State of Wyoming Ex Rel Wyoming Agricultural College Matt Borland v. William Irvine
Citation | 206 U.S. 278,51 L.Ed. 1063,27 S.Ct. 613 |
Decision Date | 13 May 1907 |
Docket Number | No. 272,272 |
Parties | STATE OF WYOMING EX REL. WYOMING AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE and MATT BORLAND et al., Plffs. in Err., v. WILLIAM C. IRVINE, as Treasurer of the State of Wyoming |
Court | United States Supreme Court |
The plaintiff in error the state of Wyoming, on the relation of the Wyoming Agricultural College and its officers, filed a petition in the supreme court of that state for a writ of mandamus against the defendant in error, the state treasurer. The object of the proceeding was to compel the state treasurer to pay to the treasurer of the college certain funds in his hands, being the proceeds of land grants and the amount of appropriations made by Congress for the promotion of education in agricultural and mechanical arts. An alternative writ issued, and the respondent appeared and demurred to the petition. The cause was then heard by the supreme court of Wyoming, and by that court the demurrer, which was regarded by court and counsel as sufficiently raising the merits of the controversy, was sustained and judgment rendered for the respondent. The case comes here upon writ of error, with allegations of violations of Federal rights, which, so far as material to the decision, are stated in the opinion.
Messrs. Porter B. Coolidge, Fenimore Chatterton Samuel T. Corn, and A. E. L. Leckie for plaintiffs in error.
[Argument of Counsel from pages 279-280 intentionally omitted] Messrs. Timothy F. Burke, W. E. Mullen, Nellis Corthell, Charles W. Burdick, and John W. Lacey for defendant in error.
[Argument of Counsel from pages 280-281 intentionally omitted] Mr. Justice Moody delivered the opinion of the court:
The Wyoming Agricultural College was established by an act of the legislature of that state. Wyo. Sess. Laws 1890, 1891, chap. 92. It was declared to be 'a state public educational institution,' with the object of giving to men and women, without regard to color, 'a liberal education and a thorough knowledge of such arts and sciences as will aid in the prosecution of agricultural pursuits, with their varied applications.'
The University of Wyoming was established by the territory with the declared object of providing education for both sexes in 'the different branches of literature, the arts and sciences, with their varied applications.' The Constitution of the state of Wyoming confirmed the establishment of the university and declared it to be the university of the state of Wyoming. The first session of the state legislature enacted a law declaring more fully the objects of the university, which provided, among other things, that it should be open to both sexes, regardless of race or color, and should
Land grants and appropriations, which presently will be described in detail, have been made by Congress for the support of education in the state, and the state, acting through its legislature, has accepted the appropriations under the conditions prescribed in the acts of Congress, and has appropriated these national bounties to the support of the university. The agricultural college claimed that, under the acts of Congress bestowing these gifts, it is entitled to them, and the denial of the supreme court of the state of this claim raises the Federal question first to be considered.
By the act of July 2, 1862 (12 Stat. at L. 503, chap. 130), amended by act of March 3, 1883 (22 Stat. at L. 484, chap. 102, U. S. Comp. Stat. 1901, p. 3212), Congress 'granted to the several states, for the purposes hereinafter mentioned,' certain quantities of the public lands, or, under certain conditions, in lieu thereof land scrip. The entire proceeds of the sale of the...
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