Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1897-03-06

any other individual not member of
the board, has right to 60 into these
meetings, keep his mouth shut, sit quietly
and listen to the proceedings. Some Of
the members say yes, others say no !;
and since there have been two votes on
the question, it seems as if the matter is
still involved in more or less grave doubt.
AS legal proposition, THE ENQUIRER
takes the position that the reporter, or
any other individual, has constitutional
right to be present and listen to the pro-
ceedings of the couHty board of commits
sioners. The constitution provides that
all courts must be public. Very emil
nent lawyers advise us that the county
board of commissioners in session con-
stitutes a court, and if this is correct, the
public has a right to be there. This, of
course, is going on the assumption that
the members of the board of county conf
missioners have taken the usual oath to
uphold and support the constitution.
The point has been raised that while all
the foregoing may be true, the board has
the right to 60 into executive" session,
which, in plain English means, secret
session. This is a question upon which
we do not feel inclined to try to split hairs.
From our homespun way of looking at
things, we can see in the proposition
nothing but pretext. We are unable to
conceive of a single official act that comes
within the province of the county board
of commissioners, and of which the pub
lie has not right to be fully advised.
Surely it was not crime for the public to
know of that road report about which the
board had unwittingly resolved to go into
"secret session" last Tuesday.
We had hoped that this matter had
been settled on the first occasion men
toned elsewhere. From the result of the
vote on that occasion, there was reason to
believe that although the board had made
mistake, the mistake was from lack OF
knowledge or thorough consideration, and
that upon the presentation which the re-
porter made of the other side of the mat
ter, the mistake was recognized and cor
rected. In this view Of the case it was
not deemed desirable to even notice the
circumstance publicly, for THE ENoUI-
RER never seeks to gloat over any kind
of advantage, much less over an opponent
generous and frank enough to admit an
error. But when the question came up
again on Tuesday, it looked as if the fight
was to be renewed, probably on the
strength of "more light" and as the mat
ter is still unsettled, we can see it in no
other way than that we now owe it to our
readers and ourselves to lay it before the
public.
In q controversy of this kind there is
certainly no pleasure {; but we have con-
tracted to give our readers the news, and,
so far as possible, all information in
which they may be interested. The
meetings of the board of county COM
missioners are source of very important
and interesting news. We believe that
our readers desire to know what takes
place in these meetings, and they expect
us to keep them informed. If the board
of commissioners has legal right to keep
the public from knowing what 1t Is do
ing and desires to exercise that right, well
and good; The ENQUIRER will be re-
lieved of a big responsibility with no
blame attached. But if the board Of
has not the legal right to
keep this information from the people,
we give assurance now and here, that no
matter how unpleasant the duty, The
ENQUIRER will continue its endeavor to
have reporter present at every impor-
tant meeting.