Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1905-09-05
Tuesday, September S, 1905,

getting such a rapidly increasing bus
mess from the state dispensary, al
though there Is much complaint about
the quality of the goods. The COM
pany, which Is capitalized at only $780,
600, did million dollars worth Of
business with the dispensary last year,
and three of its directors, ]. s. Far
mum, the Charleston beer man, and
Sam ]. Lanahan. he Of the Nixon brib-
cry incident; and Mr. Bernheim Of the
whisky house bearing his name-man-
aged to cop out" business on the
side for their outside houses. What
we want to know" said member OF
the commission to your correspondent,
rs who Is holding certain stock In trust
and whom II is being held for, we have
not been able to get at this so far"
The report has been current for some
time that dispensary officials have
stock In the concern, but NOBODY mas
ever been able to point to the man.
II the commission establishes at sum
ter next week that dispensary officials
are or have been holders Of this stock
a cracking sensation will be created,
though the probability Is not strong
that such a showing will be made. d.
rector Boykin will go on the stand at
his request, but otherwise the Sumter
Investigation Is expected to be con-
fined to the sub-dispensaries. In the
opinion Of many people in position to
gather information, there is no foun-
dation for these suspicious. The pres
ident of the concern receives q salary
of only $1,000 a year and the active
manager gets less than IS 600. Presi-
dent Block said recently the concern
was not profitable and has never paid
a dividend, that the profits al went out
in salaries.
The Union dispensary injunction
case was argued before Judge Town
send Yesterday and the proceedings
were quite interesting. Evans and
Melton came forward with afhdavits
representing certain situations and con-
ditions that were disproved absolutely.
In the complaint ]. B. Wilbanks and J.
B. Burgess swore that they were tax
payers and qualified voters and that
their names were on the petition for
the dispensary election without their
knowledge or authority. Mr.. Ben
Townsend read affidayits Of several
responsible persons, affirming that they
were present at the time Wilbanks and
Burgess had their names signed, and
that they heard the two men request
that their names be put on the petition.
II developed that neither OF the TWO
men were taxpayers and that neither
name appeared on the registration
books. Several other affidavits were
disposed Of no less efrectually: very
strong affidavit was that made in re-
gard to there being the required num-
Der of qualified voters names on the
petition, In order that an election
might be called. A committee consist
ing of J. F. Caudle, president or the
Temperance, Law and Order league or
Union county: Rev. J. K. Hair. pastor
Of the Second Baptist church; Rev.
D. NJ. Mcleod. pastor Of Grace Meth
odist church; Rev. F. II. Poston, pas
tor of the Mon-Aetna Baptist church;
Rev. L. M. Rice, pastor Of the First
Baptist church, Messrs. G. B. and JOS
eph Sanders, swore that they had care
fully compared copy Of the petition
with a corrected list Of names from the
registration book, and that they found
4s4 to be qualified voters, and 1,84O
names was the total number OF quail
fed voters now living and resident In
this county which left "a over the re-
uuired number In his speech. ]. A.
Sawyer one Of the attorneys for the
prohibitionists denounced Melton and
Evans for being parties to an attempt
ed fraud Stanyarne Wilson, another
prohibition attorney, drew attention to
the fact that c. Barnett, plaintiff for
the dispensaries to be kept open, al
legged that he only wanted the law to
be carried out. and while the evident
purpose Of the board Of control and
dispensers now was to delay matters
as long as possible in closing the dis
pensaries, he pointed out that the com
plaint had not even been sworn to by
Barnett: and furthermore, that II the
time was to be strictly considered as
to the voting out Of the dispensary. 1t
should apply with equal force to the
election Of dispensers. who had been
elected at different points at different
times. In conclusion he said that ne
had shown that the election had been
legally conducted and that the names
had not been fraudulently put on pc
titions, and that voters were not re-
fused the right to vote when proven
to be properly qualified. and that as
the voice Of the people had been so dis
tinctlv heard by the ballots cast for
mo dispensary" by two to one, that II
seems. that the majority should rule
and the Injunction be dissolved and the
dispensaries closed. Judge Townsend
then took all the papers and announced
afterward to a press representative
that he would likely consider them to-
day, and announce his decision very
soon.