The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1914-01-30
CHRISTENSEN REPLIES.
Senator From Beaufort Makes Ans
Wer to Special Message Of Gov
erROr.

Special to The Herald and News.
Columbia, Jan. 29.-Rising to
question of personal privilege in the
senate on Wednesday, Senator N.
Christensen, of Beaufort, made the
following statement.
"The propriety of my conduct as
citizen is called in question by
Governor Blease in a special message
to the legislature This because of
the fact that / am a trustee of the
Port Royal Agricultural school and
because Booker T. Washington is
named on a letter head of the school
as reference The said message
also insinuates by questions and
phraseology that whites may be
teaching negroes, that social equality
may be taught, and that the school
may be a State institution.
''The facts could have been easily
ascertained by the governor from the
same source through which he secur-
ed the partial information used in
this message. Briefly stated they
are as follows:
"The Port Royal Agricultural
school is a private school for negroes
and uses no public funds. The four
trustees are white The letter head
in question was printed for the negro
principal at his order and for his use
and so far as l know it is not used
by any one else The principal is a
graduate of Tuskegee and it is but
natural that he should refes to the
principal of that school as one who
knows him. All the teachers of the
PORT Royal school are negroes.
NEARLY every school district in this
State has negro schools in it and
each of the white public school trus-
tees of this district is a trustee Of nn-
Pro schools. Governor Blease him
self was for some years trustee Of
negro college for which position
he was a candidate in 1902 before the
legislature which elected him. So
there IS no objection to white man
acting as trustee to negro school.
the only question is the kind CT scnool
ne is in charge c.
"Tle school in question is located
in Beaufort county, five miles from
the town of Beaufort, it is known by
the public school trustees of the dis
trict who heartily approve it. l have
discussed it's policies and methods
with Former State Superintendent Of
Education O. B. Martin, and the pres
ent State superintendent of education,
J. E. Swearingen, who have approved
of same. believe that no school for
negroes in this country is so free
from any teaching of social equality.
1t is a farm school. The 35 boys and
girls who live there do all the work
OF the 70 acres under cultivation,
working summer as we'll as winter.
When the boys are through with the
course they go back to their own
farms on the island or work for the
white farmers as hands and many of
the girls are house servants for
white families there about. The aim
of the school is to make the negroes
of Port Rayal Island better fitted to
fill the place that the Almighty in
His wisdom and South Carolina by its
law has assigned to them.
"This attempt by the governor to
discredit me and others through this
trusteeship is just such one as was
made in Beaufort county 10 years ago
when I was first elected to the State
senate. The voters of Beaufort coun-
ty heard the matter discussed on the
stump in all of its details and then
elected me by large majority. They
have twice reelected me. The people
of the State may be sure they would
never have done this had the insirua-
tions of this special message been
true"