The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-05-25
MOUNDV|LLE BOARD
PUTS It Up TO STATE
Will Not Deed D0rmitOries
Erected Privately
4
ADOPT RESOLUTIONS
RESOLUTIONS
Copy Sent to Normal Board Which
Failed to Elect President or
Faculty for Moundville at
Montgomery Meeting
by JOHN }. THORNTON

Moundville. May 2.-tSpecial)-The fol-
lowing resolutions were passed by the
state normal school board at the meet
ing held in the governors office on May
20 with regard to the normal school al
Moundville:
BE il resolved. That no president or
faculty of the Moundville normal school
be elected, nor any provisions made for
the continuance of the normal school at
Moundville until proper title is made to
the state to all the property used for or
connected with the operation of the said
school
Second be it resolved That a copy of
this resolution be mailed by the secre-
tary to the persons asserting title to the
property on which the dormitory stands,
namely: The present local board of dis
trict trustees.
In answer to which the local trustees
Yesterday sent the following reply to II.
J. willingham, secretary of the state
board
"Moundville, May %, 1918.
ITO the Honorable State Normal School
Board, Montgomery, Aa.:s
Gentlemen are in receipt of your
circular notice of your action with ref
press mention of which has. been previ-
ously noticed. As title to the present
grounds and equipment appear to have
been sufficiently clear to warrant the
uninterrupted operation of the school for
a period of five years, we presume the
real purpose of your resolution was the
acquisition of title to the two dormitories
! as being property used for and in con-
nection with the said school.
Now inasmuch as the bill creating this
school contemplated no such provision
upon our part, and since the conditions
upon which it was established have been
fully complied with and accepted by the
board with full authority to act in the
premises, we are frank to say we do not
recognize any obligations upon part
to deed to the state the two dormitories
erected on our lands by private subscrip-
ton to be used in connection with and
| for the benefit of the MoundVille normal
school, nor, to be plain will be entertain
any such proposition.
''Tis true these dormitories were erect
| ed at our own expense solely for school
purposes and will be so used SO long as
conditions in our opinion demand them,
| but in permitting such use of them we
| do not in the least relinquish our title nor
control and we may well be under
| stood now upon this point. If your reso-
| luton refers only to title to property now
| in the states name and the continuation
| of the school depends upon the validity
| of this title then we shall be glad to do
what we can in making it satisfactory
| to your board but if as stated above you
wish from us an additional donation of
| some $1,000 or $4,000 in the form of dormi-
| tories. remembering the wanton expendi-
| ture of 5000 of the state money for
| the training of about a dozen normal
! students, and that over the, protest of
more than % per cent of the patrons, thus
| utterly disregarding the schools useful
ness the past session, and remembering
! your failure far as we know of even
an earnest effort to secure any portion
| of the $4,000 appropriated by the last
| legislature for school buildings here, we
are free to say that so far as our dormi-
| tories are concerned, there is nothing
doing
| IF you have or do now accept the prop
| erty used for school purposes, inasmucn
as we know of no act of the legislature
! abolishing this school, we shall be greatly
| enlightened by the authority for your
position in this matter, and unless we
are shown we shall likely insist upon the
approprat tion for the school as now pro-
| cided upon our statute books: II you,
| do not accept as valid the deed you now
| hold, and we cannot make it satisfactory,
| then return the property to us and take
| such action with reference to the school
| as your conscientious Judgment dictates.
| = "Of one thing there can be no question,
| the propertv either belongs to the state
or it belongs to our trustees-if to the
| state then we demand that the state
| operate it under the unrepealed and un-
| amended law by which it was created
| if to our trustees then surrender our
deed and relinquish your claims and we
| will make of it the best school we possi-
bly can: but we are unwilling to be a
party to the further Laceyizing of our
| state treasury by the wanton expenditure
| of another $1,000 under the ridiculous farce
| of a state normal school at Moundviile.
| ..If your boa rd IS sufficiently Interested
| to make an investigating trip here we
| shall gladly welcome and entertain you,
| and will cooperate with you in any hon
orable way to upbuild a school which we
| think has great possibilities, or IL you
desire a delegation of our interested citi-
| zens to appear before your body for n
| Friendly discussion of the situation we
| shall cheerfully comply with your wishes.
| 1--WE trust YOU will not consider this
communication pert or in any way disre-
I snectful: II is not so intended, but is II
| sincere expression of our feelings upon
tbIs matter. and is dictated solely for the
nurpose of making known to YOU our
| position and in the interest of the educa-
| tional feature of our community.
| I'm view Of the uncertainties or the
! situation we shall thank you for prompt
| reply as to your intentions, so that we
| may act intelllgentiy for the best in
terest Of our people
| I'VE are with regards. yours very truly.
| "R L. GRIFFIN.
| ''E NJ. ELLIOTT,