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Caption: Book - History of the University (Powell)
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166 History University of Illinois learning. The existing colleges manifested their desires and willingness to divide up the college and seminary funds, but the legislature thwarted these schemes by the shrewd maneuver of loaning the interest from session to session to the common school fund. The next legislative attempt was made in 1851. For several years the need of a normal school had been much discussed through the state, as well as the propriety of devoting a portion of the college and seminary funds for its support. In the legislature of 1851 a bill for "An act organizing a state university" was introduced by Newton Cloud, senator from Morgan county. It did not provide for a university in the usual acceptation of the term; but attempted to divide the funds among the colleges under a decentralized arrangement. The governor, the secretary of state, and the presidents of the several colleges of the state were named as a board of education styled the "Regents of the university of the state of Illinois;" and the annual income of the college and seminary funds was to be distributed annually among the colleges of the state if they fulfilled certain conditions ; each college receiving a share of the funds should maintain a professorship of English literature and normal instruction and should appropriate " a t least two hundred dollars per annum provided it received so much under this act, over and above the salary of the professor of popular education, in promoting a knowledge of agriculture, chemistry, botany, geology, and mineralogy."22 This bill passed the senate but was later reconsidered and tabled. At the same session the legislature passed a bill entitled "An act to incorporate the Farmer's college in Macoupin county, Illinois."28 This bill was introduced by Thomas Quick of Monroe county who was later a member of the board of trustees of an agricultural college at Irvington, and in 1867 on the board of trustees of the Illinois industrial university at Urbana. Five trustees were designated who should have power to name others, not to exceed fifteen. The object of the college, which was to be permanently located in Macoupin county, was to promote 3 *Mie biU is printed below, p. 531, "Laws of 1851, p. 181, see also bolow p. 529.
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