The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1913-03-07
Governor BIeaSe on the
Mitchell Investigation


! ported me, has frequently disagreed
with me upon matters-a newspaper
which has been conservative and fair
and which, believe, always tries to
be honest in the expression of its
opinions, and which has always stood
for the educational advancement Oh
the State. In 4 recent issue The Her
aid and News, OF Newberry, after stat
ing that the committee has filed
report generating DR.. MITCHELL,
says:
This was to have been expected
from the trend os the testimony and
the color giyel t.. the testimony by
the press We havt never sald Pres1-
dent MitcheiI was guilty of any OF
fense, and d. not now say so, but the
whole testimony and the entire inVes-
tigation was based On a wrong pre-
| mise. Whether intentional or not we
do not pretend to say, but 1t mas
seemed to us that the entire testimony
and all newspaper comments were
away from the subject to be lnvesugat-
ed and entirely foreign to the charges,
if charges you desire to call them, or
| Governor Blease. We have not the
speech of Governor Blease before us,
but our recollection of what he said
is that he understood that President
Mitchell had signed a petition or an
agreement that if the Peabody board
| would give the University SlOO,OOo'
that he would agree to give the bal
ance to negro education in the South.
And that if he had signed such agree
ment he. President Mitchell, had no
part in the educational system under
the administration of Governor
Blease. The only thing to be investl-
gated, then, as We see it, was, did
President Mitchell sign such an agree
ment, and if he did, did it disqualify
him for a position in the educational
system of South Carolina under the
administration of Governor Biease
That is all there~was to the charge,
and that is all that was to be inves-
tigated.
What are the facts? The report OF
the committee says: We do not find
from the testimony that DR.. Mitchell,
the president of the University OF
South Carolina, signed an agreement
| by which any money OF the Peabody
fund, that had heretofore been desig-
mated to be given to Winthrop college,
should be transferred from Winthrop,
and he given to the University OF
South Carolina and negro schools. IN
this, therefore, the governor was mis-
informed. It was we'll, however, that
the governor called the matter to the
attention of the general assembly, and
urged this investigation, for in doing
so he has caused the whole matter to
be fully, and, we hope, satisfactorily
cleared up
''The petition which it was charged
that President Mitchell signed, and
which he did signs, says: If, as we
confidently believe, the need OF high
school teachers is urgent and school
! of education in the State university is
the best and most suitable method OF
supplying this need, we most earnest
lv request that your honorable BODY
dcnata 100000 to each State univer-
sity in those States heretofore parti-
cinatfng in this fund, for the timing
of white teachers, and the reminder
for the training Of negro teachers III
the same States.
Heretofore this State has been par
ticipating in this fund through VIM
throp college, an institution that has
been training teachers. DR.. Johnson
gave it as his opinion that this petl-
ton kept Winthrop from getting the
amount she would have gotten. That
was his opinion. He may have been
mistaken. But the question was, did
Dr. Mitchell sign an agreement that if
the university we're given a certain
amount that he would agree that the
balance go to negro education in the
South. He did sign it. Was it wrong?
The committee report evades the is
sue. The issue was not, did he sign
an agreement by which the money that
had heretofore been designated for