Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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VOL XLIII. NO. 14- NEWBERRY. S. C. FI-DA.,Y. FETIRUARX It'. 191IWIEAWEK'150AYA SENATE HAS KILLED THE MORGAN BILL AND HAS SENT ANOTHER MEAS URE TO HOUSE. Seems Now There Will Be No Dis pensary Legislation at This Ses sion. The general assembly will in all probability adjourn on Saturday. The setate has killed the Morgan local ioa bill and has sent another dis pensary measure to the house but it is- extremely doubtful if there will be aay dispensary legislation at this jPa dispensary situation, as far as the senate is concerned seems instead of having arrived at a conclusion to -be in a more complicated condition than ever. There may not be any ;Wislation whatever on the matter at a5 this session, if the threat of Sen a4or Blease of Newberry to hold the floor until Saturday night holds good. Qn Tuesday evening the Morgan bill was killed and the dispensary forces ho9ked to the title of it the substitute for the Rayson-Manning bill. Senator Bease immediately held up the bill, because, he said, certain of those who wished it passed would not vote to kill the reformatory bill measure which he has been persistently and rigorously fighting. He had stated before that if he were not assisted in the delth of this measure there would be trouble for other bills. Thgre gs mq.re ebate oa the dis pensary bills ~on Tuesday and it ap peared at one time as if a vote would be reached at the morning session. But this was precluded by objection of * Setor Mauldin, who stated that as Senator Blease had fought the refor matory bill'and had threatened an at taek on it for last evening, he would not recede from hik position. As it now stands tEie Morgan bill is dead and the Raysor-Manning bill itang up. The situation in the dispensary is s.ue on Thursday was still more corn plicated. The. senate Wednesday morning read, for the second time, the Raysor-Manning bill, objection hav ing been removed. This bill was read the last time in the senate on Wed nesday and was sent to the house onI Thursday. It goes to the lower body, not for three readings but for con enrrence, as the bill is really a house mueasure. This status was obtained by axing to the title of the Morgan hill which has already passed the house, the body of the Raysor-Man niing bill, which originated in the sen ate. and had never been sent across ihe state house. Now what the house will do is hard 1o say. One part of the general as-1 semnbly has declared itself for local option which is against the theory of the Raysor-Manning bill, by passing t.he Morgan bill, and on top of that the Rueker bill, the Morgan bill hav ing been killed by the senate night be fore last. The house seemed to feel that as the senate had killed oneI measure along this line, that another should be put up to them. The house may refuse to sanction the adoption of the Raysor-Manning bill, as this sort of measure has not been to its notion. On the other hand, the sen ate, it appears, will not stand sponsor for a bill giving local option, prefer-I ring central government.I As to the election of the new board it is held that officers remain in offie until their successors qualify. Fol lowing out this, should the legisla ture adjourn without an election. the present board would hold over. how-J ever. Sho :is after :e sen1ate v:a call ed to order in the morning, Senator .Blease of Newberry annourcil'ed that he would not continue to hold the floor as he had been advised that the dis maar bill were not in any danger of becoming law and he thougnt the issue would be in the campaign, after all, during the summer. Senator Elird who made - an unsuccessful motion shortly before to limit all speeches during the remainder of the session to 1.5 minutes, offered two iminor amendments to the Raysor-Manning bill. These were adopted but amend ments by Senator Raysor to eliminate the board of control from the .bill were rejected. The bill was then giv en an aye and nay vote as follows: Ayes-Senators Bates, Bivens,I Black, C. L. Blease, E. S. Blease, Car penter, Davis, Dennis, Douglass, Earle, Efird, Iardin, Hay, Holliday, W. E. Johnson, W. J. Johnson, Man ning, McGowan, McLeod, McIver, Peurif-y, Raysor, Stackhouse, Walk er, W:.rren, Wells, Williams-28. Nay,--Senators Brice, Brown, Brooks, Butler, Carlisle, Hood, Hough, Hudson, Mauldin, Talbert, von Kolnitz-12. The senate on Wednesday began debate on the bucket shop bill but did not finish. The Jamestown exposition was voted an appropriation of $30,000 and the general appropriation bill was taken up. It is getting late now in the session and there are only three days to work in. Every senator wants his pet bill made a special order. The house on Wednesday killed the possibility of biennial sessions of the general assembly within the next two or three years. The resolutions look ing to a vote on the issue by the peo ple failed to secure the necessary two third vote of all elected members. The bill to convert the South Caro lina college into a university was passed, by-an-almost unanimoras vote. The salaries of all solicitors were raised to $1,700, effective April 1st oi this year. The salaries are to be uni form. The bill to establish a hospital for epilepti.cs and inebriates was