The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-08-21
POWERS ANSWERS
 MIR. W|LL|NGHAM Tells Why Florence School Will Continue to Be Called
 a" College"

President James K Powers of the
 State Normal college at Florence has
 given out the following copy of a let
 ter addressed by him to Mir Wiling
 ham, In answer to a recent statement
 given out:
 August is. 1912
 Hon H. J. Willingham, Secretary, | Board of Trustees for White Nor
 mai Schools, Montgomery. Ala. Dear Sir-After the adjournment of
 the board of trustees on August 15. you
 called my attention to a section of the
 rules and regulations and. on behalf
 of the board, requested me to conform
 to it in future. l think you said that
 someone had complained that this sec
 tion was being violated by this insti | tuition. or words to that effect I did
 not get clear idea of what was de-
 sired at the time and hoped that you
 would write me fully on the subject | later. Not having heard from you l as-
 sume that the following extract from a special to the Mobile Item fairly sets
 forth the matter.
 "'The normal school board declared | that section No. 2 of the rules and reg
 ulations governing normal schools must | be enforced. This section prohibits | HbIHldl ScnDOlS from d0NtfIlSlnR tnefn- selves as colleges It was brought to | the attention of the board that ths
 Florence and Livingston schools have | been advertised as normal colleges" | The secretary was instructed to inform | the presidents of these schools that the lrule must be obeyed"
 Section No. of the rules and regu-
 lations reads as follows:
 2. The institutions under the care .fv ord rbra l. f~ .l. state normal schools of Florence, Jack
 sonville, Livingston, Troy Moundville
 and Daphne, respectively. The said schools shall be divided into two
 classes. "A" and "B" The following
 schools shall be included in class A:
 Those at Florence. Jacksonville, Troy
 and Livingston. The following schools
 shall be included in class B: Those at l Moundville and Daphne.
 q respectfully submit that I had not seen even a mild form of prohibition | in thIs section. l thought the first part merely a statement of facts as to the | institutions controlled by your board under section No. of the act creating | your board tapproved April 1S, 1912), | and the remainder of the section con sidered a classification of the sev- eral institutions under your jurisdic- | ton.
 Tn this connection I respectfully | submit the following for your consider alton and that of your board: Under an act approved February 27 | 1901, this institution was incorporated under the name of the board of di- rectors of the State Normal college at Florence. Under that act the insti- l tuition, as a corporation. has well de-
 fined rights and powers. It has never occurred to me that this act was re- pealed by the repeating clause of the act of April IS. 1912. from which the present board of trustees derives its authority, beyond the abolition of the board of directors provided for in the | former act or charter
 Last spring, in accordance with au- thority of your board of trustees, the institution purchased several lots or | parcels of hand. If l mistake not every deed was taken in the name of The State Normal College at Florence | These deeds were carefully drawn by
 a leading firm of Florence lawpers. em- ployed for that purpose with the ap- proval of the governor and chairman l of the finance committee of your board. And again. If I mistake not, every insurance policy carried by the insti- tution is made to read in favor of The State Normal College at Florence
 Indeed. supposed that The State Normal College at Florence was still the charter name of the institution. that the institution still had all the rights and powers conferred upon 1t by that charter. If I was in error 1t is some consolation to know that l am in the company of some distinguished lawyers who have transacted business for you. I have not consulted any at torney in this matter l merely write as layman who knows no law, but
 has some Knowledge of the facts which, sight of by you when you called this matter to the attention of the board, and by the board when it took the ac- | tion referred to in the first paragraph | of this letter.
 | Under the circumstances, with pro- l found respect for you and the board of | trustees l trust that may be pardoned l for hesitating to change advertise
 ments and discard a years supply Of stationery at considerable expense | long enough to inquire whether the | charter of this institution was re- pealed by the act creating your board, or by section No. of your rules and regulations, or by the action taken by your board on August h.
 Lest I be held in contempt for con CUTS to me that this matter should re- ceived the same publicity through the press that the action of Your board on August i5 had. Very truly yours, JAMES K. POWERS"