The herald and news. (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, April 27, 1909, Page THREE, Image 3
MINUS MAKES REJOINDER
Ex-Commandant of Clemson Discus
ses Thornhill Case-Refers to
the Interview with Dr. Mell.
Clemson College, April 22.-Capt.
J. C. Minue, U. S. A., retired, form
er commandant at Clemson, makes
the following signed statement in re
ply to Dr. Mell 's interview in the
News and Courier, of April 21, under
date line of Anderson, S. C.:
The following is attributed to Dr.
Mell as the facts in the Thornhill
case: "When he (referring to Thorn
hill) went home at Christmas, 'he was
taken ill and did -not return to college
on the day when work was to be re
sumed, but came in several days lat
er. According to the by-laws govern
ing the college, the president -has jur
isdiction in cases of this kind, and
when Thornhill returned he present
ed a physician's certificate, which is
in accordane -with the rules, Presi
dent Mell excused the cadet on 'his
delay, and allowed him to enter col
lege to resume his studies.
"It now dvelops, so says Dr. Mell,,
that Thornhill had presented the cer
tificate first to Capt. Minus, who had
refused to accept it. Dr. Mall did not
know that the matter had come up
before Capt. Minus, for there was no
nqtation in the certificate, and if
thire #had been one made, it was not
a matter in his jurisdiction. Only
the president has authority to aet in
such cases.'"
Here is Capt. Minus' statement:
"Cadet Thornhill went home for the
Christmas holidays, December 22,
1908, to January 2, 1909. He return
ed to college forty-two hours late,
and submitted an explanation to the
effect that he was detained for dental
work, and supported his statement by
the following certificate:
"Charleston, S. C., January 2,
1909.-T.his is to certify that Mr. E.
J. Thornhill has been detained by me
to have his teeth treated.
(Signed 'R. McI. Wilbur, D. D. S.'
"I returned the explanation to the
cadet on the grounds that the cadet
was away from College from Decem
ber 22, 1908, to January 2, 1909, by
authority, and no reason was given
why the dental work was not done
during the ten or eleven days of lei
sure. My endorsement, returning the
explanation, was to the effect that the
explanation was unsatisfactory, in
which event, if .the cadet had more to
offer in explaining his offence, he had
the opportunity. It was during the
Stime that the paper 'was in the hands
of the cadet that it was taken to Dr.
Mell.
"I quote Paragraph 204, Regua
tions for t:he Government of the Ca
dets of Clemson Agricultural College:
F" 'Every cadet who over-stays his
leave of absence must produce satis
faetory testimony of his having been
prevented from returning by sickness
or some other unavoidable cause.'
" Certainly up to this point the
testimony was not satisfactory.
" Taking up Dr. Mell 's statement
by piecemeal, 'when he (referring to
Thornhill) went home Christmas he
was taken ill.' This is the first claim
made t.hat Thornhill was ill. Con
tinuing, I quote from Dr. Mell 's
statement: 'According to the by-laws
governing the College, the president
asserts that he has jurisdiction in.
such cases.' Here is the exact quo
tation from .the by-laws: 'In all mat
'ters of discipline and control of the
cadet corps, except in cases involving
suspension or expulsion,' the comman
dant shall be empowered to aet, and
the board will expect him 'to enforce
good order and good behavior, and
exercise all the power necessary to
that end. He shall make such rules
and regulations as he may deem best,
subject to the supervision and para
mount control of the president.'
"Further along in the president's
statement this occurs: 'Only the pres
ident has authority to act in such!
cases.' A reference to the records of
the commandant's office will show at
least fifty cases of cadets over-stay
ing leave since .the beginning of my
administration in 1907, and I chal
kunge the president to show one case;
in which he has ever exercised the au
authority that he asserts is his alone.
Every case of over-staying leave, ex
cept the Thornhill case and the Brown
case. has been handled by me -with
out one word or co:'inem from the
president indicatingx acGon: in the
cases. His invariable valeI. prior to
january. 1909. has been to send to
the commnandant"'s office surgeon 's
certificates, and so on, and not a sin
gle one shows a word by way of en-:
dorsemenrt prior to the above cited
cases. The validity of the excuse has
heretofore been left entirely to the
commandant. Here is the endorse
ment on the Thornhill certificate:
'President 's office, January S. 1909.!
