Evaluation of importance of Morril! Act.-Andrew D. White, for many years president of Cornell University and later Minister to Germany, said of Senator Morrill's work in promoting agricultural and industrial education: It is, in my opinion, a service which deserves to be ranked, and which future historians will rank, with those of Hamilton in advocating the Constitution, of Jefferson in acquiring Louisiana, and of Clay in giving us a truly American policy.8 We have definite statements showing Mr. Morrill's motives and objectives in asking legislation for the establishment of colleges through Federal aid. Among his papers are memoranda penciled in 1874 in which he explains at some length the history and his purposes in urging the bill. Mr. Morrill said of the objectives that he had in mind that most of the existing collegiate institutions and their feeders were based upon the classic plan of teaching those only destined to pursue the so-called learned professions, leaving farmers and mechanics and all those who must win their bread by labor, to the haphazard of being self-taught or not scientifically taught at all, and restricting the number of those who might be supposed to be qualified to fill places of higher consideration in private or public employments to the limited number of the graduates of the literary institutions *. Being myself the son of a hard-handed blacksmith, the most truly honest man I ever knew, who felt his own deprivation of schools (never having spent but six weeks inside of a school house), I could not overlook mechanics in any measure intended to aid the industrial classes in the procurement of an education that might exalt their usefulness. 3. Legislation for an Agricultural College in Washington Territory Act accepting conditions of Morrill Act, 1864.—The legislative assembly of the Territory of Washington did not delay but on January 28, 1864, voted to accept the bounty of the Federal Government in providing for the establishment of an agricultural college. It seems important to give the text of that enactment because apparently no previous account of the establishment of the State college has mentioned the important fact. An act *** To accept the proposition of the Congress of the United States granting lands to the Territory of Washington for agricultural colleges. After reciting the act of Congress in detail the following law was enacted by the legislative assembly; SEC. 1. Be it enacted by the Legislative Assembly of the Territory of Washington, That each and all of the propositions in said act of Congress, offered to the Territory of Washington, are irrevocably adopted, with all the conditions and obligations therein contained. Parker, William Belmont. The Life and Public Services of Justin Smith Morrill, p. 259. • Ibid., p. 262. SEC. 2. And Whereas, It is expedient to make provisions for locating said lands as soon as possible, this act shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage. Passed January 28, 1864 C. CROSBY, President of the Council. The legislature not only voted to accept the terms of the Federal grant, but also immediately, January 2, 1865, enacted a statute estab lishing an agricultural college at Vancouver. Agricultural college established at Vancouver, 1865.-It is probably known to very few at the present time that an agricultural college was established by the Territorial Legislative Assembly on January 1, 1865. In the distribution of political patronage Vancouver seemed to possess large drawing power. The first Territorial institution to be located there was the penitentiary, on January 11, 1855. In 1860 the penitentiary was relocated at Port Townsend and the capital, then at Olympia, was traded to Vancouver in exchange. The Territorial Supreme Court declared the act unconstitutional, the capital remained at Olympia and Vancouver was without a Territorial institution. But Vancouver was not to be overlooked and consequently on January 2, 1865, the act which is quoted below was passed. The Agricultural college never was developed there and later Vancouver was given the School for the Defectives, now the School for the Deaf and Blind. Because of the historic significance of the establishment of the agricultural college at that time and place extended excerpts from the law are reproduced. An act for the establishment and government of an agricultural college provided for by act of Congress, approved July 2, 1862. SEC. 1. Be it enacted by the Legislative Assembly of the Territory of Washington, That there shall be established in this Territory a college for the benefit of agriculture and the mechanic arts, under the provisions of an act of Congress approved July 2, 1862, entitled "An act donating public lands to the several States and Territories which may provide colleges for the benefit of agriculture and the mechanic arts", which college shall bear the name and style of " Washington College ", and be located at or near the city of Vancouver, in the county of Clarke, Washington Territory. SEC. 2. That the object of said college shall be to teach such branches of learning as are related to agriculture and the mechanic arts, including scientific and classic studies and military tactics, in such manner as the board of trustees of said college hereinafter created may prescribe and establish, subject to the approval of the Legis lative Asssembly of this Territory.10 10 Laws of Washington, 1864-65, pp. 32-36. It was provided that there should be a board of seven trustees, the governor to be one member. The persons named as trustees were: E. S. Fowler, Mich. Wintler, John Sheets, S. W. Brown, Gay Hayden, John H. Timmons, and Gov. Ellwood Evans, ex officio. The board was to have its first meeting on the third Monday of February, A.D. 1865, at Vancouver. They were to elect a commissioner of college lands, whose duty it was to select 30,000 acres of land under the Federal grant. No lands were to be sold for less than $1.25 per acre.11 A supplementary act named three commissioners to select the site in or near Vancouver. Most of the act seems superfluous because the college had already been established and a board of trustees named at the previous session. The act read as follows: An act to provide for the location of an agricultural college of Washington Territory under the provisions of an act of Congress donating lands to the several States and Territories which may provide colleges for the benefit of agriculture and the me chanic arts. SEC. 1. Be it enacted by the Legislative Assembly of the Territory of Washington, That there shall be established in this Territory one college for the teaching of such branches as are related to agriculture and the mechanic arts. SEC. 2. That said college is hereby located in Clarke County. Three commissioners, John Aird, Levi Farnsworth, and William H. Dillon were to select the site for the college. The site was to comprise not less than 40 acres nor more than 160 acres, for which not to exceed $2,000 was to be paid.12 4. Federal Provision for Experiment Stations The Hatch Act.