Repository: UIHistories Project: Book - History of the University (Powell) [PAGE 642]

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602

History University of Illinois

opinion was, indeed, expressed; scarcely any two persons could be found, who agreed upon the details of such an institution; and there were opposing views even on the general question as to the union of the two branches of agriculture and mechanics in one institution, or their separation into distinct schools. The undersigned understand it to have been made a question by the friends of agriculture in the State of Illinois, whether the fund appropriated by Congress could be in any way lawfully divided, or segregated by State action. For themselves they never entertained a doubt of the absolute competence of the Legislature to dispose of the fund at its discretion, being responsible therefor to Congress. The undersigned do not propose to submit any argument in favor of their opinion, inasmuch as more weighty precedent is at hand. The State of Massachusetts has made such a division, giving a portion of the fund allotted to her for the establishment of an agricultural school, and the remainder has been given for the endowment of an institute of Technology previously established in the city of Boston. The State of Khode Island has transferred the whole fund accruing to that State, under the Act of Congress, to Brown University, her principal college. Other States it is understood have made different dispositions of the fund allotted to them, all of which goes to show that the whole matter of carrying out the design of Congress has been everywhere treated as resting in the discretion of the State Legislatures. Assuming, then, that your Honorable Body has full authority to establish distinct institutions for agriculture and for the mechanic arts, and that under proper circumstances it would be advisable to exercise such a discretion, let us for a moment enquire whether these circumstances in fact exist. The fund granted by Congress is not money, nor is it readily convertable into money. J Years may and probably will elapse before the whole of it shall have been converted and permanently invested. In! the meantime, whatever is done towards the establishment of one or more institutions under the act must be done by the State, unless individual beneficence will lift the burden from her, and under any circumstance the establishment of a single institution,