Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1913-03-07
GOVERNOR SCORES COMMITTEE
Says Report in tho Matter Of Or. Nit
cheII is Evasion.

Blease sent to the general assembly
yesterday was one In which he gave
his views On the report submitted by
the committee appointed to investi-
gate the statement made In the inau-
gural address in connection with DR..
Mitchell. The message Is as follows:
! Gentlemen Of the General Assembly:
The majority of your joint commit
tee appointed to investigate the con-
duct Of DR.. s. c. Mitchell, president Of
the South Carolina university, in con-
J nection with the distribution of the
I Peabody fund, has submitted a report
to your body In which It Is stated that
was "misinformed."
] stated in my inaugural address:
Il am told that Mr.. Ansel has In his
possession q statement signed by the
president Of the South Carolina COL
lege that II the Peabody Fund. trustees
iege q certain amount Of that money.
that he, as president Of the South Car
olina college, would agree and con-
sent for the remainder Of that money
to go to the education of free negroes"
/ Upon the hearing by the commit
tee, this statement was produced by
former Governor Ansel, and the COM
mittee incorporates 1t In its report
The whole issue, and the sole issue,
L was WneLneF LIZ. nQlICHeu naQ signed
such an agreement and the agreement
speaks for ITSELF In all seriousness, I
would like to know how the committee
has reached the conclusion that ! was
"mislnformed," when In the commit
tees report the very agreement which I
stated had information Of is set out.
In a message to your body on Feb
ruary s. said: There may be q
paint brush used, and 1t may have
white paint on 1t; there may be all
kinds Of quibbling explanations and
references to Mr.. Peabody's will, but
the words For the training of negro
teachers In same states viii never
die"
/ had no idea then, however, that II
would be possible for a committee to
go to the extent Of saying that was
"misinformed." and, In almost the
same breath, set out the very thing.
speaking for itself, which / said I had
information Of. Lightning like Is the
rapidity of the strokes of this paint
brush. In half stroke, or less. Il
again. Kaleidoscope are the changes.
The committee says that something
isn't, and then presents It. The far.
famed magicians Of old have been out
classed, and the days Of miracles are
again at hand.
In this connection I desire to cali
your attention to an expression from q
newspaper which, while 1t has sup
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 cpin-
ions. and which has always stood for
the educational advancement Of the
state. In recent issue the Herald and
News, Of Newberry, after stating that
the committee has filed q report ex-
onerating DR.. Mitchell" says:
This was to have been expected
from the trend Of the testimony and
the color given to the testimony by
the press. We have never said Presi-
dent Mitchell was guilty OF any Of
fense and do not now say SO. but the
whole testimony and the entire inves-
/ tigation was based on wrong prem
Use. Whether Intentional or not we
do not pretend to say, but 1t has seem
1 ed to us that the entire testimony and
all newspaper comments were away
/ from the subject to be investigated
and entirely foreign to the charges, II
charges you desire to call them, Of
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 petition or an
agreement that If the Peabody board
would give the university 100000, that
he would agree to give the balance to
negro education In the south, And
that II he had signed such agreement
he, President Mitchell, had no part In
the educational system under the adj
ministratior of Governor Blease. The
only thing 10 be investigated. then, as
we see 1t, was. did President Mitchell
| sign such an agreement, and IL ne did,
did 1t disqr alify him for a position IN
the educational system Of South Car
DINA under the administration Of Gov
ernor Bleass? That Is all there was to
the charge, and that is all that was to
be investigated.
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 &c given to Winthrop college,
should be transferred from Winthrop,
and be given to the University Of
South Carolina and negro schools. In
this, therefore, the governor was mis-
informed. It was well, 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
1.-THE petition which 1t was charged
that President Mitchell signed. and
/ which he did sign, says: If, as we
confidently, believe, the need Of high
schoo! teachers Is urgent and a school
Of education In the state university Is
the best and most suitable method Of
supplying this need, we most earnestly
request that your honorable body do
nate 100000 to each state university
in those states heretofore participat-
ing in this fund, for the training Of
the training Of negro teachers In the
same states
Heretofore this state had been par
ticipating in this fund through Win
throp college, an institution that has
! been training teachers. DR.. johnson
gave 1t as his opinion that this peti-
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 IL
the university were given a certain
amount that he would agree that the
balance go 20 negro education In the
south. He cid sign it. Was It wrong:
The committee report evades the Is
sue. The issue was not, did he sign an
agreement ty which the money that
had heretofore been designated for
Winthrop should go to the university.
The governor never so charged"
This article is headed, "Evades the
Issue" The report Of the committee
Is an evasion the like unto which
there has never yet been. Chameleon
like the agreement Of DR.. Mitchell runs
through the report. Now you see 1t
and now you don't.
It would hardly be possible for a
greater joke to be perpetrated In so
serious q matter-a matter involved
In white supremacy, that possession
and heritage dearest to the hearts of
all true men and women Of the south
and particularly Of South Carolina
Very respectfully,
Cole L. Blease,
Governor.
The reading Of the foregoing mes
sage carried considerable commotion.
and several members expressed indig-
nation: but II developed that neither