of the highest importance that we proceed at once to the location of this College, for on the 4th day of July, 1872, our days of grace expire, and unless further time is provided by Congress the State becomes liable to the General page: 154[View Page 154] Government for this Agricultural College fund. Then he was not certain, under the act of Congress, that this fund can be amalgamated with the University at Bloomington. He read from the act of Congress, and said that wise heads in other States had construed it to mean the establishment of a separate and independent institution. He regarded the inducements offered by his county as infinitely greater than those offered either by Monroe or Marion county.
Mr. HANNA replied, stating that he understood Mr. Purdue to expect this Agricultural College to be located south of the Tippecanoe river, on lands nearly adjoin-the city of Lafayette, and therefore the propositions from Tippecanoe county ought to be considered independent of each other. It will take all Mr. Purdue offers $15,000 a year for ten years to build, and at the end of ten years you don't have a building costing as much as the State Normal school building at Terre Haute. And it will be ten years before the building will be finished and all ready for occupancy by the College.
Mr. ROBINSON, of Madison, maintained that we have no right under the act of Congress to connect this Agricultural College with any University. He advocated the passage of the bill under consideration.
Mr. RICE favored the substitute, and spoke against the establishment of an independent Agricultural College; gentlemen have been defied to point out a successful institution of the kind in the new or old world; they don't live by themselves. He regarded it as a question of relieving the people of the State from the burden of taxation; and that was the main reason that would influence him to vote for the substitute.
Mr. BELLAMY opposed the bill and substitute-speaking in favor of the location at Indianapolis in connection with the Northwestern Christian University.
Mr. STEIN submitted a written guarantee that the $50,000 donation proposed by the Commissioners of Tippecanoe county should be paid as agreed, which guarantee was signed by H. W. Chase, Martin L. Pierce, John Purdue, Mr. Sample, Mr. Reynolds, Mr. Stein, himself and others. And on his motion the motion to recommit was laid on the table by yeas 27. nays 10 as follows:
YEAS-Messrs. Andrews, Armstrong, Beardsley, Bellamy, Bradley, Carson, Case, Caven, Church, Eliott, Fosdick, Gifford, Gray, Green, Hadley, Hamilton, Hess, Hooper, Jaquess, Kinley. Reynolds, Robinson of Madison, Robinson of Decatur, Scott, Sherrod, Stein, Turner-27.
NAYS-Messrs. Bird, Cravens, Fisher, Hanna, Humphreys, Lee, Montgomery, Morgan, Rice, Tagsart-10.
Then came the recess till 2 o'clock.
