The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1906-06-05
IMPURE WHISKEY
+. IS BEL G SOLD
rs THE SHIBBOLETH OF "CHEM-
ICALLY PURE A FAKE?
State Chemist on the Stand-As-
+. founding Results Obtained Made
BY Georgia Chemist.

At no time since the dispensary in
VeStlgatiOn has started has evidence
OF more effective nature been pro-
duced than was presented yesterday
says the Columbia State of June /.
1t was not showing up of individuals
for petty graft, but it was a presenta-
tion Of proof to the effect that the
law itself on its very face is in some
respects itself Il great contradiction.
The cry of the dispensary advocates
was that it would reduce drunkenness
and give pure whiskcy. Yesterday
Mr.. Lyon showed by the State chemist
himself, friend to the dispensary,
that the chemical analysis is prac-
tically useless. For the people who
pay for pure liquor are those who
drink the so-called better grades, and
Mr.. Lyon showed that some of the
case goods are nothing but chemicals
put together into semblance of whis-
key. And in nearly all of the case
goods there is more water than there
is i'll the same liquors OH the shelves
i'll the barrooms in Georgia, where
there is no State chemist whose duty
it Is 1" anal we the liquor TO test its
purity
The tests made by DR.. McCandless
of Georgia for Mr.. Lyon were done so
without the chemist knowing whence
came the liquors he was analyzing.
And in some instances his answers
are almost astounding. This is the
kind of evidence to which little at
tcntion is paid by the general public,
for it does not tell of vice and sean
dals, but those who are thoughtful
will wonder why it is necessary to put
water in "Mount Vernon' whiskcy
to make it saleabe in South Carolina.
Does the dispensary get such a re-
duction in price because of large or
ders that the dealer must dilute his
product in order to get Il profit
These things may be answered later
When the investigating committee
met yesterday, there was delay of
nearly al hour before the taking of
testimony was started. The commit
tee was in executive session for long
time and evidently must have been
considering wcighty matters, probably
the future course TO be pursued by
the committee which at last has been
able to work up gradually from dis
closures in county dispensaries to the
State dispensary itself.
The First Witness.
The first witness examined was ".
II. Crews of Laurens whose name was
mentioned incidentally few days ago
in connection with the transactions
between the Augusta brewery and
Adolp Shayer, the witness who made
such spectacle of himself last week.
Slayer had operated beer dispen-
sary in the name Of w. n. Crews for
quite awhile and the evidence of
Crews yesterday shifts the onus of
any blame upon the shoulders of
Slayer alone.
1t also shows that there was an I'M
derstanding between the brewery and
Slayer as to which Crews was kept in
the dark with reference to rebates,
and gives color to the evidence Of f..
w. Herman, president Of the brewery,
to the effect that Shaycr had some
kind of pull which he exercised as
middleman' for Herman's brewery
in it's transactions with the State dis
pcnsary. Otherwise than this the evil
dcnce Of Mr.. Crews was immaterial.
lie stated positively that his only
connection with the beer privilege
was to secure the commission in his
own name, as Shaycr had been operat-
ing an "original package house'
while the dispensary law was sus-
pended by the courts for period, and
when the courts finally restored the
dispensary law Shayer was out Of a
job and Crews was prevailed upon to
make this arrangement in Shaycr's
behalf. When the law was so changed
that beer "privileges" we're done
away with as institutions controlled
by the State board and beer dispen-
saries took their place, Crews retired
and shayer took his place.