The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1912-07-24
APLAIN STATEMENT OF FACTS TO THE PUBLIC
Committee Having in Charge the Negotiations with
Chscora College Trustees Issue Statement Ex.
pianatOry of the Present Status The Committee
Refuses to Entertain the Resolution Passed az the
Last Board Meeting.

nish any information desired About
four o'clock on Saturday morning. the
10th of July, after the board of trus
tees had been in executive session for
several hours, we were summoned TO
appear before them when the follow
ing resolution was read to us:
The board of trustees of Chicora
college desires to say to the people
OF Laurens that, after full consid-
Grafton of the removal Of the college
from Greenville, without any offer
from Greenville or other places, the
| board in full meeting deems it un-
wise to remove the college from
Greenville at this time feeling that
1t would be damaging to the college
and work materially against its in
terests. Therefore the board begs to
withdraw the offer heretofore made
to the citizens of Laurens. The board
| expresses its grateful acknowledge
ment OF the generosity and interest
shown by the people of Laurens in
Chcora college,"
The chairman of our committee
stated that pending the formal notice
of the boards action, he would not
attempt to say what the citizens of
Laurens would do. The individual
members of the committee expressed
to the board of trustees surprise and
disappointment at the action of the
board for the reason that we regarded
the first resolution and our acceptance
of the same as being conclusive of
the matter so far as the board of
trustees was concerned. After confer
| ing with citizens of Laurens our
chairman has sent to the board of
| trustees the following communication
which explains itself and which is i'm
reply to their notification of it's ac-
tion on July 18th:
"Laurens, S. c., July %, 1912.
Board of Trustees Chicora College.
G. E. Graham, Chairman, T. w.
Sloan, Secretary, and e. e. Gillespie,
Chairman of Special Committee of
| Seven.
Gentlemen: | beg to acknowledge
| receipt of your favor of July 22nd.
transmitting the official action of the
board taken Friday night, July 10TH
1912. After mature consideration of
all that has transpired we regret the
necessity which is ours, to have to
decline your request to withdraw the
| offer heretofore made the citizens of
Laurens Our compliance with the
| second clause of your agreement it
seems to us, puts you under both
moral and legal obligation to carry
out said written contract, entered in
TO by competent contracting parties
in a legal manner. This agreement
was not that you would remove Chi
cora college from tlrecnville to Lau-
rens, but upon our compliance with
two specific conditions you would at
tach your favorable recommendation
to the proposition and pass the same
on FOR adoption or rejection by the
! PreSbyterieS. We have complied with
condition number two and are ready,
at your pleasure, to meet condition
number one. AS we see it. the matter
is in reality already before the Pres
by'eIieS and your board is only due
us the recommendation you proposed
to make. Our people appreciate the
kindly references Of your board to
certain characteristics of our citizen
ship and beg to assure you that our
interest in Chicora college is both
sentimental and sincere.
"Fraternally yours,
(Signed III. *. Aiken,
chairman"
The above is a fair and impartial
| statement of the facts. The board of
trustees of Chicora college is compos-
ed of twenty eight members, repre-
senting the seven presbyteries, four
| being elected by each Presbytery At
the annual meeting on the 2nd Of July
we are informed that there were pres
ent sixteen members. a majority of
the whole board, and therefore, legal
board. We are informed that each
and every member of tho board had
been formally notified of lis annual
meeting. On the question of the pas
sage of the resolution above set out
we are informed that the board voted
as follows: nine for the resolution,
and six against 1t, the chairman not
voting. Had the chairman voted, he
would have voted in the negative. At
| the special meeting on the 10th Of
| July, there were present twenty
members and on the question to re-
consider the resolution of July End,
the vote stood thirteen for the motion
and eleven against 1t. And on the
question of the passage of the reso-
luton on July 10Th, the vote stood
fifteen for, and nine against 1t, the
chairman not voting in either case.
We do not feel that this is the time
or place for any elaborate argument
OF this question, but few pertinent
observations will not be out Of order
| Did the board have the right, either
| in law or morals, to pass the resolu-
tion of the 18th resembling the action
of the board as set out in the resolu-
ton of July End after the conditions
therein stated had been accepted by
the citizens of Laurens? We DO not
think so. 1t seems to us that the ac
ton of the board at its annual ses-
sion was just as binding on the alb
sent members and on those who were
present and voted against the propo-