| |
| |
Caption: Book - History of the University (Powell)
This is a reduced-resolution page image for fast online browsing.
EXTRACTED TEXT FROM PAGE:
Illinois Considers Disposition of Donation 193 that a committee representing the mechanics of Chicago would lay a communication before the legislature.80 On January 10, 1865, the bill drafted by the Decatur committee consisting of Van Epps, Turner, Reynolds, McConnel, and Roots, was introduced in the house by Mr. Tincher. It was entitled "An act to provide for the organization, endowment, and maintenance of the Illinois industrial eollege.,, Ten days later the bill was referred to a special committee and then to the committee of the whole. Here it received numerous amendments, but of special importance was the One to section 11 which had to do with the location of the university. This amendment was in the form of a resolution, and proposed that the senators and representatives from the various congressional districts of the state name one commissioner for the location of the industrial university from each of the said districts and report the names. The bill with amendments emerged from the committee on February 10 and was ordered to third reading. The amendment to section 11 was laid on the table. Then came a move that was credited by the friends of the bill to the efforts of groups of men in Cook and Champaign counties. The significance of the endeavor was apparent when Representative Cook of Cook county submitted as a substitute to section 11 of the proposed bill, a proposition to locate the university at Urbana, Champaign county, whenever that county should convey to the trustees the "Urbana and Champaign institute/' building, grounds and appurtenances, certain lots and ten acres of ground composing the college campus and a farm of one hundred and forty acres connected therewith. It provided also that the trustees should have power to establish "now or hereafter'* in the city of Chicago a "department of the said university for the purpose of teaching the mechanic arts," provided suitable buildings and ground should be donated, together with the sum of one hundred thousand dollars; similarly the trustees should be empowered to establish a department in southern Illinois for the purpose of teaching agriculture. After debate the substitute carried by a vote of 45 to 35J§ Then on February 13, the bill as amended ^Illinois School Beports, 1: 11-12, It is very probable that the mechanics of Chicago planned to present their views although they did not do so.
| |
