The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1902-12-10
The FEMALE COLLEGE
REMAINS IN COLUMBIA.
The Conference Decides by a
Vote of l2O to e5 Against
Removal to Greenwood.
AN ALL Day DISCUSSION PRECEDED
THE huLL CALL.

Newberry, December 5.-The Co
iumbia Female College viii remain in
Columbia. BY vote of 120 to 90 the
Conference SO decided this morning.
The discussion preceding the vote took
up the whole of today's session and
was a battle royal. The forces in favor
of the renewal were led by the Rev.
e. o. Watson, Of Charleston, chair
man of the board Of trustees of the
institution, and those against the re-
moYal by the Rev. J. W. Daniel Of
Charleston. The arguments Of these
gentlemen we're strong and forcibls.
The whole discussion, however, while
it was lengthy, and while every, point
was hard fought, was in good tempes,
and when the final vote was reached
and the most important question that
will come before this session Of Cor
ference had been decided everybody
was in good humor and glad that the
tension hadss ssheen relieved.
The matter was taken up soon after
the devotional exercises. DR.. O. A.
Darby was the first to secure the floor.
He offered the following resolution:
Resolved, That it is the sense OF
this Conference that the Columbia
Female College remain in the city OF
Columbia, its present location
Signed: ". H. Bays, O. A. Darby.
The Rev. L. F. Beatty moved tei
amend the resolution by striking out
| the words remain in'' and inserting
in lieu thereof the words '' be removed
from.''
Mr.. c. G. Featherstone raised the
point that the report of the committee
appointed to Investigate the legal status
of the matter and to report whether
or not there are any legal obstacles in
the way of the removal of the College
must be heard.
The committee reported that, after
full investigation, it was OF the
opinion that the College could not be
| removed under the present charter, but
/ that an amendment to this charter
could be secured through the Office of
the. Secretary of State, without any
action on the part OF the Legislature.
and that there were no legal obstacles
in the way of securing this amend
ment.
It was moved to lay on the table Mr..
+ fBeatty's amendment, making 1.-THE
sense of Conference that the College
should be removed from Columbia. :
4 roll-call was demanded. The mo-
tion was carried and the amendment
lost by vote of 10S to 106.
The resolution offered by DR.. Dar-
by, that the College remain in Co
lumbia, was then squarely before
Conference.
! The Rev. E. o. Watson, chairman
of the board of trustees, desired to
make statement in regard to his own
attitude and to that of the board
| The board did not attempt to arroeate
to itself any superior sense of the
solemnity or the Importance Of this
matter. All were interested alike.
The present conditions indicated pre-
gress throughout the South-the birth
of a new Southland The situation,
as the board saw it in the light of this
progressive spirit, was that one of two
things was necessary enlargement or
removal. The College has glorious
history behind it, and was never IN
more prosperous condition than at
present. But at the present location
there was no room for improvement
for keeping in touch with the spirit
that is incarnated in this new Metho-
dist Church, in the hum and whirr
that is going ON throughout South
Carolina. As trustees charged with a
sacred trust they could not turn away
from these other towns, which offered
opportunity forthis enlargement. Un-
der the resolution of Conference q
committee from the board was appoint
ed to visit the points desiring the Col
s, lege. Propositions were received from
Aiken, Laurens, Greenwood, Sumter.
Brookland, but none from Columbia.
eve wrote to Columbia that we
would visit Columbia. We went and
found two or three men and had some
conversation, and that was all. - The
trustees visited the other towns and
after full Investigation they recon-
mended Greenwood. But that was
eliminated from the subject and the
question was now upon its removal
from Columbia. The board had nc
objection to the city of Columbia: but
something had to be done, no i'm
provement Under present circuE-
stances was possible. The old bulidlng!
it was hardly possible TO improve and
the site was not large enough for the
present buildings and suitble cam
pus, to say nothing of additions.
Greenwood's offer was $40, $50 in
cash. \ most desirable site in that
town could be secured for 81, 00o, and
no site was offered for greater amount
than s11, 900. They were not going
to throw the buildings in Columbia on
the market, but were going to sell
them in their own good time and in
their own good purpose. The board
believed that by the removal of the
College $780, 900 could be put into
new buildings It was question OF
enlarge or remove, and hitherto en-
largement had not been possible. To
remain where they were, simply to dc
nothing, would be to sacrifice glorious
opportunities.
The Rev. j. ". Daniel, of Charles
ton, a member of the board of trustees,
heartily concured in some of the state
ments that had been made by his good
brother, Mr.. Watson. He could not
I;corron with hiS statement that there