adopted. The measure provides for an appro priation of $6,000. The house says the istitution must be located on the property of the hospital for the in sane and under the control of the board of regents. The senate provid ed for a distinct commission but the two houses will no doubt agree to have the institution for inebriates connect ed with the hospital for the insane. The house sent another bill over to the senate on the dispensary situation. This time it is the Rucker bill that the senate will be asked to consider. The Rucker bill abolishes the state dispen sary and provides for county dis pensaries and prohibition.' Under the bill sent to the senate no elections are to be .held in counties that have already voted out the dispensary. Mr. Sanders secured the p)assage of a bill which seeks to exempt wit nesses wvho testify in gambling cases against prosecution if the evidence in erimina tes themselves. Mr. Herbert 's high school propo sition was defeated. All remaining house bills have been killed and the decks are being cleared for adj3ourn ment Saturday. BACHMAN CHAPEL. Mr. J. Noland Epps Injured-The Southern Farmer-Personal and Other Matters. Sometimes it's with the newspaper reporter much like it is with the old cook-what are we to have for the next meal? I am not exactly on the beg, but would kindly ask that you give us the happenings in your sur roundings that are worthy of public note. I1 am not limited to any special section; my field is open and broad. While I wait. I am here to give the news. My couirse in writing is to put sin where it belongs, criticise evil and compliment good. Mr. Butler Banks has been confin ed to his roofm with sickness for the past two weeks. Mr. and Mrs. U. S. Livingston are sunfrino- with grip. Your correspondemt is gflad to leurn that the little son of Rev. and Mrs. .1. A. Sligh. who has been quite sick with i measles. is improving. We have hal very few fair days at a tine for the past three months, but. the continued wet. has caused less complaint of dry wells. If there are any spring oats, they will be very late. Mr. J. Noland Epps, who is living with Mr. Charlie Suber. fell from a scaffold on last. Saturday while in structing some. hands how to cover a house, and received very painful but not serious injuries. Mrs. Epps received the .message late Saturday afternoon that her son was hurt, and she came for him Sunday morning. returning home with him on Monday. We are glad to say that he is getting along nicely at this writing, and hopes soon to be able to return to his duty. If you are going to judge the coun try by the number of fine mules, bug gies and organs that have bep-, b-ught, and are stiflxing bon1ht you would say that this is a land of prosperity. Mr. and Mrs. Nancy Kinard, of No. 9, visited his parents, of this section, on Monday night. Mr. John Dehardt and Miss Lily Dehardt, of Bush River church see tion, spent last Friday night with their uncle, Mr. E. S. Franklin. Mrs. Goff returned home last Mon day. I stated in my last week's letter that-I wanted a milch cow. Fo- the last few days I h i-,-e reived notie of a good many for sale in various see tions of the county. Thank you. brethren, I hope- soon to have a good milch eow, and this shows yoi what a. little of the printer's ink will do. Yes, if you want to keep up with the times. you must advertise. Misses Mattie and Marie Fellers. of Colony section, spent Monday night with their uncle, Mr. J. T. Mc Cullough and family. I have in my possession a few cop ies of the Southern Farmer, given to me for distribution by J. B. 0O'Neall Holloway, who is the managing edi tor of the journal. This is a new birth in journalism, purely devoted to agriculture, horticulture, dairying, pultry raising and every lphase and feature of farm work. I have read all three issues with care, and have found the paper pure, clean and spotless. only devoted to that which it is inf-I tended for. In fact, the paper is worthy of higher comment than I feel able to give it. I can heartily com mend it to my brother faimers, and feel sure that the dollar subscription rate would be a dollar well spent to any farmer. The Daughters of .the Confederacy delegated or assigned to Sheriff M. M. Buford the power to deliver toj Mr. M. M. Long his cross of honor. Mr. Long, on account of feeble health. was unable to attend the meeting. It is learned through the Sheriff that he will be down one day this week. Say. Kay. have you seen that ground hog yet ? I suppose Mr. Cab aniss keeps him on hand every- day, and would be glad to have you come and take a peep at him any- time. I am going to have a little ground hog out here in the country after awhile. Will you come out if I let you know? T.J. W. The Card Club. Miss Bessie Schumpert very charm ingly entertained the card club on Tuesday evening. Delightful refresh-I metev:cre served, and the occasion was very thoroughly enjoyed by all those present. M\r. Pork P'aeker-S; he writes poetry. does he?! Slvia--)h. p apa. ii is perfectly heavni': Mr. Pork Packer--Werll, we are ex ploiting a new p)ork sausage and can probably use him in the advertising~ SENATOR TILLMAN BEFORE COMMITTEE SENIOR SENATOR BEFORE DIS PENSARY COMMITTEE. No Direct Charges Against Any Mem ber of the State Board of Dis pensary Directors. Senator B. R. Tillman