Respectfully referred to the comman
dam:. Cadet will be excused on this
crtiP(ete. (Signed) P. HI. Mell,
President'
"Now summing up. Dr. Mell states
ihv the cadet was ill. read the eer
tif+at- that the president and the
president alone, has authority to
handle such cases; read the quotation
from the by-laws and consider the
fact that for a year and a half pre
vious there was never a suggestion
that the handling of surgeon's certifi
cates in the ease of cadets over-stay
ing leave is a special and exclusive
function of the president. The com
mandant and the commandant alone
has always handled these certificates;
that the grounds for the president's
removal of the offence against the
cadet are without warrant.
"If the regulations and the by-laws
governing this institution mean any
thing, the president, by this action,
in a ruthless, uncalled for and unau
thorized manner, invaded the juris
diction of the commandant, specifi
cally set aside as his, by the board of
trustees in the by-laws.
"Along this ine I quote from a let
ter of protest in the Brown case,
which is of the same flagrant and in
vading nature as the Thornhill case;
'one of the great evils and one of the
most unbusinesslike elements ,connect
ed with the administration of this
College from a disciplinary stand
point is the over-staying by the ea
dets of the stipulated and scheduled
holidays granted by the authorities,
and the matter will never be remedied
by the acceptance of any such excuse
as is set forth herein. As president,
you virtually discredit the order of
my office, which, as I have stated, is
based upon written instructions from
you. I write this letter for the purpose
of making my protest a matter of
record.' The date of the above let
ter is January 4, 1909. The Thornhill
endorsement is of date January 8,
1909. The president was under prom
ise to the board of trustees to stay
out of the commandant's jurisdiction,
made December 9, 1908.
''J. C. Minus,
''Capt. U. S. Army, Retired."
THE TROUBLE AT CLEMSON.
"The College is Run by an Astute
Politician, on the Lines of Politi
cal Machine."
To -the Editor of The News and
Courier: Your editorial of the 20th
instant, relative to conditions at
Clemson College, 'has been read with
much interest as usual.
The position 'taken that the ills of
Clemson are due to the preponder
ance on the board of the Clemson
will trustees is doubtless in large
measure correct. Certainly there can
be no adequate defenee of a scheme
under which the very large sums ap
propriatd by the State in support of
the College are placed under the con
trol of the representatives of Mr.
Clemson.
Nevertheless, it does not necessarily
follow that for this reason the Col
lege must be mismanaged. This is an
atual, but not necessary result.
The truth seems to be that Clem
son, like the dispensary system, is one
of Mr. Tillman 's politeal schemes,f
and as he used the latter for 'his po
itial advancement, so he does not
hesitate to bend the former to his own
ends. I have been told by one who
atended a meeting of the board 'that
Mr. Tillman was the whole thing and
the other members were figure-heads.
It is evident that the Senator con
siders it importa?it to remain on the
hoard, else he would not continue to
stultify himself by remaining a trus
tee, in flagrant violation of the Con
stitution of the Sta-te, in the making
of which he took so prominent a part.
The College, in other words, is run
by an astute politician, on the lines
of a political machine, and as long
as these conditions exist, we shall not
have a college of which the State ean
feel very proud.
As to present conditions, and the
controversy between Capt. Minus and
President Melil, I have no doubt that
the parent of every student at Clem
son breathed a sigh of relief when it
was announced that Capt. Minus had
resigned.
You will recall that under the D'ra
c-ouian Code. all offenses were punish -
ed with1 death; the lesser, because
they deserved it. the greater because
nothing more severe could be devised.
Evidently some such idea controlled
Capt. MIinus in dealing with the so
aled "rebellion'' of April last,
when he insisted .upon the expulsion
or disnssal of three hundred and
i:-e 'tudents. for it is a very patent
absurdity to say that among these
three hundred and five boys ranging
in, lasses and ages from freshmen of
sixteen years to .juniors of twenty to
twenty-two or t'hree years of age,I
there were absolutely no v-arying de
grees of culpability. This is thc only
case on record. I believe, where all
wh engaged in mutiny, rebellion,
rio't, affray or other disturbance,
whether in schoool, college, the army,
on shipboard or anywhere else,
(where the number so engaged was
cn;f siderable.) were theld equally guil
:md were all given the severest
unishnt known to the law.
It will be recalled also that tihe
.,, -in,-rao hng tihe taltsmon
which his laws were inscribed so high
that they cou!d not be read, thus
making their violation the more prob
able.
Capt. Minus published an order, it
appears, that a certain regulation
would be enforced, which regulation
prescribed expulsion or dismissal for
leaving the College grounds between
"taps'' and "reveille," i. e., in the
night. The logical, natural and neces
sary conclusion from this would, of
course, be that whatever the punish
ment for leaving the grounds during
the day, it certainly would not be ex
pulsion or dismissal; but that is just
what Capt. Minus meant it should be,
and that is what he insisted on. And
herein is revealed another Draconian
twist to the Captain's mind.
