The Green caldron - University Library

26 The Green Caldron
at this time, and people were hard pressed to meet financial obligations that had
been incurred earlier.
Meanwhile, the need for higher education had been recognized nationally.
On July 2, 1862, President Lincoln signed a bill "for the purpose of promoting
'the liberal and practical education of the industrial classes in the several
pursuits and professions in life.' "^ The law, variously known as the Land-
Grant Act of 1862 or the Morrill Act, provided each state with 30,000 acres of
land or the equivalent in "scrip," for each senator and representative the said
state had in Congress. Illinois' share amounted to 480,000 acres. The act further
specified that the schools receiving land-grant properties must "offer studies
in agriculture, mechanic arts, and military training — 'without excluding other
scientific studies. ' "^ In order to claim the benefits of the act, the respective
state legislatures were required to accept the provisions of the congressional
grant within two years and to provide for the establishment of at least one
college within five years. During the following February, the Illinois Legisla-
ture passed a bill to accept the grant.^^
In the autumn of 1864 a governor's commission visited Champaign. The
purpose of the commission was to inspect the Urbana-Champaign Institute,
with the ultimate view of establishing a state college therein. A very favorable
report for the selection of the Urbana-Champaign Institute was given, based,
perhaps, on the cordial manner in which they were received—there seems to
have been nothing else to base it upon.^^
At their meeting of December 19, 1864, the Champaign County Board of
Supervisors prepared for the forthcoming session of the legislature. They
decided to accept the oft'er of Stoughton and Babcock to transfer the Urbana-
Champaign Institute building (which lacked $35,000-40,000 of being paid
for) for $24,000 if the state located the university in it ; appropriated $15,000
to buy a farm for the use of the university ;
appointed a five-man committee
to confer with the Illinois Central Railroad Company to secure cooperation for
location of the university; appointed a committee to attend the next session
of the legislature for the purpose of promoting an act enabling the county to
borrow money and issue bonds ; and placed $5,000 at the disposal of the
legislative committee to be used in securing the university .^^
In 1865 Senator Lindsay introduced a bill in the state legislature providing
for the establishment of an industrial university. The Champaign group ob-
** Edmund J. James, The Origin of the Land-Grant Act of 1862 (Urbana-Qiampaigr.,
1910), p. 8.
^ mini Years, based on the research of Carl Stephens, '12, University Historian
(Urbana, 1950), p. 8.
'^"Journal of the House of Representatives of the Tzventy-third General Assembly of
the State of Illinois, 1863 (Springfield, 1865), p. 621.
" Powell, p. 205.
" Powell, p. 204.