Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1899-07-26
TO BE OR NOT TO BE.

schools is hanging in the balance, and
the people of the town are stirred
up over the matter as they have not
been stirred before. The Graded
school has been the victim of a great
deal of lukewarmness ever since
its organization; but it is making
up for lost time now. Since the very
close shave as the result of last Thurs,
days election-a tie on the face of the
returns, with an odd vote unaccount'
ed for and threatened injunction pro-
ceedings-it is safe to say that every
man, woman and child in the town
has become interested in the final set.
Element next Tuesday.
just what the trouble about the
school is, The ENQUIRER does not pro
pose to try to fully explain specif
cally. A specific explanation is i'm
practicable, for the reason that toe
much depends upon presumption
There is but little unanimity in the
motives of the opposition. Some peo'
pie object for one reason and some for
another. Some of the objections are
personal and some are not. Some oi
the objections are selfish and some are
not. Some object because certain
teachers were elected, and others OBJ
ject because other teachers were not
elected. There is no doubt whole
lot of misunderstanding about the mat
ter, and there is much trouble that
would quickly be dissipated by a frank,
full understanding. This, however, is
generally of too personal nature to
be appropriately dealt with in apublie
print.
Just when the dissatisfaction begun
to take shape would be difficult to
say. The school started out with 8
number of opponents, whose principal
objection was to the tax. More oppo'
sition has, from time to time, grown
out of the election Of teachers and
from other causes but none of this
opposition ever became formidable un'
til recently. During the past few
weeks the opponents of the school and
individuals, with real or imaginary
grievances against the trustees, have
been uniting forces to vote down the
tax. The voters generally were aware
of the situation but they did not fee
enough interest to arouse themselves
Some thought the opposition would
not be strong enough to kill the ta1
and others did not care. Those who
voted one way or another were as fol
lows:
E. A. Crawford, T. G. Dunlap, S. L
Latimer, H. G. Strauss, w. w. Lewis
w. H. Herndon, w. M. Propst, T. M
Dobson, J. P. White, w. M. Kennedy
Sr., G. M. Lowrance, w. E. Ferguson
J. J. Hunter, w. w. Jenkins, J. R
Witherspoon, ]. B. Allison, ]. F. Hart
w. B. Williams, W. M. Kennedy, Jr.
J. M. Ferguson, ]. w. Snider, G. M
Kuykendal, J. NJ. Hope, M. C. Willis
E. B. Beard, P. T. McNeel, B. N
Moore, ]. R. Logan, J. w. Alexander
Jas. A. Watson, R. Andral Bratton, D
E. Finley, W. J. Waters, G. W. S
Hart, J. M. Brian, W. Adickes, T. w
Clawson.
Among the above are some who
say they voted against the tax merely
by way of protest at the present situa
ton, and they were alarmed that the
tax came so near to defeat. Others
are unrelenting. They say they tried
to kill the school, claim that they
accomplished their object, and threat
en- to carry the fight into the courts
In the meantime outsiders, who from
carelessness or other reasons, did not
vote, are akening to the importance
of the situation, and will back the
trustees to the last ditch not only in
the next election, but, if necessary, in
the courts also. Among these there
are many who are not entirely satisfied
with the corps of teachers as it stands
but who, at the same time, realize the
extent of the calamity that would fol-
low the suspension of the school.
So far as the election Of teachers is
concerned, even the board of trustees
was not at all unanimous. There
were several close divides but in each
case, of course, the majority perma-
nently settled all differences, and now
the board is, as it should be, unit
with regard to the tax. All feel that
whatever differences of opinion may
have existed, each did his duty as he
saw it. The number of people who
object to the school on account of the
tax is very small, and except in the
case of the present unfortunate divis.
ion, would not cut any figure.
The special two mill tax involved
in the coming election aggregates
about 81 500. From the constitutional
8 mill tax the school realizes nearly
$500, and from the dispensary funds