Show L UNIVERSITY AFFAIRS Questions liaised by the proposed Donation Probability of Settling the Board of Regents Question The DEMOCRAT yesterday alluded to a project on the part of the members of the Mining Institute to present the University Uni-versity of Deseret with its fine collection I of minerals and also toProfessor Clay tons intention of disposing of his private collection in a like manner This scheme cannot but meet the hearty approval and commendation of every one interested in educational progress and if carried out would result in inestimable benefit to students Ill a Territory one of the principal industries of which is mining But a question has arisen in the minds of some of the members of the Institute which is likely to prevent the consummation of this worthy project for the present at least A great doubt seems to exist in the minds many as to the exact status of the University It is held that while it may be the de facto University the Territory it is not such an institution de jure and until it becomes be-comes so it is not advisable to turn over this valuable collection into the hands of its regents It is alleged that the University was founded in pursuance of an act of the provisional government of the State of Deseret At the end of that U States brief existence the Territorial Assembly endeavored to adopt the University Uni-versity a Territorial institution by reenacting re-enacting the law under which it was founded but failed to change that act to make it conform to the requirements and forms of a Territorial government and the institution still remains therefore in law the University of the State of Deseret a commonwealth that has no existence except on the pages of history Another point raisedand it is one that seems to leave little room for argument argu-ment is that the board of regents of the University is an illegal board inasmuch as its members were not appointed in the manner prescribed by law The organic act in plain terms vests the governor of the Territory with the authority to appoint these regents with the advice and consent con-sent of the Legislative Conncil In pursuance pursu-ance with this provision GovernorjMurray during the last session of the Legislature appointed a board composed of gentlemen gentle-men who could not possibly be objectionable objection-able to the Council J R Walker James Sharp Feramorz Little and John T Caine we believe were four of the appointees and the name of the other cannot be recalled at present The Council Coun-cil ignored these appointments refusing to acknowledge the right of the Governor to make them and proceeded to make the appointments itself It was owing to the fact that the regents were irregularly appointed that Governor Murray vetoed the 50000 appropriation bill passed for the purpose of completing the University It is owing to this doubtful and unsatisfactory unsat-isfactory condition of affairs that the Institute collection will not be placed in the hands of the University at present although there is no doubt but that is where it finally will and should go Professor Pro-fessor Clayton will leave for Idaho in a few days and the matter will be held in abeyance for the present A prominent member of the Peoples Party was understood recently to say that the next Territorial Assembly would not contest the right of the governor to appoint the board of regents Should this be true there will be nothing to prevent pre-vent the University from being placed on a level with similar institutions in all respects as it is now in many of its features The Assembly can grant appropriations to complete the buildings and place the institution on a rank with any in the West Something which is of vital importance to the To ri tory and which should not be overlooked by the next Territorial Assembly is the creation of the office of Territorial Geologist who shall be ex officio professor of geology and minerology in the University Uni-versity I The question as to wh has the right to appoint the University regents could be settled in the courts within thirty days if any of the Governors appointees felt disposed dis-posed to take the matter up The University is by far the most important institution of the Territory and its true status should be finally established es-tablished without unnecessary delay If I the legislative and executive branches cannot determine the question let the judiciary pass on it |