Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1900-06-14
FURTHER ARGUMENT.
Mr.. Rankin's Reply To the Re-
view of His Statement.

Mr.. EiltOr; Oeg your lhuulRehCe |
and request permission to occupy a
small portion OF space in your valuable !
journal TO notice the communication
from four Of the members of the recent
Q1artrrly Conference contained in the
issue Of the 25 ult. of the Statesman
Dsmocrat. had not intended prolong-
ing the discussion of the matters Of
which that article was the attempted
defense, not because regarded it an
answer to my former cation in
the same paper, or as off ring any justt-
hcation "ither in morals, or in the law
OF the Methodist Church South, for the
proceedings complained of, but feared
that further discussion might possibly
sffect tho prospects Of the school,
whose welfare is to some extent involv-
! ed.
These considerations have yielded to
the urgent solicitations OF quite num-
ter of my friends whom | know to be
devoted frionds 30 Pryor Institute, who
/ Juluh ~ llNptl budb oOhlO " AAtASloA' ~
he made Of the matters discussed in the
article in question, and it is to the in
terest OF the school that this he done.
Mr.. Editor, there is something very
mysterious about the conduct of the
parties who have made themselves so
oficous in ousting the old board Of
trustees of Pryor Institute. Many of
that board had been serving the school
faithfully for ten or twelve years. The
last two members elected to Rll vacan-
cies by the Quarterly Conference had
been serving some seven years. No
com plant of any kind, all these years,
had ever been made against that board
from any source. As stated in my
former communication, they pulled the
funds out OF their own pocket to equip
the school in all its departments, cost
ing hundreds of dollars | say the con-
duct of whoever s responsible for this
outrage, is exceedingly mysterious.
What was the object? Did some one or
more seek place in tho Board of Trus-
tees, or had suIn". one or more any bad
feelings that he or they hoped to graft
fly by getting rid of the old Board OF
Trustees? There must have been some
peculiar reason that was moving in
this matter, and it is so extraordinary
that one naturally enquiries for it.
was charitable enough to attribute
the motive to be to get rid of the for
cign element, but it was replied that l
was mistaken although, it was said
that the Board was illegal as to the re-
naming members brcause they had nov
er been legally elected, and so they
iust did what former quarterly confer
ence had failed to do: and yet, strange
ly enough, they admit that at least two
members Of the Board wero elected hY
quarterly conference within seven
years so there was nucleus to say the
least, and if it vas unquestioned thai
there were no Others who were legal
members tho quarterly conference at
the proper time time could appropriate
!, ly have supplied the vacant places to
complete the board. | was in attend
ance at the first meeting Of the old
s board about twelve years ago and was
elected Secretary, and the late Col. A
= L. Spears was elected President.
was appointed a Trustee without my
knowledge, or solicitation, or even !
$ thought of the matter. My friends
Mr.. j. Pryor and Col A. L. Spears, in
informed me that had been elected a
their personal solicitation. All these
years baYe endeaVOred faithfully t.
serve the best interests of the school
t never applied to the Quarterly Con
ference for commiss on, nor did | en-
& quire whether had been legally an
constitutionally elected member o
the Board Of Trustees of Pryor Insti
tute had no occasion to do so.
| take it that my election was valid
and not only my election, but that Q
every other member Of the Board serv
d ing with me, and the members Of thi
notable Quarterly Conference had IL
l. grounds to controvert the fact.
But it seems the gentlemen are not t
o be outdone-lilse the wolf in the fabl,
II when it proposed to make Il meal of til
, lamb, and the lamb plead its innocenc
and that it had never harmed the vol
10 when the latter replied, "lf you did n,
r some Of your folks did, and you mus
atone for It," When they find abol
r five years OF the history OF th
old board behind their invest
cations, instead of assuming thi
every thing is regular and valid, the
he deny the fact, but say, in any eve
to they bad the right to reorganiz' tt
re board, and they DID it, and now he
~ yonrself-that is what it means. We
Is. that Is frank and we understand it.
e. | charged in my original article th
70 this extraordinary action of the Quar-
40 erly Conference was had without noti
re-, TO the old board, and when no sing
by member was present These gent
ln men traverse my statement; they s.
he they believe most II not all the O
board knew Of the proposed action a
one momber was actually present
adhere TO my statement and reit
~ ate the charge. T, A. Havron, NJ.