MEMORIAL.
PURDUE UNIVERSITY.
To the General Assembly of the State of Indiana:The Indiana Agricultural College, now called Purdue University, realized, in currency, two hundred and twelve thousand two hundred and thirty-eight dollars and fifty cents ($212,238.50) from the sales of the land-scrip donated by the United States. With this money, government bonds were purchased; and a part of the interest accruing on said bonds has been invested in a similar manner. Hence at at the present time Purdue University has two hundred and fifty thousand dollars ($250,000) of bonds commonly called 5-20's, and twenty thousand ($20,000) of currency 6's; all of which are registered. For these bonds there has been paid, in currency, two hundred and ninety-two thousand one hundred and seventy-seven dollars and eighty-seven cents ($292,177.87.) There are also in the Treasury of the University, seven thousand one hundred and sixty-seven dollars and fifty-two cents ($7,167.52) in currency--being a balance of the interest received.
The present currency value of this fund derived from the sale of land-script, is three hundred and fourteen thousand and sixty-seven dollars and fifty-two cents ($314,067.52) and the annual interest thereon is fifteen thousand dollars ($15,000) in gold, and twelve hundred dollars ($1,200) in currency. In addition to this, it is confidently expected that Congress, at the approaching session, will largely increase the former grant to the States and thus enable the "Agricultural Colleges" to do the work they were intended to perform without any assistance from the States for current expenses. (A Bill is now pending in the U. S. Senate which donates one
page: 30[View Page 30]million acres of the public lands to each Agricultural College.)
By act of Congress and in accordance with the legislation of Indiana: "No portion of said fund" (heretofore received from the United States land grant) "nor any interest thereon, shall be applied directly or indirectly, under any pretence whatever, to the purchase, erection, preservation or repair of any building or buildings."
Besides the funds above specified, Mr. John Purdue obligated himself to pay one hundred and fifty thousand dollars (150,000) for the benefit of the University, in yearly installments of fifteen thousand dollars ($15,000) and Tippecanoe county agreed to donate fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) in annual installments of ten thousand dollars ($10,000.) Also, certain citizens in the vicinity of Lafayette gave one hundred (100) acres of very eligible land on which to locate the University.
As a tract of one hundred acres was considered too small to meet the wants of an Agricultural College, eighty-four (84) acres of land lying in the best possible position to the land donated, were bought at a cost of twenty-four thousand dollars ($24,000.) The sum of thirty-two thousand dollars ($32,000) has been appropriated and in part expended for the erection of a dormitory for students. And for laying the foundation for the main college building, and for a dwelling house and barn, an additional sum of about ten thousand dollars ($10,000) has been expended.
Mr. Purdue has so far redeemed his pledge, that another installment will not be due from him until May, 1874.
To meet the pledge of Tippecanoe county, the Board of Commissioners issued orders on the County Treasurer as the installments became due, to wit: for ten thousand dollars ($10,000) May, 1870; for ten thousand dollars ($10,000) May, 1871; and for ten thousand dollars ($10,000) May, 1872. The first of these orders was paid last summer; the last two were presented for payment as soon as drawn, but not paid for want of funds. They with accrued interest will probably be paid early in the year 1873.
At their session in August, 1872, the Board of Trustees of Purdue University ordered the erection of a dormitory with thirty-two (32) suits of rooms--three rooms to a suit; which was at once placed under contract, to be completed for thirty-two thousand dollars ($32,000.) This building is now up to the third story. The Trustees also ordered that arrangements be made to build, with as little delay as possible, a Chemical Laboratory after the plan of the new Laboratory of Brown University, at a probable cost of fifteen thou-
page: 31[View Page 31]sand dollars ($15,000;) and a Boarding House, the plans of which were ordered, and are in process of completion, at an estimated cost of fifteen thousand dollars ($15,000.)
And it is designed to proceed in erecting the main College edifice, the basement of which has been built in part. This main building will require for its completion, about seventy-five thousand dollars ($75,000.) All these structures are imperatively necessary to the successful opening of the Institution for the reception of students; and if the requisite means can be placed at the command of the Board of Trustees, these buildings can and will be completed by the autumn of 1873.
In addition to buildings, there will be needed for the purchase of Chemical, Philisophical and Mathematical Apparatus, ten thousand dollars ($10,000;) for a Museum, ten thousand dollars ($10,000;) for a Conservatory, five thousand dollars ($5,000;) for a Library, ten thousand dollars ($10,000;) for fencing and ornamenting grounds of University, five thousand dollars ($5,000;) for boring an Artesian Well, five thousand dollars ($5,000;) for purchase of Farm Implements and Machinery, five thousand dollars ($5,000;) for purchasing stock of Horses, Cattle, Sheep and Swine, five thousand dollars ($5,000;) and for erecting a Barn and Shedding for stock, farm machinery and crops, ten thousand dollars ($10,000.)
Thus, in the opinion of the Trustees, it will require at least one hundred and sixty-seven thousand dollars ($167,000) between this and mid-summer of next year, to put the buildings and other appliances of Purdue University in condition to open for the reception and instruction of students, on a basis which will compare favorably with kindred Institutions in other States. And at most, the Trustees can have within that time, from present resources, only the $40,000 donated and falling due from Tippecanoe county.
Under these circumstances, no alternative is left but to apply to the Legislature of the State of Indiana for an appropriation, at their present session of one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000.) And we, the Trustees of Purdue University, hereby pray that such appropriation be made.
This may seem a large sum to ask, but when all the circumstances are considered, that impression will probably be entirely removed. There are but three State Educational Institutions, and those who feel a State pride, such as we believe animates your Honorable Body, and who reflect that those Institutions are thrown open to the sons and daughters of every citizen of Indiana; that even the courses of
page: 32[View Page 32]Law and Medicine, and preparation for teaching are completed without any charge for tuition; we can then see readily why the Legislature--emulating with commendable rivalry our sister States of the West--has already made liberal appropriations for building and conducting the State Normal School, and will probably feel justified in granting the further sums asked for that Institution. From the same stand point, we submit, it can well be seen why this General Assembly should also grant to the State University the sum needed to erect a suitable building to contain the cabinet recently purchased by the Trustees, and an annual sum sufficient to make the income adequate to the position and wants of that Institution.
If these liberal appropriations already made and those we hope soon will be made to the Normal School and to the State University are just, and such as a wise and generous policy dictates--which we fully conceive to be the case--then we ask that the same wise and generous legislation be extended to place Purdue University on a basis which would insure success and be but a just response to the liberality heretofore displayed by the General Government, and be an additional incentive to new donations from that source--while a vacillating or parsimonious policy would assuredly have the opposite effect.
Your memorialists further believe there is no method better than liberal appropriations for education, by which life and property could be made more secure in our State, immigration encouraged, virtue strengthened, heavy expenditures for punishment or restraint of crime avoided; nor any policy other than that of fostering education in all its departments, whereby so much prosperity could be realized; so much development of mines and manufactures be effected; so much increase in our agricultural products be secured without deterioration of our rich soil; in short, by which Indiana could be made so enlightened and so worthy of her citizens.
In conclusion, we respectfully beg leave to remind you that the especial object and purpose of the Purdue University is to foster and advance the Agricultural and Mechanical interests of the State.
JOHN R. COFFROTH,
JOHN A. STEIN,
M. L. PIERCE,
I. D. G. NELSON,
JOHN SUTHERLAND,
L. A. BURKE,Trustees.
