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Caption: Book - History of the University (Powell)
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Illinois Plan Before Congress 111 them Turner, had been invited. "We had a grand time/' wrote Cary, "and gave the 'Ball' a roll such as it never had. We had strong men and true and they worked like brothers." 28 He mentioned that Dr. John Kennicott of Illinois was there and "though feeble in body did by his presence and voice good service." He mentioned also M. P. Wilder of Massachusetts as a host in himself and added that they had worked together as "David and Jonathan." There were other men in Washington at that time working in the interest of the bill, among them were Professor Brown of the New York people's college, L. C. Byington of Iowa, D. P. Holloway of Indiana, W. F . M. Amy of Kansas, and representatives of several other states. There is no evidence at hand to show that any one man at that time was leading in this work to influence congress. Men of the east and west joined in working for the bill, which they recognized would be of great value to each of the states. In spite of the efforts of the friends of industrial education both in and out of congress, on February 26,1859, the land grant bill was returned to the house of representatives with the president's veto. Buchanan had found the bill unacceptable for numerous reasons: it was extravagant as its effect would be to deprive the almost depleted treasury of the $5,000,000 which the sale of public lands was expected to produce during the next fiscal year; it was impolitic because it would encourage the states to rely upon the federal government! for aid to which they were not entitled; it was injurious to the new states since it would force down the value of land scrip and make it possible for speculators to obtain large tracts within their borders; it was insufficient to assure the promotion of industrial education because, although the state legislatures were required to stipulate that they would apply the land to the purpose for which it had been granted, there was no power in the federal government to compel them to execute their trust; it was unjust since it would interfere with and probably injure colleges already established and sustained by their own effort; it was unconstitutional since there was no grant of power to the federal government to expend public "Cary to Turner, January 19, 1859, Turner manuscripts, Springfield.
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