The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1905-08-16
THE DISPENSARY INVESTIGATION

CATION of the management OF the dis
pensary system made some startling
disclosures of rottenness in Spartan.
burg last week. From the testimony OF
a number Of witnesses it appears that
bribery was resorted to in the election
Ct dispensers, that contributions were
extorted from employees to help the
dispensary cause IN the fight now
being wagcd upon it, and that the
management Of the great moral in
stitution' in the county Of Spartan
burg has been founded upon corrup-
tion in public Office of the most fla
grant kind.
When TIE Joint Resolution provid-
ing for the appointment of commit
tee Of investigation was passed by the
General Assembly, it was considered
a shrewd move on the part Of the ad.
vocates of the dispensary system to
exonerate the management from all
charges of corruption and to admins
ter o general "whitewash." 1t is a
source Of great qualification that most
of the members of the committee Of
FIVE have performed the trust confided
to them without fear or prejudice,
and, thanks to their efforts, indispu-
table and undisputcd evidence of mis-
management and corruption has been
produced. The subcommittee, con-
sisting Of Representative Lyon, of
Abbevilie, snd Senator Christensen,
of Beaufort, deserves praise for push
ing the investig alton as they have
done.
The evidence taken before the com
mittee is so lengthy that it cannot be
reproduced here, but the following
summary will give the principal facts
brought out:
That the County Board of Control,
of which Charles o. Smith was
man was chairman, levied a regular
assessment upon the applicants for
dispensers positions. The amounts
varied. One witness testified that he
had paid 1915 and had given a gold
watch &c secure dispensary job.
The money was given to Dispenser
Huseman who paid it over to Smith.
That q contribution of 1885 was
raised by the dispensary employees in
Spartanburg and Columbia to pay the
Spartanburg Journal for the support
OF the dispensary cause. The Jour.
nal, through its editor, Charles H.
Henry, admitted receiving the money
but it claimed that it was for adver-
tising space in the paper. But the
and news columns, does not bear out
its claim.
That the chairman of the County
Board of Control, G. 0. Smith, sold
liquor and travelled from town to town,
and that he sold liquor by telling dis
pensers that he would have them re-
moved by friend on the State Board
if they did not buy from him.
That the dispensaries in Spartan
burg have received many complimen.
tary cases of liquor from whiskey
houses which have beenput on the shcl.
YES and sold for personal profit. Besides
cases Of liquor, gifts of umbrellas,
fountain peas, wines, suits of clothes,
etc., were made to the dispensers.
That dispensers have written to
whiskey houses to send them free
cases of liquor TO make up short
ages.
e That empty cases were carried in
the stock account and were counted as
stock on hand, when they were en-.
tirely empty.
That one Of the witnesses told Cole
L. Blease, member of the investi-
CATION committee, that for 500 he
would not be witness. Another
witness testified that Blease asked
him "why in the dickens he didn' t
go off and have nothing to do with the
investigation" that the general ten
dency of the investigating committee
was to smooth matters over and up.
hold the dispenesry.
That the dispensary is selling short
measure, making FIVE quarts OF gal
Ion, or selling one-ffth of gallon fro
quart.
That D. NJ. Miles, formerly on the
the State Board Of Control, while
bringing no specific charges against
any one, admitted that he voluntarily
retired from the Board because it was
not considered an honest place and
for fear that he might be suspected of
dishonesty.
That labels were changed so that
one x goods were sold as two X
goods, and that one dispenser had ac-
cumulated thousands of dollars during
his term of service.
That member Of the County Board
of Control was offered $500 if he
would vote for certain man for dis.
penser, this offer being made by the
Chairman of the Board, G. 0. Smith.
The foregoing summary gives sone
of the principal charges made under
oath by witnesses, most Of whom had
served as dispensers, constables or
members Of the County Board of Con-
troll. The committee merely touched