Bat in his "statement" Capt. Minus
tells us that President Mell is weak,
and to those parents whose sons have
lost their last and only opportunity
to get an education, doubtless the
whole board which permitted the ac
tion of last spring appeared excess
ively weak, and President Mell's
"weakness'' in overriding Capt.
Minus in the Thornhill ease, as re
ported by your correspondent, will be
approved by all.
The trouble with Capt. Minus seems
to be revealed in the description given
of him by Mr. Hoyt last spring, viz,
he is "a soldier," and "nothing but
a soldier."
Now something other and more
than a mere soldier is needed in and
required of a commandant of cadets
and a professor in a college. Such a
one must have a heart as well as a
head. In -all dealing with the re
spectable sons of respectable parents
during the formative period of their
lives and characters, he should be not
only, and merely, a ian of high char
acter and firmness, but also of dis
cretion, discernment, of careful and
discriminating temperament and affa
bility of disposition and manners.
Capt. Minus may be, and doubtless is,
a m.an of high character, and firmness
and a good soldier, but these other
necessary qualities, or some of them,
he seems to lack.
And so I say, no doubt the parents
of the Clemson students breathed a
sigh of relief when they learned of
Capt. Minus' resignation and it is a
pity he did not let it go at that. Y.
The Modern Mary.
Mary had a little lamb; it's fleece
was white as snow. Would Mary ever
sell the lamb? Why, what a question!
No! She kept the lamb in luxury for
many, many years, and every now
and then she'd go and clip it with her
shears, then sell the fleece and take
the cash and put it in the bank until
she had a 1ortune .of the very top
most rank. While Mary ,was a wise
young girl, er fathsr had a pull, and
throtigh !his .labbying he kept the tar
iff up on wool.-Chicag Evening Post.
TO DRAW JURY.
Notice is hereby given that, we,
the undersigned, Ju-ry Commissioners
for Newberry County, S. C., will on
the 23rd. inst., at 9 o'clock a. in., in
the office of the Clerk of Court,
openly and publicly draw the names
of thirty-six men, who shall serve as
Petit Jarors at the Court of Common
Pleas which will convene at Newber
ry, S. C., May 10th, 1909.
JNO. L. EPPS,
EjUG. S. WE~RTS,
JNO. C. GOGGANS,
Jury Coin. for Newheery Co., S. C.
April 12th, 1909.
4-13- '09.-td.
FORIn
DEVDTEES OF e
DAMKE FASHION t1
in
til
di(
Cn
ic
at
\ ti
I in
f ii
AMERICAN BEAU TY Style 43 1
Kalamazoo Corset Co., Maers
OR M~ATRON
dancing in a set of quadrilles.
"What's the matter with you,
Scrapper?'" bellowed the leader.
"Dropped my rosin."
"Well, never mind. Go on play
ing, you'll get it presently."
"Go on playin' be hanged," came
the reply. "My rosin'll be done afore
the set. Queen Mary doown there has
picked it up, and given 'alf on it to
'Amlet, an' they're eatin' it.''-Tit
Bits.
EXCUSION RATES VIA
SOUTHERN BAILWAY.
To Charleston, S. C., Columbia, S.
C., Spartanburg, S. C., and
Washington ,D. C.
To Chaaleston and return:-Ac
eount Meeting of Shriners the South
ern Railway announces very low
-round trip rates. Tickets will be
sold April 21 and 22 limited for re
turn, leaving Charleston not later
than midnight, April 23, 1909.
To Columbia and return:-Account
Musical Festival very low round trip
tickets will be sold April 21, 22 and
23 limited for return, leaving Colum
bia not later than midnight April
24, 1909.
To Spartanburg and return:-Ac
count South Atlantic States Musieal
Festival very cheap round trip tiek
ets will be sold, April 19, 20, 21, and
22 for trains scheduled to arrive in
Spartanburg before noon April 23,
1909. Limited for. return, leaving
Spartanburg not later than midnight
April 24th, 1909.
TTo Washington, D. C., and re
turn:-Account Annual Meeting
Daughters of the American Revolu
tion, Washington, D. C., very low
round trip tickets will be on sale Apr.
15 and 16 only, from all stations,
limited for return, leaving Washing
ton up to and including, but not later
than midnight, April 28th, 1909.
For detailed information, tickets,
etc., apply to Southern Railway tick
et agents or address,
J L. Meek,
Asst. General Passenger Agent,
J. C. Lusk, ,
Division Passenger Agent,
Charleston, S. C.
