Beverly banner. [volume] (Beverly, N.J.) 1877-1964, 1925-10-09
COlOred Folks Threaten
Legal Action On New
School Location.

-COeAA
climax eta shr
a climax was reached on the long
standing disagreement between the
School Board and number of the
negro citizens as to the location of
the proposed school building No. 2.
A committee consisting of Rev. John
Dunn and Converse Rice ended the
discussion by informing the Board
that they would at once apply for
an injunction to restrain the Board
from erecting the school on the pro-
posed site at the southwest corner
of Front and Magnolia streets.
They presented to the Board, a Pc
tition signed by 140 negro citizens
requesting that the proposed site be
abandoned and that the City Hall be
remodelled as a school for negro pu-
pills, as was originally intended.
Reverend Dunn stated that their
committee had taken the matter be-
fore the State Board of Education at
Trenton and before the County SUI
perintendent and had been told by
them that there appeared to be no
good reason for the Beverly Board
to refrain from remodelling the City
Hall. Dunn called attention to the
fact that the Board of Estimate had
refused to grant the appropriation
of $4,000 for remodelling the City
Hall but that the County Superinten-
dent stated that he was familiar
with the situation and that it was all
bunk"
Rice also spoke to the Board urg-
ing a change of location. When
questioned by member of the Board
he admitted that both the County Su-
perintendent and the State School
Board had admitted the matter was
entirely outside of their jurisdiction
and that it was none of their bust
ness where the Beverly Board located
it's school. Their approval % the ar
chitect's plans was all that they
could act upon.
Mr.. Hopkins, president of the Bev-
erly Board then replied to the negro
committee, informing them that the
Board had carefully considered their
complaints as to the location being
unsanitary and dangerously close
to the river, and had been unanimous
in deciding that such complaints were
without merit and that consequently
the location would remain as stated.
He reminded them that the Board
considered it their duty to consider
the wishes of majority of the tax
payers when spending $4,000 Of
their money and not merely the
wishes of any particular group which
represented negligible number of
taxpayers. He further stated that
the. Board had full power to choose
a site for a new school and intended
to exercise such power; that they
would assume the full responsibility
for their acts without Sinking or
sidestepping and that if the colored
representatives wished to fight the
thing out, then fight it must be with
the Board ready to meet them.
At the conclusion of Mr.. Hopkins
remarks the committee gave formal
notice that Injunction proceedings
would be instituted at once and i'm
mediately left the Board meeting.
A number of citizens who we're
present highly commended Mr..
Hopkins on his firm and dignified
stand and expressed the opinion that
the Board had been very fair jim the
matter and had acted to the best in
terest of the community as whole.
They minated that they believed
the real reason for the opposition to
the. Magnolia street location had not
been brought out by the negro obJec-
tors and that the question of insani-
tation was merely "blind."
Following the meeting, member
of the Board was asked if he really
thought an injunction would be
sought and intimated that it was
taken by the Board as an idle threat
which merely served to antagonize
rather than brighten or embarrass the
Board. He stated that as yet the
Board had neither purchased the
ground nor awarded a contract Tor
the building; neither had they OIL
eially decided that the building
would be occupied by negro pupils
after completion and that the ordl-