Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1906-06-08
THE INVESTIGATING COMMITTEE
Able Summary of Work As Seen by
an Able Newspaper


Able Summary of Work As Seen by
an Able Newspaper.
Here and there the questions are
asked: What has the dispensary in
vestigation committee done? Why
have not prominent men among its
managers, as we'll as the small fry
in the counties been exposed? We
shall endeavor to answer them.
| The committee has gone into nine
or ten counties, and in each and all
Of them found the system honey
combed with corrupt practices, In
which many subdispensers, beer dis
pensers and county boards Of control
have been engaged. The committee
has not had time to investigate all
the counties, but 1t has nowhere
found the law obeyed and the business
free Of fraud. The committee has
proved that the state dispensary is en-
veloped in corruption. Is there any
intelligent and candid man in South
Carolina who will deny this? If a
similarly authorized committee should
in the same number Of counties un-
earth similar loose and dishonest
practices in the banks, would 1t not
destroy confidence in the banks gen.
orally throughout the state? Would
you deal with a South Carolina bank
If 1t were run as a South Carolina
dispensary is run? Yet the banks
are not managed by public officials.
AS to members Of the state boards
of control, we are not prepared to say
as much as Senator Tillman, who has
in general terms charged them with
rascality, but we think we can explain
the attitude of the committee. If
these men have been corrupt 1t has
been chiefly in their relations with
great whisky houses outside of South
Carolina-in states over which the
authority of the South Carolina leg
islature does not extend. Does any
sane person imagine that a whole
sale whisky house, worth a million
dollars, Is going to unbosom itself to
committee about criminal dealings,
in which 1t was itself a guilty party.
Would 1t show its books to a commit
tee? What would the books disclose? ?
Not necessarily that a representative
Of the house went to Columbia with
ten one-hundred-dollar bills in his
pocket and secured a fat order for
case goods. Whisky houses which
bribe do not enter the transactions
on their books. Neither do they write
cept. bribes accept them in the forms
of cheques. Greenbacks talk, but
they leave no echo.
The dlspensary board Of control Is
responsible for the management Of
the system. 1t Is proved that corrup-
ton pervades the ranks Of the under
lings. 1t Is proved that higher prices
were paid for whisky by the state
dispensary than were paid for the
same or inferior whisky by retail
dealers In other states. 1t Is proved
by the state chemist himself that
whisky was sold generally with his
certificate Of analysis without his au-
thority-in other words, that forgery
was a habit of the state dispensary.
Meantime, the names of various men,
bers Of boards Of control have been
brought into the testimony in one
way or another. Besides all this, a
question Is being asked all over South
Carolina as to various men by
thousands and thousands Of persons
which has been asked wherever In
this country political graft has been
common: Where did he get it.?"
The men under suspicion are fully
aware Of it. They know that while
men are presumed innocent until
proved guilty, they are looked upon
as guilty and that the only penalties
they have escaped are stripes and
Imprisonment. They very we'll un-
derstand how they are looked upon
by their fellow citizens and that If
they remain silent their names are
smirched for all time.
An innocent man suspected Of be-
ing a thief-does he rest under 1t
satisfied? Or does he invite exami-
nation? Does he not account for the
possession Of his stocks and bonds
and cash and lands and houses and
beg that nothing be concealed from
the public? An honorable and sem
sitive man suspected Of having been
bribed by a Louisville Or Cincinnati
house would go with the committee,
demand that the house reveal all that
1t knew and IL innocent he would be
able to convince Mr.. Lyon or Mr..
Christensen!
We, therefore, submit that the COM
mittee has pressed the investigation
to the point that will force persons
under suspicion to defend themselves
or accept the verdict of guilty that
public opinion Is rendering. Public
opinion will not send them to jail, but
there is little difference between the
convict who Is at large and the con-
vict who is not.
To our mind, it is not primarily inn
portant that anybody be sent to jail
One man, more or less, guilty and un-
punished, is no matter. The institu-
ton, the state dispensary. the breeder
of thieves, has been on trial and the
committee has convicted 1t.
There Is not a man In South Carroll
ma who enjoys public respect who Will
dare assert that the institution has
not been shown a corrupt and thiev-
ing institution by this committee
News and Courier.
SUPERSTITION OF TRAINMEN.
Locomotives With Fatal Numbers
Birds In Cab Window-Foreisn Lam