The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1913-02-18
DR.. s.rcHEAL ON TIE STAND.
University President trraigns Dr.
Johnson for Latter'S Alleged PaIs
in Controversy.

letitiOn OF 1869, tldt Will l0I0l0 0tiCN
10 the education Of negroes. and way
ID that as red flag before bull,
7,,a; his own institution III ;>'lI -:
IN material wealth at the expense OF
the University of South Carolina,
was the statement Of Dr.. S. c. Nit
chell during the course Of his testl-
nony this afternoon before the COM
.nittee appointed to investigate the
charge made by Governor Blease, that
the president of the State University
had conspired to defraud Winthrop
College of her rightful share OF GER
tain funds from the Peabody board.
Yet" said Dr. Mitchell, DR.. john
son waited until political conditions
in this State were such that he might
arouse the prejudice Of high officials,
before he took any action in blaming
the action OF myself and body Of
educational patriots for injuring
Winthrop with the Peabody board.
The whole trend Of the testimony
by DR.. Mitchell was that educational
conditions in the South were such
that two separate committees OF the
Peabody board had recommended that
the fund would be to aid the strus-
sling educational departments Of the
arious State universities in produc-
ing teachers and superintendents for
the high schools.
The University Of South Carolina
vas included in both these recommen-
dations, and Winthrop College was
never mentioned" said Dr.. Mitchell.
This committee could have rightly
held me guilty of inaction, if, after
two representatives of committees,
each recommending $4,000 for the
University Of South Carolina, and
after the subsequent action Of the
board in sighting the University
without a dollar, l had done nothing
to secure it." he continued
Mr. F. H. NcMaster, insurance COM
missioner, an alumnus of the Uni
versity of South Carolina, testified
briefly as to the correspondence. He
stated that he had written DR.. John
son about his action in securing,
through Governor Ansel, the $4,000
appropriation intended for the Univer
sity, after Prof. Tate, rural school su
pervisor, had told him of it, He had
written DR.. Johnson another letter,
asking for the names of all parties
to whom he had forwarded copies of
his letter, which he considered private
correspondence, and that this re-
quest had never been needed.
Dr.. Mitchell, in beginning his test
imony, said that the personal element
would have been left out of the mat
ter, but for the action of Dr. john
son in stressing before the governor
the clause with reference to the edu
cation of negroes, which appears in
the petition drawn up by the presi-
dents of eight of the State universi-
ties of the South.
Il am convinced of this" he said
for long before this matter was
brought out one of the trustees CT the
University had told me that DR.. John
son had said that the distribution of
the fund did not matter to the Uni
versity, since l was in favor of giving
it all to the negroes.
DR.. Mitchell then sketched the work
OF the Peabody board and showed
what had already been brought out
that the board always singles out
some task to which to address it's ben
efits: that it's policy was first to aid
The CITY schoo! system, then the State
systems then the normal schools and'
lastly the educational departments OF
the State universities. Dr. Mitchell
showed from reports of the meetings
Of the board that the policy of aiding
the State universities had been adopt
ed long before he was elected to the
pres dency of the University Of South
Carolina.
DR.. Mitchell said the first connec-
tion in an official way which he had
ever had with the Peabody board had
been when he received a letter from
DR.. Johnson, while he was still at
Richmond College, just after his cleo
tion to the presidency here, informing
him that a vacancy had occurred on
the Peabody board which was to be
filed from this State. DR.. Johnson