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Caption: Book - History of the University (Powell)
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520 History University of Illinois mate friends. IngersolTs affable personality made him an important accession. There was much argument in the halls of the Capitol, but none on the floor. The most important point made by the opponents of Champaign County, the inaccessibility of Urbana except on a north and south line, was destroyed when a charter was secured for the D. U. B. and P. E. R. The material inducements held out by the rival cities were, of course, offered informally, and were increased as the session wore on, UrbanaChampaign in especial putting forth an effort to keep ahead of the others. Every meeting in Jacksonville to subscribe more land or money was countered by a meeting in the Twin Cities. Mr. Griggs states that he believes his committees would have doubled its final total, and have been gladly supported in doing so by the community. While his supporters worked as hard as possible, Mr. Griggs kept in the background and managed affairs as silently as he could. He was especially anxious to avoid making enemies and for that reason took little part in debate on other matters in the House. The inducements offered by Champaign included the new college building there. This was called the " Elephant" by enemies of the County, but was a very real asset, as it was a pledge that instruction could begin promptly. The building had cost about $120,000; it had a frontage of 125 feet and a depth of 40 feet, with a wing in the rear 70 by 44 feet. The main structure was five stories high, the wing four, and there was a total of 181 rooms. Ten acres of land around this building were offered, with 1 6 0 ^ acres—Mr. Griggs believes owned by Colonel Busey— within a half mile, 410 acres adjoining, and 400 more—of which 240 was Mr. Griggs's own—within two miles—a total of 980 acres. With this were offered $2,000 worth of shade and fruit trees from the Dunlap nursery, $100,000 worth of Champaign County ten per cent twenty year bonds, and $50,000 worth of freight on the Illinois Central Railway. The total was valued by the Legislative committee under A. I. Enoch, which visited all the bidding communities and reported February 16, at $285,000—less than the total valuations of the offerings of the other counties. Mr. Griggs remembers that Morgan County offered, so far as it had any power to do so, to merge Illinois College and Berean College with the new institution, and that Bloomington hoped to do so J
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