The age-herald., 1900-01-07
STATEMENT OF
 COL. CALDWELL
Explanation of the University Land Sale Read at
 Tuscaloosa.

Noi. 1oHn H. caldwell Of Jacksonville, a member of the board of trustees of the Uni Versity of Alabama, was one of the five members present at the September meeting or the board, which authorized the sale of 4,iSO acres of coal lands to the Sloss-Shef- field Steel and Iron company.
 Colonel Caldwell started to Tuscaloosa to attend the meeting of the board on De- cember 20, 1Ss9 but became violently i'll be. fore reaching Birmingham. and could pro- ceed no further. He prepared the follow ing statement regarding the transaction, which was read before the board when the land transaction was taken up for consider ation:
 I am present in obedience to the follow ing notice:
 The object and purpose of this meeting IS not disclosed in the notice, but it Is well understood that the call has been inspired by the criticisms of the press and certain action taken by a large number of the Alumni society of the University of Ala bama, in relation to the late sale of DOT ton of the University lands.
 Tt Is claimed that a great wrong has been committed; that valuable lands of the University have been squandered or sold at an inadequate price, and that the party or parties instigating and promoting the sale did so fraudulently, corruptly and from
 
 "So severe have been the strictures by the press ana individuals whose intelligence, hlgn character, business integrity and soc.al position forbid the idea of improper mo- tives, that a majority of those trustees who were present and participated in the meet ing of the board, at which sale of certain lands was authorized have felt mpelled to appear in print with statements of what transpired at said meeting, as far as their memories serve them. As-a member of the board, having no concealment to make and wholly unwilling to shirk any responsibiii- ty that may attach to my acts as an indi- Ndual or as trustee I should have done likewise had not been confined to my room by sickness, so much enfeebled that I had neither desire nor the strength to prepare an interview for the press, or engage in correspondence on any subject. I congratu- late myself, however that 2GI able t,r- be with the board today, and have an oppor- tunlty Of making a statement of what transpired at the meeting of the board on the 22d day of September last, as I saw and heard, and to express cheerful willingness to cooperate with the board and other friends of the University in any and all eff forts to promote it's interest. I favor inves- tigation to the end that alleged fraud may be uncovered, if any there was, in the transaction. It is due to all parties who participated in the transaction.
 "As has been stated by other trustees, in their several published interviews, I was present at the meeting on the 22d day of September 1899. had no notice of the bus mess to be transacted at that meeting, ex- cept through Prof. Jacob Forney, who in- formed me some days prior to receiving above notice, that there would be a call meeting of the board of trustees. date not known to him. for the purpose of electing an instructor to the chair of pedagogy, which chair was provided for at the June term of the board He also told me that he ua for fhp rlaca and likely t0 have some opposition. He was my towns man, an alumnus of the University of Ala bama; was at the time, and had been for several years, president of the State Nor nal school at Jacksonville, Ala. Believing him thoroughly competent for the place. I came under the call the more willingly to promote his election, and having no knowl- edge or any information as to other busi- ness to come before the board.
 ''The meeting was called to order about o'clock p. m., possibly a little after s. Governor Johnston, ex-officio chairman, called the attention of the board to it's ac- tion at the June term in providing for chair of pedagogy, and said that the meet ing had been called to elect an instructor for the place. My recollection is that the board immediately resolved itself into exec utive session. Nominations were called for whereupon Judge Richardson, one of the executive committee. stated that his com mttee had determined to place the name of Jacob Forney in nomination instruc- tor in pedagogy. There being no other nom- ination Professor Forney was declared duly elected and the secretary was instructed on motion, to cast the unanimous vote of the board for him in open session. 1 think Dr. Powers, president of the University, was present during these proceedings. After the secretary of the board had cast the vote for Forney in open session, the governor in substance, said:
 Gentlemen of the board, there is an- other matter to which I want to call your attention and about which I desire to con fer with you. I have had a proposition sub mitted to me as president of the board to purchase some three or four thousand acres of University lands at $12.50 per acre, scat tered over two or three townships, so locat- ed as not to be available for lease-remote from the best groups and most compact bodies of the University lands. Efforts have been made to lease some of tllem but your commissioner has failed on account of their scattered condition. I think they ought to be sold, but want to confer with you about it. At this juncture the proposi- ton seemed-te. meet with no favor; it was urged by three, or perhaps four of the trustees, that this was a grave proposition, too much so to be passed upon by a bare quorum that full board should be pres ent. l suggested that it would be better for the board to remain over wire the absent members, and get a full board The reply was, I fear this cannot be done; MT Pratt is sick and unable to get here; Captain Webb is away; MT. Lenox is out of the state, in the northwest, and Dr. Little is said to be at Blount Springs I suggested an adjournment for ten days in the hope of obtaining full board. The governor as I recall what transpired, said My judgment is these scattered lands ought to be sold and the oppor tunity to sell now should not be lost whereupon Judge Richardson made a motion to postpone the consideration of the question of sale of lands, supporting his motion with the objection of want of a full board, and want of necessity for sale so far as he was advised. I seconded his mo- tion urging the propriety of a full board and the possibility of getting one by an ad- journment for short time. After many questions were asked by different members of the board and answered by the presi- dent the vote was taken and the motion to postpone was lost.
 ''Mr Davis then introduced a resolution authorizing the sale of the lands. Pending the discussion of the Davis resolution the