appeared be fore the dispensary investigation com mittee in Columbia on Tuesday af ternoon. The committee held its meet ing in the hall of the house of repre sentatives, and Senator Tillman took up his position on top of the speak-; er's desk. Senator Tillman made no direct charge against any member of the state board, and those who heard his testimony are of the opinion that he failed to specify. The following report is from the Columbia State: In the course of his remarks Sena tor Tillman scolded the committee for not going down into the private affairs of men who had got rich by the dispensary, but he would not give any names of parties to whom he was referring, and thus aid the commit tee. The value of Senator Tillman's information was very little; his ad vice may have been worth something: the moral effect of such a melodra matic performance will not be* of much service to the committee in the further prosecution of its work. Senator Tillman's talk was enter taining. and there was a packed gal lerly which frequently applauded, es pecially when he would get off some of his sarcasm-in lieu of answers to questions from the lawyers, Messrs. Bellinger & - Welch, representing Messrs. Towill and Boykin. Boiled down to its essence, the speech of Senator Tillman inveighed against the inyestigating committee for not going directly at the members of the state board. le himself de clined to assert his belief in their honesty and exhibited as his reasona copy of the terms on which the dis pensary board asks for bids. lie de elared that it failed to secure comn petitive bidding and was therefore a violation of the oath of office of these men. He then went on to tell how lie had bought, how he had run the dispensary, how he had financed, how lie had managed, and described his visit to Cincinnati and Pittsburg and his dealings with Hubbell. He ad mitted that .many people had believed that he had received rebates from Hubbell, but denied strenuously that such was the case and charged that those who believed it but measured himself by their own yardstick. Hubbell hadh given him the oppor tunity to start the dispensary by sell ing to the state on credit. So when it came to the rebates on the first ship ment (a matter of 7 cents a gallon on the cologne sp)irits used to rectify), he told Hubbell that the latter could use that money hinmselt as the state of South Carolina was grteu to him1 for assisting. to start the dispensary by permitting it to buy on credit. Mr. Bellinger and Mr. Welch asked the witness some very direct questions along this line and had the witness been in the supreme court room where he could not have made lengthy speeches every time a question was asked, they might have tangled him up, but he indulged in argument with the attorneys-and it is well known that Senator Tillmzan can argue. He admitted that the charges he has made are that there are no com petitive bids and he had admitted none when lie bought from Hubbell; and as to the (charge of excessive amount of stock on hand, 3Mr. Welch aLs~ed himni some eye-op)ening que.stions1 inl regard to tihe dispensary working~ (f -'hard stock'' in the last two~ yers, stuff handed down to this ad mnijistration. The whole affair was as much en joyed as a regular campaign meeting Tiflman and Evans. As Senator Tillman was walking )tut. of the hall he met Chairman H1. 1. Evans. They shook hands and Mr. Evans pleasantly suggested that folks had been lying on the senior senator as they had on him. Senator Tillman laughingly said that folks will talk, whereupon the chairman of the state board said that anyone who said he stole any money or was a thief was all sorts of something unprintable. Senator Tillman said that was right and to "cuss out" the fellows who said anything about him. It all seem ed good natured and pleasant, but rather spicy language was used. The Evidence. By Mr. Lyon: Q. Have you any in formation in regard to any graft re bate, or improper dealing.on the part of any dispensary official or any rec ord about the dispensary? Senator Tillman-Before I answer any question, I would like to know if I am to answer the questions pro pounded according to the strict rules of evidence or am I to be allowed the latitude to make myself clearly un derstood. Chairman Hay--State it in your own way. Mr. Lyon-That is perfectly satis factory to us. Can you give us an instance where any dispensary official received any rebate or graft or any money in any improper way? Senator Tillman-In order to be able to have myself set aight and have the committee understand just what I know and what I don't know and what I believe upon very strong evidence, I 'will. have to answer that question in my own way. Chairman Hay-Go ahead, sir. Senator Tillman-As to knowing specifically of any instance of my own knowledge that any such thing has occurred I answer no. And as for the reasons that influenced me in in terviews and in speeches in saying what I have said. I will give the foundation for my opinion. The first thing to which T direct your atten tion-I had these papers (Senator Tilman exhibits a printed sheet), I had these papers sent here from the state dispensary, having telegraphed to have them in my reach. Mr. Lyon: Inasmuch as the senator has answered the question so far as his own