The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1920-09-23
FIGHT ON SCHOOL LOCATION.
Interesting Controversy in Smoaks
School District Over New Building.

A heated and bitter fight has been
injected into the location of the new
$4,000 school building which is be-
ing now erected at Smoaks. On one
side are the trustees and a number
of partons Of the school, and on the
other are a number of patrons ana
residents of the school district. The
fight was precipitated when it was
announced that the trustees had Sc
cured a site on the Smoaks-Branch-
Vile road from Hon. G. w. Garrls.
NEGOTIATIONS had been on for several
months for school site and offers
had been made the trustees by w.
H. Warn and D. E. Sauls. Mr.. Warn
offered the trustees two sites, neith-
er of which was satisfactory, and at
a price in excess of that which the
site from Mr.. Garris could be Sc
cured. It is alleged by the trustees
that they had asked Mr.. Warn to
sell them a site where the former
home of the late Wylie Smoak was
located, and that he had declined to
consider this. They also allege that
they then closed with Mr.. Garris
and that subsequent to their having
agreed to purchase the Garris site
for $1,000, Mr.. Warn had offered
them the Wylie Smoak site for moth
ing. Having closed the deal with
Mr.. Garris, the trustees could not
consider the offer of the gift from
Mr.. Warn. Mr.. Warn then called a
meeting of the patrons for last
Thursday night and it was decided
to circulate petition asking the
county board to remove two mem
bers of the board Of trustees, John
B. Smith, chairman, and 1. A. Sauls,
leaving DR.. II. M. Carter on the
board, and to appoint two new mem
bers, l.. F. Berry and J. NJ. HERS.
This petition was signed by Sc of
the residents of the district, many
of whom are not legally patrons of
the school, and presented to the
county board of education on Satur-
day.
Finding that there was not much
chance to secure the removal of the
board as they had done nothing to
constitute cause for removal, it was
decided to circulate another petition
to ask that the county board of educa-
tion come to Smoaks and 'review'
the location of the site, and that 5.
P. J. Garris, Jr, who is member
of the board be left off in the con-
sideration of the matter, as he had
expressed a prejudiced opinion, and
a disinterested person be named IN
his stead. 1t is understood that
this petition was presented Tuesday
to County Superintendent OF Edu-
cation Strickland. 1t is not known
a. this time what action the board
will take.
Meanwhile the Grandy Construc-
tion company, of Greenville, who was
awarded the contract for the build
ing, is going ahead with the work on
the Garris site. The trustees are }.
B. Smith, chairman, I. A. sauls and
DR. II. M. Carter. A building COM
mittee has been appointed by the
trustees consisting of P. M. Berry,
/. M. Maxey, D. E. Sauls; S. J. West
berry and A. E. Warn. The trustees
announce that they intend to go
ahead with the work unless stopped
by law, and that they feel that they
have acted wisely in choosing the
site, which is ideal for the purpose
of a modern school building site.
They have six acres of high and dry
land, and propose to erect a modern
building Observation-Disclosures Press
and Standard.