Success of junior college students.-A careful investigation made by the university showed that the students who attend the junior colleges succeed as well in college later as those who go direct from the high schools to college. This conclusion has been found in many other places, notably at Stanford. The number of students securing a college education has increased remarkably in each community. In parts of the State remote from a college center about 25 percent of the high-school graduates go to college. When there is a local college more than 50 percent enroll in some college. In Aberdeen, for example, the college attendance from Grays Harbor County doubled the first year when the junior college was established. One criterion of the success of any educational institution is the number who have continued their education at some higher level. Judged by that the public junior colleges of Washington seem to be successful. Out of the total enrollment up to 1930, 166 had transferred to attend standard colleges, universities, or normal schools. The distribution among the higher institutions is indicated in table 28. TABLE 28.-Higher institutions attended by 166 former students of the public junior colleges of Washington CHAPTER XI The University of Washington I. The Territorial University 1. Federal Grants for the University The ordinance of 1787.-From the date of the enactment of the ordinance of 1787 the Federal Government has manifested a paternalistic attitude toward the material encouragement, not only of com mon-school education, but also of higher education. This ordinance made the first grant of two townships of land to the Ohio company for a college. When Ohio was admitted as a State in 1803 the new Federal Government granted three townships for seminaries of learning. In the admission of all new territories or States since that time Congress has reserved two or more townships for the support of a State university. (For certain reasons not pertinent here, Texas and Kentucky did not receive these Federal grants for universities.) Federal provisions for a university in Oregon, 1850.-The "donation act" of Congress passed September 27, 1850, granted to the Territory of Oregon, the quantity of two townships of land in said Territory, west of the Cascade Mountains, and to be selected in legal subdivi sions after the same has been surveyed by the legislative assembly of said Territory, in such manner as it may deem proper, one to be located north, and the other south of the Columbia River, to aid in the establishment of a university in the Territory of Oregon, in such manner as the said legislative assembly may direct, the selection to be approved by the surveyor general.1 Grant for university in Washington Territory, 1854.-When Washington was separated from Oregon by being accorded territorial status on March 3, 1853, Congress did not overlook the fact that provision should be made speedily for a university in the new com monwealth. Accordingly in the "donation act" of Congress, approved July 17, 1854, it was enacted in section 4: That in lieu of the two townships of land granted to the territory of Oregon by the tenth section of the act of eighteen hundred and fifty, for universities, there shall be reserved to each of the Territories of Washington and Oregon, two townships of land of thirty-six sections each, to be selected in legal subdivisions for university purposes under the direction of the legislature of said territories respectively. 2. Establishment of the Territorial University Legislative enactment, January 29, 1855.-One of the first acts of the legislature following the "donation act" of Congress was to consider the establishment of a territorial university. The next (second) session of the legislative assembly convened on December 4, 1854. On December 13 a bill was introduced by Mr. Strickler as council bill no. 7, entitled "An Act to Locate the Territorial University." This was passed on January 29, 1855. Because of the historic significance of that act it is reproduced entire. AN ACT TO LOCATE THE TERRITORIAL UNIVERSITY 5 SEC. 1. University located at Seattle: branch on Boisfort Plains, to be on equal footing with university. SEC. 2. University lands divided. SEC. 3. One township of land to the University at Seattle, the other to the branch on Boisfort Plains. SEC. 1. Be it enacted by the Legislative Assembly of the Territory of Washington, That the university shall be, and hereby is located and established at Seattle in the county of King; and there is hereby located and established a branch of said university on Boisfort Plains, in Lewis County, to be placed upon the same footing with respect to funds and all other matters as the university located at Seattle, in King County. Src. 2. The two townships of land granted by act of Congress of July seventeenth, 1854, for the support of universities, be and the same is hereby equally divided between the university located at Seattle, in King County, and the branch of said university located at Boisfort Plains in Lewis County. SEC. 3. One township of the foregoing grant of land for university purposes is hereby set apart for the support and endowment of the university located at Seattle, in King County, and the other township is hereby set apart for the support and endow ment of the branch of said university located at Boisfort Plains, in Lewis County. Passed January 29, 1855. Provision for the selection of Federal-granted lands.