The sun., 1897-05-20

Proposed 1nvestiEation OF MS Methsas In Gee.
nection win the Di-pensary System.

| WASHINGTON, May Ex-senator Tillmnn, the
knight OF the pitchfork from South Carolina.
| may have to delay his proposed investigation OF
his fellow Senators who are accused OF speculate
ing in sugar stocks to attend an investigation Of
| his own methods in connection with the dspen-
sary liquor system In tho Palmetto State. For
| some time past the political opponents OF Sena-
tor Tillman in South Carolina have directly and
indirectly charged all kinds Of fraud and corrup-
tion in connection with the administration OF
the noted Dispcnsary law. Tho State officers in
charge of tho dispensary have been accused Of
violating the law. and tho charge has boen mado
that some OF them have connivod with tho
whiskey ring under contract to supply South
Carolina with liquor until tho matter has be-
come State scandal. Senator Tillman. as the
originator OF the dispcnsary system. owing TO
the fact that IL was established while he was
Governor of the State, has not escaped the
charge of being implicated in some Of the al
legged questionable transactions growing out OF
the dispensary system. The newspapers Of
South Carolina have bristled recently with per-
sonal communications from Tillmanites and
antiTillmanites making charges and counter
charges Of all kinds Of scandal in connection
with the liquor traffic Of the State.
The Cuban question and the tariff issue sink
into insignifcanco in South Carolina compared
with the dispensary scandal and tho climax has
Just been reached by Senator Tillman calling
upon Gov. Elcrbeo to institute rigid investiga-
tion of the whole subject. A few days ago Sem
ator Tillman wrote q long letter to the Governor,
framed in language as vigorous and as charac-
teristic as he could command. referring to tho
dispcnsary scandals and suggesting an invcsti-
cation. The Senator said he wanted oil the
facts brought out, and he volunteered to appear
he knows about the dispensary business. The
letter was written with the expectation that 1t
would be published in the State press, and per-
mission to that effect was authorized in n foot
note to the Governor. When the letter reached
it's destination the Governor concluded that 1t
SO he refused to mako II public. There was much
curiosity in the state to know the contents OF
the senator's letter. but all appeals TO the Gov
ernOr were in vain. Tho Senator did not hesi-
questioned on the subject, snd expressed great
surprise when informed that the Governor de-
cllncd 10 publish 1t.
To-day the Senator received n long letter from
the Governor explaining why he withheld the
original letter. In substance. the Governor said
ments and reflections concerning certain persons
which might be softened somewhat before being
spread before the public. Senator Tillman
would have preferred to let the original text OF
ence to the suggestions OF Gov. Ellerbee he has
consented to tone down some of the moro ve-
hement sentences and let il go at that. An in
vestigation is sure to follow, and II is said that
thcro will be some sensational Developments
which may involve some of the prominent
Palmetto politicians. 1t is charged that the
actual receipts from the sale of liquor under the
state dispensary system have fallen several
hundred thousand dollars below the estimates,
and the insinnations are made that certain in
from their connection with tho liquor business
in the State.