Repository: UIHistories Project: Book - History of the University (Powell) [PAGE 295]

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The University Located

268

The joint committee, appointed to visit the different counties desiring the location and which made its report on Saturday, February 16, to the assembly, did not consider that it was within its province to recommend any one place but merely to report on the value of the bids. The whole question was, therefore, squarely before the legislature. Immediately on the Monday following, the fight in the legislature was resumed. In the senate Mr. Puller's bill was reported back, amended by the special committee to which it had been referred and with the recommendation that it should pass. It was made the special order for the next day but that was the last heard of it. In the house on the same day Mr. Griggs' bill was taken up and amended in minor details. Mr. Bond of Cook county endeavored to amend by a clause permitting the establishment of a polytechnic institution in Chicago. This amendment was withdrawn on the 21st—apparently because it was amended so that the amount of money to be raised by Chicago to establish the polytechnic institute was increased from $50,000 to $150,000. The decisive struggle oti this particular bill as well as on the whole subject came on February 20 in the house on the question of section 11 of the bill proposing to locate the university in Champaign county. The first onslaught was made by Morgan county in the attempt by Mr. Epler of Jacksonville to amend by substituting Morgan county's offer and Jacksonville for the location in place of Champaign. It was defeated by a vote of sixty-one to twenty. Mr. Green of DeWitt then endeavored to amend by substituting McLean county's bid and Normal in place of Champaign. Again there was a defeat. It was decided in the negative, the amendment losing by a vote of fiftyeight to twenty-six. Next to make the attempt was Logan county. Mr. Gaillard moved to substitute Logan's bid and Lincoln for the location in place of Champaign. It was decided in the negative sixty to twenty-one. The bill with section 11 intact locating the university in Champaign county—became section 12 in the act—was then passed with a vote of sixty-seven to ten. The bill reached the senate on February 21 and on the 25th there was repeated here what had occurred in the house. Mr.

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