knowledge is concerned in the negative, I have one other question which I conceive desirable to put to the senator and I will be through with him. While you were in charge of the dispensary did you receive any money in rebates, graft or in any im proper way from the MiUl Creek dis pensary company. A. I did not. Q. D1id you receive it fronm anry source? A. No. In~ orde~r to p)resent the situation. the state of my publie ut terances through the press a nd other wse, ill connection1 with the dishiou esty or mismanagemenit in the state dispensary management,. J want to read right here the official advertise ment or circular for hias to) supply1 the state with liquor. I want to say as preliminary that I had no dream of being summoned here. I had writ ten to the chairman of the commit tee . last September, when I was at home doing nothing, offering to come before the committee any time lie might see fit to summon me to give any information and~ suggestion in my possession. After I reached Washing ton and was busily engage(i, for I was. with duties, and I have been quite active, if I do say it myself. since this session of congress conven ed, and I (lid not look for a summons. andl when I saw in the papers yester day morning~ that it was dlesired that I should come here. that such request hard b eenf mad1e. I felt it obigiatory o.n me to respond at once. notwithstand-I imr the fact that I was out of the ju risdiction of the state and the com mittee. (Turning to Chairman Hay) I got a .teru la night after I had :elegraphed you twice that I would ike to come and the other time that was going to come. I am very tired ind. of course, would like to sit down, >ut I do not want to be out of sight. If .I sit down here I will be out of sight and I do not want to be out of iight. (Senator Tillman had a chair :laced on top of the speaker's desk, where he took his seat, the audience ipplauding the situation in which he placed himself.) Now, Mr. Chairman, I was about to read for the information of those who have never taken the trouble to study it, the official advertisement or cir ,ular, upon which bids are requested. (Circular read.) I have had no ime to get up any papers or to pro luee the necessary basis for a legal nrgument. I am not a lawyer, as you all know, but I will call your atten tion to -this, and any man here who chooses to examine the facts under the dispensary law will see that it is required that p-irchases for the state dispensary shall be made by 3ompetitive bids, and I say most em phatically that this method of pur ,hasing has not one element of com petition in it; and the Law, therefore, 3s I understand it, has been violated absolutely and without regard to the )ath of office or other consequences by those responsible servants of the people, or of the legislature, I should say, and not the people, who have been placed in charge of this busi iess, involving a million and a half or two million dollars. Why do I say that there is no competition in the bidding? Let me say to you that one X rye is not less than $1.50. What is one X rye? There is no defi ition whatever under this specifica tion that would establish the test of what one X rye is. No man living caa tell by this advertisement what kind f liquor he is bidding on except the price and the price is fixed with the kind of brand in any barrel which he might choose to sell and send here, one X, two X or four X, and no man living, chemist or nobody else, can de tet the difference and be able to pre vent fraud on the state. I, therefore, assert, as a basis of my first utter ances, which are more or less guarded, that the claim of fraud and specula tion in the purchase of whiskey, prob ably by this board, was based upon this simple document, which has been running as an advertisement, so far as I know, I do not how far back it goes. I am not here today to more than give you the basis of my owa judgment and opinion. When my at tention was directed for the first time to what was going on in the purchase of whiskey here last spring, there be ing no yard stick then to measure one X, no means of detection to prove other than it is 100 proof-it is the basis of my opinion and assertion that this laxity, the disobedience to law, has left the door wide open for any ran who saw fit to make purchases for the state in the vast quantities which have been required and to de fraud the state in any amount that ight be between the actual cost of the spirit and the adulteration and the price fixed by the board. I will ater on, if the chairman wants me to lo so, give some little insights into he whiskey business that I. have dis overed about it when I first inaugu rated the dispensary system. But just now to go on I will return to the mbject of the board of control. The board, not only has disobeyed the law so far as competitive bids were required, but has left a loophole hrough which the state could be de frauded simply by brands. The ques ion naturally presents itself. Why lo these men do this? I should an ~wer, with their eyes open and with n1 op)portunity obtain counsel, why hould1( they go~ forward in disobedi neie of the statute if not because of some underlying purpose or. motive ? That was t he basis of suspicion. Then: when the Spa rtanhuirg investigation (Continned on Fourth Page.)