CHARLESTON & WESTERN CAR
OLINA RY.
Schedule in effect May 31, 1908.
Lv. Newberry(CJ N & L) 12:56 p.m.
Ar. Laurens .2:02 p.m.
Lv. Laurens (C & W C) 2:35 p.m.
Ar. Greenville 4:00 p.m.
Lv. Laurens 2:32 p.m.
Ar. Spartanburg 4:05 p.m.
Lv. Spartanburg (So. Ry.) 5:00 p.m.
Ar. Hendersonville 7:45 p.m.
Ar. Asheville 8:50 p.m.
Lv. Laurens (C & W C) 2:32 p.m.
Ar. Greenwood 3:32 p.m.
Ar. McCormick 4:33 p.m.
Ar. Angusta 6.:15 p.m.
Tri-Weekly Parlar Car line be
tween Augusta and Asheville. Trains
Nos. 1 and 2, leave Augusta Tuesdays,
Thursdays and Saturdays, leave
Asheville Mondays, Wednesdays and
Fridays.
Note: The above arrivals and de
partures, as well as conne~etions with
other companies, are given as ifor-,
mation, and are-not gtraranteed.
F&nest Willignis,
Gen. Pana. A>.,
Augomta, Ga.
' Geo. T. Bryan.
.GreenviJBi; . C..
choosing a corset, ex
cisegood judgmient in
e selection of this'ibst
portant article of at
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pends the success of
uch that makes a
arming appearance
d personality.
e recommend the
MERICAN
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CORSET
AiAMAZOO CORSET CO.
Exclusive Makers
fulfilling all such re
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c., 50c., 75c. and $1.00
ery Corset a Bargain.
. KLETTNER
Jot Down
Your extravagances for the past month,
then take a pencil and mark out those
you could have just as well gotten along
without, turn over a new leaf then and
there and make up your mind to put in.
a bank that portion of your income that
has heretofore been wasted. : .
We Pay 4 per cent. on
Savings Deposits.
The Commerial Buk,
NEWBERRY, S. C.
JNO. M. KINARD, 0. B. MAYER, J. Y. McFALL,
President. Vice-President. Cashier.
IEXCHANGE BANK
Of Newberry, S. C&
Bank Depositors are Entitled at All Times to Know
What Security is Behind Their Deposits.
The paid up capital of this Bank is $50,000.
00. The accrued Profits or Surplus is $11,-,
500,00. The Stockholders of the Bank are
liable for an additional amount equal to -the
Capital Stock. The,security we offer our de
positors is therefore $1 1 1,500.00. This, in
addition to the integrity of the men who have
harge of its affairs. Below appears a list of
the Officers and Directors of the Exchange
Bank,of Newberry, S. C,
J. 0. DAVENPORT, M. L. SPEARMAN,
President. Cashier.
E. R. H IPP, W. B. WALLACE,
V. President. Asst. Cashier.
GEO. B. CROM E R, Attorney.
DIRECTORS:
A. T. BROWN, Newberry Hotel. W. G. HOUSEAL, M. D.
CEO. B. CROMER, Attorney. EDW. R. HIPP, Merchant.
J. D. DAVENPORT, Presid't. C. J. PURCELL, Merchant.
C. C. GLASGOW, Planter. J. A. SENN, Merchant.
M. L. SPEARMAN, Cashier.
SOME OF OUR POLICIES:
To be conservative.
To pay four per cent.
To calculate interest semi-annually.
To bond every employee.
To be progressive and accommodating.
To lend.our money to our customers.
To treat our patrons courteously.
To be liberal and prompt.
To secure.busuiess from all classes.
TO BE THE VERYrBEST XANK FOR YOU
TO DO BUSINESS WITH..
Our institution is under the supervision of and regularly
examined by the,State Bank Examiner.
The Bank of Prosperity, .
Prosperity, S. C.
DR. GEO. Y. HUNTER, DR. J. S. WHEELER,
President. . V. President.
J. F. BROWNE, J. A. COUNTS,
-Cashier. Assistant Cashier.
I The First'Cosgh of the Season, :
* EBvei' though not severe, has a tendency to irritate the sensi
tive mrembranes of the throat and delicate bronchial tubes.
-Coughs then come easy all winter, every time you take the
sulightest cold. Cuire the first cough before it has achance to .
* etup anifamatiointhe deicate capillary air tubes of theg
*lIngs. The best remedy is QUICK RELIEF COUGH
NYRUP. It at once gets right at the seat of trouble and 're
moves the cause. It is free from Morphine andL is as safe for @
0a chfld as for au adult. 25 cents at
MAYES' DRUG STORE.S