The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1909-10-28
LETTERS
From Our Readers

! oppressed are not IN any case to be cOnsid-
cred those of the Ne,Cs- Herald
A METHODIST ANSWERED.
EDITOR NEWS s-HERALD-A letter
was published i'm your issue of last
week over the signature of GA Metho-
dist" making some very grave charges
which are unjust and not founded on
fact, and every point of which has
been answered i'm articles previously
published If he had carefully consid-
cred them. His statements show
clearly that he either does not under
stand the case or wilfully misrepre-
sents it.
"a Methodist" should be very sure
of his standing to make such serious
charges against body of christian
ministers. He charges the Cincinnati
Conference of the Methodist Episcopal
Church with Inconsistency" and of
being dog in the manger." have
been requested by some having official
relation to the case to present reply
which will do as briefly as / can.
lie charges Inconsistency" i'm trans
ferring the College free of considera-
tion and then afterwards asking a
consideration. Twill say and it should
be distinctly understood. that they did
not and could not transfer the proper
go 20 fhn ..ItAa1 hon rH for thnxs l.ah M
property right i'm it and they could not
convey what they had not. But they
did go through form of transfer by
quit claim deed, to the School Board,
of their control of the college, but the
transfer did not touch the right OF
property but only the control. The
question Of compensation could not be
considered. The charter limits their
authority and the charter is the
fundamental law. When the transfer
was made they were soon assured by
able counsel that the whole trans
action was a mistake. that it was
illegal and void and that should end
that question.
They then proceeded to correct their
mistake by Withdrawing the transfer
and IL would be well for all when mis-
takes are made to correct them as soon
as possible especially "a Methodist.
They then as the college was unoccu-
pied leased 1t to the school board and
the lease still llolds.
"a Methodist also charges the
Cincinnati Conference with being "A
Dog In the Manger." / suppose he
means by that the Conference does not
use the college and prevents others
from using II. 1t is true that the
Conference does not and cannot use 1t.
The college failed as a school, not be-
cause of any failure on the part of the
Conference TO meet its obligations, for
IL never assumed any financial obliga-
tons, nor TO furnish any pupils but 1t
failed because its patronage was
absorbed by the free high school de-
Dartments of Hillsboro and the sur
rounding country. Not only so but its
control has been wrested from the
Conference i'm violation of the charter
md without legal authority.
But that has nothing to do with
keeping others from using it. Why
,annot "a Methodist" understand
hat the college does not belong to the
Conference, that 1t was
simply put under its control to carry
)ut the design of the charter which
,ays it was INSTITUTED to promote
religion and morality and
or no other purpose" The Confer
,nce had placed upon it the response
Dility of seeing that the school was
and that it was not applied
% any other purpose. 1t could not
without betraying its trust transfer
I to the school board for that would
De taking from the christian and de-
voting TO the secular, but that Con-
ference says in its minutes of 1891 that
t has no power to transfer it, so that
Doth charges areunkind and unjust.
The writer of the letter says that
ne agrees with the Methodists gener-
lily that the alleged stock holding
trustees have no legal interest in the !
In that he agrees with I
charter and the court, for both so
decide.
But, if so, why are they there? If
so, they are there without legal |
If so, why has not the
school board put them out as the
board has legal right to be there.
The school board has held lease on
the property for school purposes for
the last seven years. The lease was
written by one of the ablest lawyers
of Hillsboro. He would not have writ
ten 1t If it was not legal.
Now, as the school board has had a
legal right all these years to use the
why have they not taken