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Caption: Book - History of the University (Powell)
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Illinois Considers Disposition of Donation 183 declared that not a single agriculturist had yet raised his voice through the public press, in favor of a disposition of the grant such as had been urged by the college men at the Spring* field convention. At the Rockford Fair the state horticultural society held a meeting on September 9, at which a series of resolutions were passed declaring: " t h a t the industrial interests of our state are one and indivisible; that one institution should be established independent of all existing institutions of learning; that a course of lectures on the elements of agriculture be given in some city of Illinois during the coming winter under the auspices of the state agricultural and the state horicultural societies."10 President George W. Minier of the horticultural society reported this action to the state agricultural society, which approved the report, adopted similar resolutions, and appointed a committee to cooperate with its sister society. That the agriculturists were thoroughly aroused is shown by the suggestion of President Van Epps of the state agricultural society in a letter to the Prairie Farmer of December 7, 1863, which called attention to the fact that if the supreme court should hold that the legislature, prorogued by the governor, was in session, that it was highly important for the congressional committee appointed June 9, to be ready to report a bill at a moment's notice. President Van Epps addressed a letter on December 14, to President Minier of the horticultural society, suggesting to him that the horticultural society should be represented at a meeting of the executive board of the state agricultural society in Springfield on January 5, 1864, to discuss plans for the organization of a state agricultural college. He added that the governor was already in possession of the scrip for four hundred eighty thousand acres so that the endowment was secure.11 At the annual meeting of the state horticultural society, held in Alton December 15, 1863, President Read of Shurtleff college was introduced and made a strong argument for the attaching of the agricultural college to some already existing "Illinois State Horticultural Society, Transactions, 1863, p. 117. "Illinois State Agricultural Society, Transactions, 5: 805.
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