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Caption: Book - History of the University (Powell)
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Seminary and College Funds 165 group of men that labored so long and so successfully to bring into being the great system of agricultural colleges and universities, the origin of which has been described in previous chapters. JThe first attempt to establish a state university in Illinois was made at the session of the legislature in 1833, when a bill to incorporate an institution under the name of the Illinois university was introduced in the house on February 14, by Peter Cartwright, of Sangamon county.19 The bill provided for a university "for the education of the youth in the English, learned and foreign languages, the useful sciences, and literature;'' for a board of ten trustees; and for the appropriation of twenty thousand dollars to purchase lands and to erect and furnish buildings. For the support of the university the interest arising from the proceeds of the sales of the seminary land and from the college fund was to be appropriated. The trustees were instructed to locate the institution in or adjacent to the town of Springfield.20 The bill failed for the following reasons: in naming Springfield for the location of the proposed university it awakened the jealousy of Vandalia, a rival candidate for the state house, and that city, therefore, took occasion to stir up opposition of other cities; it aroused the fears of the friends of the colleges, Shurtleff, McKendree, and Illinois college, for they thought that a richly endowed state university would greatly overshadow their institutions; finally, and most important of all, it would have been very inconvenient for the state to restore those misappropriated trust funds.2,1 In December, 1834, Governor Duncan in his message recommended that a state university be established, but no action was taken. For more than sixteen years there was very little attempt and no organized effort to establish a state institution of higher ™Hou$e Journal, 1833, 1 session, 533. The opposition to the bill was led by Zadok Casey. It is interesting to note that the man who introduced in the house this plan for a full-fledged university was the famous traveling Methodist minister, Peter Cartwright. He was not a college man himself, and was frequently quite scornful of those who were. T h e bill is given in full below, p. 525. ^Illinois School Beport, 1886-1888, CXVIII. tifrm B^HKIW HI
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