EARLY DAYS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO 25 



People; 3d, That a loan be negotiated." This report having been 

 adopted Mr. Thompson was selected to solicit donations and Mr. 

 Corning appointed " to visit Denver to see if arrangements could not 

 be made to secure a loan of money for four or six months."* 



The plan of raising the $15,000 required by the legislature by means 

 of a loan was the cause of considerable criticism. Mr. Corning 

 reported to the board on July 28 that he had succeeded in the nego- 

 tiation of a loan of the above amount for four months at one and a 

 half per cent a month. 3 This loan was authorized on the first of 

 August. 3 The cash was in the treasurer's hands before August 4/ 

 Mr. Coming's bond for $30,000 having been submitted to the board 

 on July 31, the following day he, with Messrs. Thompson and Widner, 

 journeyed to Denver to get an order from the territorial auditor on the 

 treasurer for the legislative appropriation. 5 When they arrived there 

 it was found that Mr. Corning had left his bond in Boulder. On 

 August 5 they made a second trip to Denver and presented to L. C. 

 Charles, the auditor, an affidavit signed by Nathan Thompson that 

 the sum of $15,000 had been raised and was in the treasurer's hands 

 "in cash, subscribed and actually paid in for the uses and purposes 

 of the said university." Mr. Charles refused to give the order 

 requested, stating the grounds of his refusal in a letter to Mr. Corning 

 dated August 8. This letter was presented to the board on the tenth. 6 

 His objections were that he had no evidence that the board was 

 properly organized or that the money had been raised in compliance 

 with the act of 1874. Judge Leonard was authorized to answer these 

 objections and did so without, however, moving the auditor. 7 The 

 Denver newspapers then got hold of the story and promptly charged 

 the board with attempted fraud. 8 The board, on October 13, finally 

 resolved upon drastic measures. A demand was to be made for a 



1 Minute Book, p. 52. 3 Ibid., p. 54. *Ibid., pp. 55-56. 



* Ibid., p. 56. At the meeting on August 4 Judge Ira E. Leonard was appointed attorney to the board 

 and Mr. Graham was instructed to submit a design for a seal to be used by the board. The seal was adopted 

 August 22, 1874. — Minute Book, p. 59. 



5 Boulder News, October 2, 1874. 



6 Minute Book, pp. 57-58. * Ibid., pp. 60-62. 



'Quotations are given in the Boulder News, September 18 and October 2, 1874, from the News and 

 Times. 



