The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1906-02-07
DISPEHSARY GRAFT OF
THE WORST DESCRIPTION
Investigating Committee Proves That
Thousands Were Wasted on Labels

iliieSuSetltiS Uuliliilitltt ItuyeS lilo
Thousands Were Wasted on Labels
Bids From Two Reputable Firms Show
That the Dispensary Directors Paid
Labels-James Henry Rice Cor
nered.
Columbia, February 2.-That the
dispensary paid s36,677, TO a. Cincin-
natl house for 21,000,O0o labels
which could have been furnished for
less than $4,000 was brought out by
the dispensary Investigating commit
tee at its meeting here this afternoon.
The labels were bought, thes invoice
showed, from the Nevison Weiskoff
Company, Of Cincinnati, the bill be-
ing approved by Messrs. Boykin and
Towill, OF the State board.
Mr.. w. II. Cogswell, president and
general manager Of the Walker, Evans
& cogswen Company, printers, litho:
graphers and stationers, Of Charleston,
testified that, he had secured prices
from the Brandon Printing Company,
of Nashville, on these. labels furnished
by, ttc Cincinnati house, and that the
Brandon Company had offered to fur
niSh the labels, f o. b. Nashville, for
E..ix5. The samples on which Mr..
secured prices weEes given to
air2 by Senator Christensen, Of the
com n1ittee,, and Senator Christensen
testified that he had secured them
from the State dspensary here, and he,
w;:s s.tlsfed they were the la!. Is fur
nished by the Cincinnati house. Mr..
S. offer to the committee was
% furnish znMlabe Is for 50, 1as, adding
$4,000 to the price of the: Nashville
house.
Mr.. Ambrxme. E Gonzales president Of
The State Printing Compang, had Sc
cured bids, asa these same labels from
he Maryland Color Printing Company
Of Baltimore, and this concern had Of
sered to fnrnfsh the 21,Oe@Go0 labels
for s7,700,. which price included 1a
per cent coEIrisSion to the State Com
oany.
These prices submitted by Messzs.
Cogswell and Gonzales were secured
oy the co7nmittee after the ilvestiga-
Jon was begun and for TIE purpose. OF
he Investigation. Neither the State
Company nor Walker, Evans & Ccgs-
we'll had. submitted a bid TO the State
board,
Mr.! John ]. seibess, of Columbia,
president of the Columbia Glass
however, testified that on the
invitation OF Mr.. Bogkin he had sub
.nitted bids to the State board, ard the
prices given by him were about one
fourth The price paid for the labels in
one Cincinnati hosase.
After sitting the matter of labels,
the committee put Mr.. James Henry
Rice, Jr., on the witness stand and
asked him if the State hoard of direc-
tors had taken stock in the paper
which he formely edited in George
town, the Carolina Field. Mr. Mr.
Rice asserted positively that no mem
Der Of the State board had taken stock
in his paper.
"A letter signed by Mr.. Rice was pro-
duced, directed to J. S. Farnurn, and
dated April 80, 1905, in which Mr. Rice
stated: 81 may tell you that our
friends of the board promised to do
the right thing by you and by me, and
Especially the two that we thought pcs
sihly against Us. They have subscrib-
ed rather literally, and if you will
take one thousand dollars Of the stock
the thing is. .done."
asc. Rice maintained, however, that
40 member Of the State board Of di-
rectors had at any time had any stock
IN his paper, He could not recall the
circumstances under which the letter
was written, and said possibly if he
rad time to look over his correspond
snce he might be able to give the com
| 9:tcee the connection. The commit
zee continues 20 meet in the
supreme Court room each afternoon
| at $50 o'clock, and the session con-
;:nued this afternoon for nearly four
hours Chairman Evans and Mr.. Tow,
Ill, of the State board, were both pres
ent during the proceedings this after.
noon. There were a number OF people
at the session VINO gave close atten-
tion to the testimony.
as soon as the committee this after
noon met, the matter Of labels wa
eaken up. and Mc. W. H. Cogswell, o
| Charleston. was the first witness. MI
|Cogswen said that at the time Mr.
| Christensen gave him the samples o