East Mississippi times. (Starkville, Miss.) 19??-1926, 1908-07-24

every point. The victory is
equally complete with the stu
dents who attended the proceed
lngs from beginning to end. Had
a fair and impartial report of
these proceedings been given to
the public, the decision of the
public would have been as favor
able as has been that of the
board and the faculty and the stu
dent body. The reports sent out
from here to the daily papers
during this investigation were
partial highly colored, distorted,
misleading, untrue. For veri-
ication OF this statement, | have
but to refer to the report sent
from here that | had been sus-
tained in the Welborn charges
only by one vote majority, and
that the vote of the governor,
when as matter of fact, upon
two thirds of the counts of these
charges hot a single vote was
cast against me, and in only one
connt was there as high as two
votes against me, the remaining
counts having only one count
against me. This will show to a
fair and impartial public the
character of methods and means
that have been used to prejudice
me and my administration with
the people of the state
"The first investigation began
on the morning OF June II and
lasted Until the morning of June
IA, the board working from early
in the morning ustil II o'clock al
night. AT the conclusion Of this
first investigation the board
unanimously exoneraled me of all
charges brought by Mr.. Leavell.
Since the charges brought by
Capt, Welborn we're more tecni
cal and personal, the testimony
in the case was therefore much
more extensive and complex;
hence the board decided, before
tCoraiug to a final conclusion in
the matter, to have the testimony
transcribed by the stenographer,
in order to give every member an
opportunity to study it in detail,
so that no one could claim that
a hasJy opinion had been formed
by anyone. Though this action
on the part of the board w.uld
keep me and my family and
friends in suspense for more than
"a me nth, when there were ut
stske my reputation aud cbarac.
tel and honor, dearer to me and
| I'd my wife and children than life
itself, yet in order that there
night be no appeal from this
gecision. | consented to delay.
Though the board, by unanl-
|mous resolution, asked the press
land the public to suspend discus
sion and judgement until the
| findings of The board should be
made known, and though | and
my friends observed this request,
yet upon advice of w. G. Welborn
brother to Capt, Welborn. whom
the war department. had con:
demned upon seven separate and
distinct counts, certain papers OF
the state have been filled with all
kinds of abuse, highly colored
distortions aud misrepresenta-
tions. In this way those fighting
me sought to poison the public
mind and to forestall public jndg-
ment that should be based upon
facts and all the facts. Now |
want to appeal to a fair minded
public. Am | and the interests
of this institution to suffer for
observing the request of the
board and for dealing fairly and
Justly in this matter? Was 1t
fair to condemn me without a
hearing? l appeal to the press
of Mississippi to be as fair and
generous in giving publicity to
my side of the controversy now
as some of the papers have been
in the past in dealing with those
opposed to me and to the college.
II will send out tomorrow a
summary of my brief, and | ask
of the public careful study of