-On March 2, 1887, the Hatch Act provided for the establishment of experiment stations in connection with the agricultural colleges established under the Morrill Act of July 2, 1862, and the various supplementary acts. The Hatch Act reads: That in order to aid in acquiring and diffusing among the people of the United States useful and practical information on subjects connected with agriculture, and to promote scientific investigation and experiment respecting the principles and applications of agricultural science, there shall be established under direction of the college or colleges or agricultural department of colleges in each State or Territory established, or which may hereafter be established, in accordance with the provisions of an act approved July 2, 1862, entitled "An act donating public lands to the several States and Territo ries which may provide colleges for the benefit of agriculture and the mechanic arts", or any of the supplements to said act, a department to be known and designated as an agricultural experiment station ": Provided, That in any State or Territory in which two such colleges have been or may be so established the appropriation herein. 11 Ibid., p. 36. 1 Ibid., p. 31. after made to such State or Territory shall be equally divided between such colleges, unless the legislature of such State or Territory shall otherwise direct. SEC. 2. That it shall be the object and duty of said experiment stations to conduct original researches or verify experiments on the physiology of plants and animals; the diseases to which they are severally subject, with the remedies of the same; the chemical composition of useful plants at their different stages of growth; the compara. tive advantages of rotative cropping as pursued under the varying series of crops; the capacity of new plants or trees for acclimation; the analysis of soils and water; the chemical composition of manures, natural or artificial, with experiments designed to test the comparative effects on crops of different kinds; the adaptation and value of grasses and forage plants; the composition and digestibility of the different kinds of food for domestic animals; the scientific and economic questions involved in the pro duction of butter and cheese; and such other researches or experiments bearing directly on the agricultural industry of the United States as may in each case be deemed advis. able, having due regard to the varying conditions and needs of the respective States or Territories. SEC. 5. That for the purpose of paying the necessary expenses of conducting inves tigations and experiments and printing and distributing the results as herein before prescribed, the sum of $15,000 per annum is hereby appropriated to each State Provided, however, That out of the first annual appropriation so received by any station an amount not exceeding one-fifth may be expended in the erection, enlargement, or repair of a building or buildings necessary for carrying on the work of such station; and thereafter an amount not exceeding 5 per centum of such annual appropriation may be so expended.13 On March 2, 1889, a special proviso was passed requiring all experiment stations established under the Hatch Act, “as far as practicable", to “devote a portion of their work to the examination and classification of soils of their respective States and Territories, with a view to securing more extended knowledge and better development of their agricultural capabilities".14 5. Legislation Under Statehood for Agricultural Education Lapse of the territorial legislative enactments. For some undiscovered reason the agricultural college at Vancouver was never developed. Apparently no subsequent legislation repealed the acts. The secretary of state of Washington and the Federal Secretary of Agriculture have not been able to throw any light upon the question. The Legislature apparently took no steps to set in motion the selection of the Government lands, to construct buildings, or select a faculty. Apparently nothing was done until statehood was attained and then the Legislature began de novo. 13 25 Stat. L., 841. 14 Ibid. Why the provisions of the law of 1865 were never put into effect we have not discovered. The law was never repealed, except by impli cation when the act of 1890 was passed. It seems as if the legislators would have been quick to take advantage of the Federal provisions. The outlook for developing a college of agriculture was much more promising than for the development of the university. The passage of the Morrill Act stirred up a nationwide interest in the new type of education. The acts of 1864 and 1866 in extending the time for the acceptance of the conditions and the establishment of colleges served to assure the various commonwealths that the Federal acts were not empty political gestures. While in each case lands were donated for the support of the institutions their sale value at that time was so small that little revenue could be derived from them. That had been the case at the university, and the institution was obliged to depend upon tuition fees. The legislature made no appropriation until much later— 1878. But in the case of the agricultural college funds for immediate maintenance were provided by the Federal Government. If the legis lators deemed one Territorial institution of higher education sufficient at that time they might have joined the two, placing the college of agriculture within the university at one location, as was done by Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and 17 other States. Such an arrangement, in the opinion of some, would have been most fortunate; to others, it would have been most unfortunate. Many people are opposed to sending their children to an institution where the enrollment is in excess, say, of 4 or 5 thousand. This explains, to a considerable extent, why there was an insistent and successful demand in southern Califor nia to establish a new institution in that section of the State. The enrollment at the University of California is above 11,000, and the enrollment in the new institution—the University of California at Los An geles-is already considerably in excess of 6,000. Felt need for agricultural and industrial education.-As the east side of the State became populated and the need for instruction in agricul ture and technology became apparent the legislature made plans to take advantage of the Federal provisions for these types of instruction. Following the traditions for distributing political patronage they speci fied in the law of 1891 that the college of agriculture should not be located in any city where another State institution is already located. Dr. Bryan remarks: The scramble of the several counties to secure the location of some one of the State institutions was very great. The location of the agricultural college was no exception. |