The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1905-06-28
CLINTON IlLuEs COL IEeE.
RE:sENTs BOARDS SUGGESTION
OF Ms REMOVAL.
History OF Presbyterian College as'd
stase,nent OF What Has Caused
its Probable Removal.

y = =
CLINTON June The recent ac-
tion Of the board Of trustees OF the
Presbyterian College Of South Caro-
INA has set the people of Clinton to
thinking.
II 1880 the Clinton High School
Association decided to establish COLI
iege and applied for a charter for
such an institution, TO be known as
clinton College. It 50 happened that
an the members OF this association,
with two exceptions, were Presbyter-
ians. The institution was chartered
as Presbyterian Institution and was
conducted by the session OF the Pres
byterian church Of Clinton.
It was a college IN name only in its
early days. the standard being very
low. But a slow and sure growth was
gong on which showed itself in 1885,
ii decidedly higher standard and in
the need Of new charter.
From It's organiz ation general Pres
byterian suppors and patronage had.
been asked for it For various rea-
sons this was withheld by the church
generally. Finally to induce the de-
nomination over the State to support
it and to Increase general Interest in
tho college the board determined to
ada ten members to be elected by the
board itself and two trustees from
each Of the six Presbyteries in the
state. A charter 70 this effect was
Obtained IN 1891. But the controlling
power was by 1t continued in the
hands OF the local members. AS soon
as this was clear the Presbyteries
dropped their interest, some refused
to appoint trustees, others appointed
as a. matter of courtesy. but with NO
expectation Of their attending board
meetings. At this time 1t is quite
probable that the church would have
taken hold OF the mater and worked
sit up If the control had been equally
distributed among the Presbyteries.
But the feeling in the church was
quite strong against countenancing
elinton's claim to control the Pres
byterian College Of South Carolina, as
it was for the first time styled in the
new charter.
Where the Battle Ragged.
This was the point about which the
battle ragged. The Presbyterians re-
fused to sanction the school at all un-
der such name, unless it were made
in reality the property of the Presby-
rerian church Of the State. The local
board refused to be convinced that
their position was illogical and clung
to name to which, strictly speaking,
they had no right.
The Presbyteries of the State gen.
orally failed to endorse the school, at
tendance fell OFF, money grew scarcer,
the local board felt it's inadequacy to
cope with the situation and finally
agreed to concede the controlling vote
to the Presbyterial representatives. A
x,,o, oJ,fo;pa1 IN 1ono ,a
ducing the local membership from 80
to II, and increasing the Presbyterian
and alumni members from II to 81.
This was in the nature Of a compro-
mise, and, as was to be expected, un-
satisfactory to both sides. There
were various troublous passages. and
the result was another change in the
charter in 1904.
For some reason or other this char
ter of 1904 was unsatisfactory. Some
OF the Presbyteries had refused to ap-
point trustees unless the local ele-
nents were entirely eliminated, all
obligation to locate the college per-
manently at Clinton expressly dis
claimed and charter obtained to this
effect The charter Of 1904 contained
clause, inserted by the local element
to the effect that the institution was
never to be removed from Clinton.
At the first full meeting after the
charter was obtained, in June, 1904,
the Presbyterial trustees voted this
out as contrary to the understanding
and to the implied contract between
the local board and the Presbyteries.
This meeting was the first, 1t is said,