Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1913-02-18
DIR. JOHNSON AND DIR. MITCHELL
Conclusion of Testimony Before Lesis-
| Iative Probers.

DR.. JOHNSON AND DR.. MITCHELL
Conclusion of Testimony Before Lesis-
lative Probers.
Columbia, February 1.-THE sixth
and last session of the legislative
committee appointed to examine into
the charge made by Governor Blease,
that DR.. S. C. Mitchell, president Of the
University of South Carolina, had aid
ed in preventing Winthrop college
from receiving funds from the Pea
body endowment, elected no new
facts as to the issues at hand. The
meeting was held at the request Of DR..
D. B. Johnson, president of Winthrop
that he might be allowed to answer
remarks made by DR.. Mitchell yes
terday afternoon, and today's session,
the briefest yet held, was taken up
with the statement Of DR.. johnson
and a concluding statement from DR..
Mitchell.
The testimony of the president of
Winthrop was to the effect that he
had never made q personal attack on
| DIR. Mitchell. He said the sole action
on the part Of DR.. Mitchell that had
ever given him offense was the sign
| ing, along with the heads Of eight
other southern state universities, Of a
petition requesting the Peabody board
to donate 100000 to each Of the uni
versities and consenting that the re-
mainder Of the fund should go to the
education of negroes. Under the terms
of the written wish Of the founder of
the fund, part Of 1t must be applied
to that purpose.
81 resented then and resent now this
action which would have cut Winthrop
college off without a dollar" DR..
Johnson reiterated.
DR.. Mitchell charged DR.. Johnson
on yesterday with trying to poison the
mind Of Governor Blease by stress
ing the clause Of the petition which
related to negro education. Governor
Blease, in his inaugural address,
quoted DR.. Johnson as his authority
for the charge preferred against Pres
ident Mitchell, and the burden Of tes-
timony by DR.. Johnson today was that
he had only given the information. to
the governor in answer to question,
and that he had not tried to injure
the university with the chief execu-
tive.
DR.. Johnson, in beginning his state
ment, said that he had been patient
under trying circumstances; that he
had been forced before the investigat-
ing committee in the position of a
prosecuting witness, role which he
did not relish.
Quoting from the testimony Of DR..
Mitchell yesterday, he read: After
Winthrop college had gotten the $40,-
600 which rightfully belonged to the
University of South Carolina, a COM
mittee of the trustees Of the univer-
Of the fund that remained after the
final distribution, but DR.. johnson
would not agree to this"
DR.. Johnson commented as follows:
1.-The statement that would not agree
to this Is incorrect. / merely asked for
the adoption Of pending resolution,
by Governor Ansel, that
Winthrop be given all Of the fund
after the final distribution"
He read again from the statements
Of DR.. Mitchell: For the first time
in my life an effort has been made to
blacken my name, and the effort may
be traced only to the mind OF DR.. ID;
|B. Johnson" DR.. Johnson said: II
have never made or thought OF max
ing any such effort"
DR.. johnson then presented a copy
Of the letter which he had written
Mr.. D. w. McLaurin, trustee of
Winthrop, enclosing a copy Of the
correspondence with Mr.. T. II. Nc
Master, which has been placed in evil
dence. The sum and substance OF
this letter was that Winthrop's pres
ident was informed that the college
would have to fight to retain the ap-
preparation Of $90.00,000, which has
been awarded 1t, for he understood
that the trustees Of the university
were preparing to take some action to
secure the $4,000 originally intended
a. h,,k III oh
been given to Winthrop on recommen-
dation Of Governor Ansel.
Mr.. McLaurin had shown Governor
Blease the correspondence between DR..
Johnson and Mr.. McMaster and the
charge against DR.. Mitchell, according
to Mr.. McLaurin, originated from that.
DR.. Johnson wished 1t understood
that he had not sent the letter to Mr..
McLaurin for the purpose Of having IT
presented to the governor, saying: "Mr
McLaurin has sworn that he alone Is
responsible for showing that letter to
Governor Blease. I do not recall hav-
ing mentioned DR.. MitchelIs name to
the governor at any other time than
the one Of which have spoken, when
I was in his office and he asked II /
had heard Of the petition, to which DR..
Mitchells name was signed. an
swered, yes
why does Dr. Mitchell attack me
instead of the governor" he asked. II
fear he has been prompted by mis-
chief makers"
DR.. Mitchell in his reply delivered at
the conclusion Of DR.. Johnson's state
ment, explained that he has charged
Dr. johnson with being the instigator
Of the allegation against him, because
the governor said: II have the word
of DR.. D. B. Johnson, the able and dis
tinguished president of Winthrop COL
lege, that this Is true"
Speaking of the petition, President
Johnson said: II do not think that the
university presidents should have made
any request for the disposal Of the re-
mainder of the fund after they had
petitioned for their share" In conclu-
sion, DR.. johnson said: II do not think
that you will allow DR.. Mitchell to
blackmail my character, because I have
been forced into the position Of pros
ecuting witness"
In answer to a question by Senator
Young, Dr. Johnson said: After Win
throp college got her appropriation of
$500,OOO 1 would not have cared to
whom the remainder Of the fund was
given"
Question by Senator Young: IF you
had known Of the report Of the COM
mittee Of 1906 recommending that
$4,000 be given to each of the state
universities Of the south, would you
have withdrawn your claim for $780,
0O0?" Answer: mo, for do not con-
slider the report Of committee as set
tling the question"
DR.. Johnson stated that 1t was his
understanding that under the terms
upon which the fund was given, part
of 1t should ultimately be given to the
education of negroes.
DR.. Mitchell, in the beginning of his
statement, explained why he had
charged DR.. Johnson with being the in
stigator of the imputation against
himself, reading from the inaugural
address of the governor the passage
where DR.. Johnson Is quoted as the
sole authority for the charges prefer
red. He declared that DR.. Johnson was
in possession of the petition Of 1909, ac-
cording to his own testimony, but said
that he had refrained from calling 1t to
official attention until 1911.
The report Of the 1906 committee,
recommending an appropriation for
the various state universities, Of which
DR. Johnson said he was ignorant was