The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-02-06
Fuller Details of the Meeting Of the
Trustees.

Trustees.
LAKE CITY, FLA, Feb 5.--A special
meeting Of the board of trustees Of the
Florida State Agricultural College was
held here Thursday. It's object was incl
dentallY TO reorganize, change in the
Craftsmanship having been made hy an
overwhelming vote OF the people Of Florida
last year in the election OF Hon. w. N.
Sheats over A. J. Russell. Also. the tai
ented and popular Hon. =. B. Collins, as the
new state treasurer, became like custo-
dian and officer Of the board; but specially
the board met TO settle the duties, powers
and prerogatives of DR.. w. +.
Yokum as PRESIDENT of the COL
lege and Rev. j, 2. DePass as director
OF the United States experimental station,
there having arisen quite a conflict between
the two able gentlemen as to which OF them
should exercise certain prerOgatives. The
members present were Hon. w. n. Sheats,
superin endent public instruction for Flor
ida, president Of the board; Hon, c. B. Col
Inns, Ger. w. d. Barnes, Hon. II. w. Long,
Gen. Patrick Houstoun, j. +. Young, Esq,
Hon. W. B. Wombell, secretary Of board,
and Col. Angus Patterson. During the lst>
ter part of the session Judge J. W. Trammel
arrived from Polk county, making a full
board, lacking one member. Prompt dis
position was made of the usual routine mat
ter.
Chairman Sheats handled the gavel in a
prompt, businesslike manner showing at
the outset that he would ably fill the chair
Among the applications filed there was one
for an assistant to the principal of the pre-
paratory department.. In this connection
the fact was shown that there were thir teen
professors, including the president and the
director, who had the onerous duty OF
teaching forty-seven cadets, while the
tutor in the preparatory department was
unjustly Disseminated against, he having
thirty-eight pupils TO instruct. An assistant
was accordingly granted him.
The forenoon was occupied with these
sundry matters. The board then adjourned
to get good dinner and brace themselves
for the impending momentous disquisltlon
between the president and director.
At 3:39 o'clock the contest opened and
was not concluded until after dark, when
the board adjourned for supper, after
which they went into secret session to dis
cuss the situation undisturbed.
The bone of contention was a 3-acre plat
of land which the president stated he de-
sired to use as a garden, and also
for the use OF the professor of horticulture,
in experimental service and object teach-
ing for his classes. The president requested
use of this plat from the director, who de-
clined to grant It, The president claimed
that the plat vas not cultivated by the di-
rector, and that the director withheld it to
show his disregard of the presidents author
ity, which had been vested in him by a
resolution Of the board Of trustees. There
fore he had taken possession Of the plat,
cultivating same
DR.. DePass claimed that DR.. Yokum had
overstepped his authority; that as director.
of the station he had no right to surrender
such plat for use of the college, and that the
president had unlawfully tered upon it
during his absence from Lake City. Until
no alankion 0f 1r VOxuun last vaar niPaN.
tor DePass managed the station independ-
emily of the college. However, the board
at a meeting last fall passed q resolution
making the experimental station part OF
the college and causing the director to rem
der his reports to the president.
It's a matter of record that since the
establishment of this institution, the past
six or eight years, there has not a year
passed without discord or scandal of some
sort, which has more or less injured its use
fulness.
Thousands of dollars have been expended
in the equipment, thousands have been
spent paying large corps Of tutors, and il
there has been results accomplished pro-
portionate to the money expended the
records fail to show 1t and the people do not
know IL. Such IA state of affairs Is chiefly
the result Of the Encouragement. With
Supt. Sheats in the chair the opinions and
plans Of his fellow trustees will enjoy re-
adoption.
The secret session which was held at the
Central hotel continued until after mid
night, resulting in the passage Of the fol-
lowing resolutions:
WHEREAS, By an act of the legislature OF the
state passed at its session In 1877 the faculty Of
the college shall have the immediate charge and
management of the college aud farm; and
w HEREAs, Under act of congress approved
March /, 1897. the agricultural experimental
Late rio fNh a fah igh 1ra ,NP
! the agricultural colleges or the agricultural
| department thereof which were organized IN
der the provision OF the act of June ., 1862; and
WHEREAS, Under q resolution of this board
passed at the last annual session the director of
| the experimental station Is made subordinate
TO and the station has become department OF
| the college; be it
Resolved, That the lands belonging to the
| agricultural college to be used for purposes OF
| experimentation by the director and by the
! professor OF pomology and horticulture be set
! Off and assigned by the faculty of the college
| before the next annual meeting of the board
subject to the approval Of the board.
ReSOtUed That while the board recognizes
| that President Yokum acted in good faith in
! constituting the letter OF tho executive commit
| tee on Nov. 70 and the subsequent action of the
! board OF Dec. 90 as comforting power upon him
to take charge OF three acres of land lying south
! of the college grounds, still the board deems it
| inexpedent to make any change IN the land set
| apart for the director for the experimental
station for the present and that it would not be
| advisable to use the land in question for the
use indicated by President Yokum.
The board then called for Drs. DePass
and Yokum. Your correspondent aud
members Of the faculty were permitted to
attend the remainder OF the session, which
| did not adjourn until 2 a. IN.
! Before reading the resolutions matters
| concerning the substations at DeFuniak
Springs and Fort Myers were adjusted.
| DR.. DePasS requested the board TO relieve
him Of Dr. A. w. Biting as his clerk, pre-
| ferring several charges against him.
| This occasioned a somewhat acrid
contest before the board on the
part Of both sides. II was
an exciting drama in real life. The defense
of Dr. Biting, who is professor of veteri-
nary surgery. was equally as startling.
Before adjournment Supt. Shests de-
clsred that be was absolutely disguised and
said thai unless q change for the better
was made the college and station would
never amount TO a bauble; that he thereby
gave notice that unless a change was made
| he would introduce resolution to remove
the discordant element from the faculty.
! The faculty is ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS in fac
tons which Will undoubtedly call into serv-
| ice the axlof the headsman.
Treasurer Collins heartily seconded the
remarks of Supt. Shests.
On the reading of the resolutions men
| toned DR.. Yokum arose and rendered his
! resignation to take effect at the end Of "a