-Two days later, January 31, 1855, the legislature passed "An act to provide for the selection and location of two townships of land to aid in the establishment of a university." This bill provided: "That the county superintendents of common schools throughout the territory" should be "constituted a board of commissioners to select and locate two townships of land for university purposes in accordance with the provisions of the act of Congress donating the said number of townships to Washington Territory for university purposes." 'Council Journal, 1854-55-56, Dec. 13, 1854, p. 20. 'Laws of Washington, 1854-55, secs. 1-3. p. 8. Ibid, secs. 1-5, pp. 8, 9. It was specified that the act should take effect from and after its passage. The law stated that "the commissioners may proceed, as soon as in their opinion good selections can be made, to select and locate said lands." It was specified that no commissioner should select more than two sections before the next session of the legislature. All selections were to be approved by the land office and reported to the legislative assembly. Apparently the county superintendents were remiss in their duty as no report to the legislature has been discovered. It has been stated that the county superintendents were hostile toward the idea of a university and purposely refrained from making any selections. That seems to be mere conjecture, however. It is more probable that the unorganized condition of education, the lack of a Territorial superintendent, and the peripatetic character of the county superintendents is an explanation. Relocation of the university on Cowlitz Farm Prairie, January 30, 1858. Evidently before any Federal-granted lands had been selected the legislature passed "An act to relocate the Territorial university." This act repealed the one passed on January 29, 1835, locating the bifurcated university at Seattle and Boisfort Plains. Because of the significance of the bill it is reproduced here verbatim. AN ACT TO RElocate the Territorial UniveRSITY 7 SEC. 1. Be it enacted by the Legislative Assembly of the Territory of Washington, That the Territorial university be, and the same is hereby located on the Cowlitz Farm Prairie, in the county of Lewis: Provided, a good and sufficient deed to 160 acres of land, on an eligible part of said prairie, be first executed to the Territory of Washington. SEC. 2. The proceeds of the two townships of land granted by an act of Congress. approved July 17, 1854, for university purposes, shall be applied for the support and endowment of said university. SEC. 3. The act passed January 29th, 1855, entitled, “An Act to Locate the Terri torial University," is repealed. Passed January 30, 1858. It was not stated by whom the deed was to be executed. It is to be noted that this act did not repeal the law providing that the county superintendents should constitute a board of commissioners to select the Federal-granted lands. The law was still in effect even if unexecuted. Two years later, however, the act was repealed and provision made for a different board. A new commission to locate the Federal-grant lands.—Undoubtedly there was dissatisfaction with the commission of county superin 'Laws of Washington, 1857-58, p. 40. tendents or possibly there was desire to distribute political patronage through their replacement by a new commission. On January 20, 1860, an act was passed "To provide for the selection and location of the lands reserved for university purposes, and to appoint a board of commissioners." Evidently the legislature considered that the former board was still in existence because section 8 repealed "An act to provide for the selection and location of two townships of land to aid in the establishment of a university", passed January 31, 1855. The act named A. B. Dillinbaugh, John Clinger, and Newland as commissioners. The instructions were essentially the same as for the former board but evidently in order to secure prompt action section 2 specified that "the board are hereby directed to proceed, forthwith, to make selection of said lands, in detached portions, in diferent parts of the Territory." When the legislature adjourned a few days later the university was still located at Cowlitz Prairie Farm. Final relocation of the university at Seattle, December 12, 1860.-By the opening of the next session of the legislature there were evidently new alignments, new enthusiasm, new jealousies, and new political debts to pay. There was a complete riot of relocations of Territorial institutions. The capital, which was in legal and actual existence at Olympia, was relocated in Vancouver; the penitentiary, which was legally at Vancouver, was relocated at Port Townsend, and the university, which had been reposing quietly at Cowlitz Farm Prairie, was relocated in Seattle. The supreme court declared the relocation of the capital illegal and later the penitentiary was relocated in Walla Walla. The details of their meanderings are not germane to this discussion. Because of the great historical and educational importance and in the hope of helping to settle certain controversies regarding the location of the university in Seattle, the entire act is reproduced. It was introduced in the house as house bill no. 17 by Mr. Stone of Kitsap County on December 12, 1860, and passed by both houses on the same day. The procedure was as follows: Introduced by Mr. Stone; motion to lay on the table was lost; motion to postpone 1 week lost; rules suspended and bill read second time by title; motion lost to amend by inserting 160A instead of 10A; third reading called for carried; "the bill then read for a third time "; " so the bill was passed and its title agreed to"; "clerk instructed to report the bill to the council." The clerk addressed the council: Mr. President: "I am 'Laws of Washington, 1859-60, secs. 1-8. pp. 293–294. Journal of the House of Representatives, 1860–61-62, pp. 64, 65, 66; Council Journal, 1860-61-62, pp. 61. 62. |