The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-04-07
DEMAND IS MADE
 FOR PUBLIC HEARING
 OF FEAGIN CHARGES
Montgomery Has No Knowledge of What Is Contained In the Affi-
 davits Presented

Montgomery, April Especial )- Thirteen citizens of Montgomery in raid advertisements published in Mont Lomerye newspapers today demanded that the county board of education hold | public session for the hearing of charges regarding the fitness of w. F.
 Feagin for the position of county superintendent of education. The re- quest which was in the form of let
 ter to the board, was signed by J. Lis
 ter Hill, Dr. J l.. Gaston. ". NJ. Marks,
 4. H. Liston, George w. Dickey. H. J. Hooper. E. M. Stowers, John c. Carter, Miss Mary Burke Mrs. W. B. Crump-
 ton. Mrs. Kate Mclean Stewart, Mrs. A. r. Brock and Mrs. J. Brevard Jones.
 Certain affidavits which have not been given to the public recently were read to the county board with the re- quest that some action be taken
 against MT. Feagin.
 The committee did not give the
 toard the names of those who signed
 them and the board declined to take any action. expressing its confidence in MT. Feagin. but stating that if brought
 in the proper way with documentary evidence to indicate that there may be u uth in the charges a hearing would be granted.
 l The public does not know what is in the affidavits. and the only evidence is lnat they contain references To alleged personal matters which came up from eight to fourteen years ago. Mir. Fea- gin has been county superintendent of e0uca tion since he retired as state superintendent of education three years ago and has a national reputa- ton as an educator. He has issued no public statement, but his friends have
 branded the charges as political spite growing out of the movement of his f~fands ta have him ,1a da nrecit{au+ of
 the Alabama Polytechnic Institute in tie event of the retirement of Dr. C.
 c. Thach.
 FFAGIN ISSUES STATEMENT
 William F. Feagin, county superin- tendent of education and former statt superintendent, in statement to the pub. lie tonight demanded full investigation of the charges preferred against him in affidavits which have not yet been given to the public, that he be confronted by the witnesses against him, and that the charges be specified. His statement fol- lowing the publication Of demand for a public hearing before the county board of education which was signed by thir- teen men and women of Montgomery. MT. Feagins statement in full follows: Tt has been my privilege to give to the public the very best years of my life and now, when my charac cter is being as- sailed, my wife and daughter bowed with deepest humiliation, and my own personal and professional honor ieopardized, the public owes it to itself. to my family and to me to see that l am accorded far trial, and to reach only such decision as may be justified when all the evidence is in.
 ''In the fear of God I deliberately make the following statement:
 "1. know that no serious charge against my charaster can be sustained. 70 l court the fullest investigation or my public and private life
 '3 I demand that the charges against
 me be specified.
 .4 I demand the inalienable right of every free-born American under the con- stitution of being confronted by the wit
 nesses against me
 This is no time to speak of the various
 political motives that prompt the att
 tack on me or the subtle and deep laid
 haps they would make me shrink from the ordeal of a public hearing if my per- sonal fate were the ony issue involved But when I realize that the church. the school and the family altar are all be- smirched if I go down in disgrace which I don not deserve I am deter mined that all possible light shall be turned on. confident that in the end a just tribunal and fair minded public will give me the full and complete exonera- tion and vindication to which am en- titled. and which has heretofore been ac- corded me by the duly constituted au- thorities.s