| |
| |
Caption: Book - History of the University (Powell)
This is a reduced-resolution page image for fast online browsing.
EXTRACTED TEXT FROM PAGE:
260 History University of Illinois Champaign's method of procedure—unfai r in the estimation of her competitors, her lobbying committees, the suspicion concerning her influence over the press, chiefly Chicago and Springfield papers, also her exaggerated statements in regard to the value of her bid—made her a target for a vast amount of criticisms from other communities throughout the state. On February 9 the Prairie Farmer had an article with the title "Is Champaign selling out the farmers?" It stated that it had inside information that Champaign contemplated incorporating in the bill locating the institution in Champaign a section for the benefit of a polytechnic school in Chicago—thus dividing the fund to secure the vote of Chicago members for the location of the agricultural department in their city. The article closed with this sentence: " I f Champaign cannot afford to stand its chances, fairly, in an open competition, legislators should see to it that she is counted out of the number of competitors." 14 The attitude and actions of Champaign were criticised not only abroad but at home. The Champaign papers of the time had little to say of this dissension at home but the press in other localities commented on the fact that all was not peaceful in Champaign county. Some of the comments were based upon a circular distributed in Springfield on February 6, which caused excitement about the capitol, but had little weight apparently with the legislature. The essential portion of the circular read as follows: : 'To the Senate and House of Representatives of Illinois. We, the undersigned tax payers and legal voters of East Bend Township, Champaign County, State of Illinois, do hereby petition your honorable bodies not to legalize the proceedings of our County Board of Supervisors at their Annual Meeting in September, 1866, appropriating one hundred thousand dollars to secure the location of the Agricultural College at our county seat. Also we pray you not to legalize an appropriation of $5,000 made at the adjourned meeting in December, 1866, to pay incidentals, sundries, etc. to secure the location of the Agricultural College in Champaign County. The reasons for our prayer are as follows: " F i r s t : ° u r county is already heavily in debt for the paru Pravrie Farmer, February 9, 1867.
| |
