The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1896-07-25
THE WHITE
INVESTIGATION,
Gov. LoWndes Appoints Clar-
ence T.MCVey Commissioner
to take Testimony.
The Work Begins on Tuesday in the
Office of the School Board
at ElktOn.

ferred against School Commissioner John H..
White. by citizens of the Eighth and Ninth
districts. so many witnesses appeared in the
case, and the testimony promised to be SO
yoluminous, that the Governor decided not
to hear the evidence in person in Baltimore,
as it was supposed he would. After con-
fering with Attorney General ClabauSh, the
Governor appoined Mr.. Clarence L. McNey.
Commissioner to take the testimony. At
the conference in Baltimore, on Saturday,
the question arose as to the relevancy of any
other testimony than that relating to Mr..
Whites purely official acts as School Com
missioner. his council taking the ground that
any testimony as to the character OF Mr..
Whites Republicanism was Il purely partiHan
question. and had nothing to do with his
official conduct on misconduct This seemed
to be the Governors view also, but the Com
missioner McNey was Instructed not to limit
the scope of the evidence hut to take it all,
leaving it for the Governor and his legal
advisers to eliminate from the record. such
testimony as had no bearing upon the
charges affecting Mr.. Whites official char
acter and acts. Henry NJ. Mccullough, ESD,
represented the petitioners ut the interview
with the Governor on saturday. John S.
Writ Esq, being Mr.. Whites counsel. Be
sides the counsel, School Commissioners Ash
and Evcrist. and Il number Of persons We're
present.
On Tuesday the Commissioner Mr.. Clarence
r. McVey came to Elkton, and began taking the
testimony in the case in the office of the
School Board. Commissioner White was not
present hut was represented by Mr. Writ Mr..
Mccullough being sick and unable to be pre-
sent, l.. Marshall Hanes. Esq, conducted
the cas" for the petitioners.
THE CHARGES
embrace official Incompetence and miscon-
duct, as well as unworthy partizan acts, and
in tn" aain are stated as follows:
THAT the siguers TO the charges believe
the interests of the public school system de
mani the removal of John Il. White from
the Office of School Commissioner and we do
hereby earnestly request his removal. White,
while protesting to be a Republican has
worked among the colored voters Of the
IlSulll ilSlllCl ny 'pllupt " lHilutilEt
them 10 vote for Democratic candidates for
Office. In the campaign of '93 and '95 it is
notorious that he did this
''That he advertised for repairs to an old
school house in the 9th district and after re-
ceivins bids from mechanics gave the contract
to n man who is not carpenter, and when he
went with this man to repair the schoolhouse
found the house torn down by parties un-
known because it was not worth repairing.
We believe that in appointing trustees he
elects only men who will best serve his pur-
poses. without regard to their integrity or
other qualifications.
'His vote was refused by the last Republi-
can primary in the Eighth district and would
also have been refused in 1893. but he did not
then offer to vote. and in our opinion unfit
him for the position of School Commissioner
"That in August. 1893. Mr.. White went to
Zion to see the old Grove schoolhouse and
what repairs would be needed. The house
was not tenantahlc, and the people had asked
for now school house for years. He prom
ised 70 send the trustees blanks to petition for
a new schoolhouse, but never did. On his
first trip TO view the old house he tore large
holr in the roof, the only good part about it.
In few days he returned to repair the old
building, being assisted by some boys. He
tore of the roof rafters and also removed the
floor The old brick walls, being so frail they
would not stand alone after all support was
removed, collapsed, and the whole school
board blamed the people of the community
for tearing down the house. An investiga-
before the grand jury established the fact
that the Grove school house was more likely
to have fallen down than to have been pushed
down. When the old school collapsed, in
stead Of going on with the school in another
building. they discharged the teacher The
trustees We're recognized as such, and John
r. White is now running the school under his
own supervision without trustees. The
judges of the court ordered the school board
to procure a building and give the people a
school at once, at once, but this was not done
and the children remained at home"
The first witness sworn and examined on
Tuesday, was Mr.. David NJ. Rittenhouse, of
Zion. mis- testimony being relative to old
Grove school house near Zion, and was cor
roborative OF the charges stated by the petit
TONERS above as to Mr.. Whites method in
repairing the school house. After Mr.. Rit-
tenhouse had given his direct testimony
which was substantially that embraced in the
charges made, Mr.. Writ cross examined Mr.
Rittenhouse and asked him how long he had
known Mr.. White, Rittenhouse replying that
he had known Mr.. White ever since he was a
boy.
Question.-Have your personal relations
with him been pleasant or otherwise? Answer.
Always pleasant as far as / know. | voted
for him when he ran for sheriff.
Ques-How did Mr.. Everist come to look
at the school house? Ans.-Two Of my neigh
bors went to see Mr.. Everist in order to get
him to stop operations on the school house.
/ wanted them stopped because it was in my
opinion a useless expense to repair the
house.
Ques.-State as fully as you can the condi-
tion of the building when Mr.. Everist saw it!
Ans The gable and north wall were down.