The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1913-04-09
THE SCHOOL PROBLEM SOLVED.

&24%S SSoSSS 3NSSNAS we N~s
It is indeed gratifying that the
school muddle has at last been
sufficiently adjusted so as to en-
able the authorities to borrow
$4,000 10 prevent the closing
up of d number Of schools
throughout the State. The point
raised by the Governor that the
money could not be borrowed
without his consent Was correct.
if he had persisted in refusing
to sign the note upon which the
money Was to be obtained it
would have resulted in a failure
10 secure the funds. In eff c.,
this Was the legal opinion of tue
attorneys for the bank that was
applied to for the loan, and which
corresponded with the view OF
the Governor. The Governor
SAYS h-re W n danger of a
c nIltiJu Thai wruiu result n
the schools closing as he intend
ed to raise the money himself
rather than the schools should
oe EN- ourruSsed. However, ths:
money has been raised and
everything is all right now: 1t
is to be depioret that there
should be friction among the
officers of the State, they have
for soue time been at odds, and
it looks to Us at this distance
that there should be Something
done by the legislature which,
VIII make it imp 's>lble for THE
officers of the State to bring
tuelr political grievances lnlo
their official afllrS.
Tue Iorkvllie Enquirer With
its usu..l good Reasoning aud 1t
Conservative spirit has tnls to
sly with regard to the mater.
::Goveruur Biease has signed
the note to borrow $4,000 au.
tnorIz d by the general Assem-
bly, for the common schools; but
not uutll after it was made clear
tiaL the money cou d not be got
ell otherwise. The general as
sembly provided for the borrow
in of the money by the govern
OF, the comptroller general and
the state treasurer. Before The
Dill Was passed tue governor
asked the general assembly to
arrange the matter otherwise on
the ground that the two other
officers were his personal and
political enemies and he did not
desire to be associated with
them. The general assembly,
however, went on and put the
governor on the commission any
way. 1t is generally unde' stoud
.nat it was politics. On the one
aaud, if the general assembly
should comply with the wishes
of the governor, it could be made
to appear thlt the governor had
licked it. On the other hand it
appeared that if the governor
should refuse to serve the
scuooIs won d have to go with
out the money. and the pope
losing sight of the political
strategy involved would hold
the COVE nor responsible. When
the time came to make the note
the governor refused to sign.
The comptroller and treasurer
signed and the governor told
the bank that be had no objsc
tlon to the loan, and that it, the
bank, was at liberty to lend tn.
mouey if it saw proper. The
uank. however, got legal advice,
which Was to the effect that the
note was no good except with
the signature Of the governor
On this Governor Blease decid-
ed to sign the note, on the
ground that in the first place be
did not want the schools to suffer
and in the second place he had
demonstrated beyond question
that the money could not have
been gotten without bis sigua-
ture. and that the others we're
not in a position to say they had
forced him to sign. or that they
could have gotten the money
without his help. If the gen
eral assembly had been broad
and generous in the matter, it
would have either left the gov
ernor off the commission or com.
posed the commission of a per-
sounel that would have been
agreeable to him. AS IL matter
of fact Governor BleaSe has
never had any idea of allowing
the schools to suffer for lack Of
money. What he wanted most
was to show the state treasurer
and the comptroller general
could not get the money without
his signature on the note. and as
Tor himSeIf, he had arranged
personally to borrow the entire
$50, 900 on his own account and
let the schools have the use of
it. There may be a good deal
of ch.ld'S nlAN in the whole buSl