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Show THE AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE. The report of the trustees of the Agricultural Agri-cultural College shows good work done in that institution, but also shows that tho college has needs which tho Legislature Legis-lature should carefully and proporly attend to. There was a time when the Agricultural College seemed to bo all-powerful all-powerful with Utah Legislatures, and got money far in exeess of its real needs. During the administration of Governor Cutler, howovcr, there appears ap-pears to havo been a sort of unfriendliness unfriendli-ness to tho Agricultural Colloge which put on various forms, tho most offec-tivc offec-tivc of which was tbo proposition to abolish in that, institution the courses of instruction which duplicated courses in the University. Tbis appoars to have been, howovcr, a matter of church politics a good deal more than a mat-tor mat-tor of consideration for the true interests in-terests of the college or of tho University, Uni-versity, or of the public, aud to have had mixed in it a personal auiuiosity against Mr. Kerr, former president of tho college, which was entirely unwarranted unwar-ranted and which was injurious to tho college, as well os to the State. The long-winded and inconclusive reports on tho duplication of studies effected nothing, noth-ing, and as soon as Mr. Kerr was ousted from tho college, the whole matter died down and nothing was heard further about duplication of studies or about the umjue fighting qualities of the Agricultural Agri-cultural College a-c(Jmpared"with the fighliDg qualities of the University. So that it was made plain to the people of this State tbat the official raid, headed by Governor Cutler, against the Agricultural College, was not iu the public interest at all, but was to satisfy private interests and grudges, tbis under un-der cover of n supposed public benefit iu eliminating the duplication of studies in the two chief educational institutions institu-tions of the State. ' Tho false pretense of tbis was iujurious to both institutions, institu-tions, and was also a shock to the public morals aud to official good faith- There is no reason whatever why any public institution should bo under the ban of State officials. There is no reasou why any State official should undertake, either openly or covertly, to make war on any of the State's public, institutions institu-tions to gratify privato auimositio3 or to subserve personal inleresls. The fact that this was dono to the special disadvantage dis-advantage of tho Agricultural College is a blot upou the history of Utah that will always remain a reproach to those guilty of the meddlesome bad f-.tith involved. in-volved. The Agricultural College h'.s : vast field of usefulness before it in this State. That usefulness, however, as pointed out by tho report of President, Widtsoe, has been much baudieaopell in the past by reasou of the frequeut changes in the headship of tho college and in the instructional force. To do good and effective work the officers aud, teaching force of the college should be reasonably permanent and their work should bo continuous. If is impossible for one. perspu to take up tho special work of another iu the way that the other has pursued that work. And in making these changes the continuity of the work is lost aud the work Itself in large measure fails. There nr.1 immense possibilities hero iu tho way of p,-:ct-ing out better wnys of agriculture. horticulture, soil treatment, etc., and much has been douc by the Agricultural College in helping the State along thoe lines. But not as much ns could have been obtained with a contiuuity of officials of-ficials and instructors, ttv.il with a disposition dis-position to continued original research along such lines as Luther Burbank is pursuing in California, opportunities for which are so numerous m this State. If Luther Burbank can produce au edible cactus which will thrive in lUe desert and will be both meat aud drink to stock ou the range, then iho Agricultural Agricul-tural College of Utah should bo L'bl6 to take ihat cactus ami introduce it largely Lu Utah. If Mr. Bock can, with a primitive laboratory aud apparatus at Lchi. produco from a mountain weed or plant a vegetable rubber that will in a measure subserve the purpose of tho India rubber of commerce, then 6urely the Agricultural Allege of Utah, with its bettor apparatus, it3' more scientific investigation and treatment, should bo able to perfect that rubber so as to make it a valuable asset to the State. And' if il s into that' the alkali, which is a. nuisance in vo much of the soil of this Stwlc, can be taken out of that soil and v.iaqs an article of commerce, then tho Agricultural Col-lego Col-lego might fairly be expected to show us tho way to do it. The college is doing excellent work in tbo dry farms of this Stac, and in tho experimental farm at La Vcrkin " the raising and perfecting nf tropical and semi-tropical fru'ts. It is doing good work in instructing the young men and women of this State in the bettor ways of farming and domestic scieuce. It is a valuable institution to the State, even laboring under the disadvantages which it has labored, and will undoubtedly un-doubtedly grow into oue of the gre3t aud admirable institutions of tbis western west-ern country. But, as President Widtsoe points our, what it needs is more stimulating stim-ulating and moro intelligent treatment by tho Legirdatnre, a.ud, above all, it needs to be let alone by scheming politicians pol-iticians and church marplots. Wo trust- tbat the Legislature will give duo consideration to tho requests of the trustees and the suggestions of President Widtsoe. If it were possiblo to get an export in Agricultural College Col-lege work to come here and moke a. disinterested investigation of the work of the college, aud of its neods, a.ud report to the Legislature just what ought to be done about tho college, we should cousider tint au excellent thing to do. The legislative vihit which is a feoturo of every sossiou, amounts to nothing; first, because the lo.gisla.tors who go to visit tho college don't know what au Agricultural College is or what it ought to be; and, second, tho collego is always jolted out of its every-dav life by tho visit of the legislators, and Tery little idea can bo obtained from that visit of the daily routine of Lhe college. But an expert coming here and devoting sufficient time to the examination examina-tion would know just what he was about, he could see the defects, he could see tho needs, and the Legislature Legisla-ture could get from his report a fir better idea of what, it ought to do with respec. to the college than it could form for itself if the whole body camped at the college during the entire period of it.- sessiou. |