The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1906-02-16
SENATOR IILLMAN
BEFORE COMMITTEE
SENIOR SENATOR BEFORE DIS
PENSARY COMMITTEE.
No Direct Charges Against Any Mem
Der of the State Board of Dis
pensary Directors.

Senator f. +. Tillnan appeared be-
fore the dispensarv investigation com
mittee in Columbia on Tuesday at
! ternoon. The committee held it's meet
| ing in the hall of the house Of repre-
sentatives. and Senator Tillman took
up his position on top Of the speak
er's desk. Senator Tillman made no
direct charge against any member Of
the state board, and those who heard
his testimony are Of the opinion that
he failed to specify. The following
report is from the Columbia State:
In the course of his remarks Sena-
tor Tillman scolded the committee for
not going down into the private
affairs Of men who had got rich by
the dispensary, but be would not give
any names of parties to whom he was
referring, and thus aid the commit
tee. The value Of Senator Tillman s
information was very little; his ad-
vice may have been worth something
the moral effect Of such melodra-
matte performance will not be OF
much service to the committee in the
further prosecution Of its work.
Senator Tillman's talk was enter
tanning, and there was packed gal
lerly which frequently applauded, es-
pecially when he would get off some
! Of his sarcasm-in lieu of answers to
I questions from the lawyers, Messrs.
Bellinger & Welch, representing
Messrs. Towill and Boykin.
Boiled down to its essence, the
speech of Senator Tillman inveighetl
against the investigating committed
for not going directly at the members
Of the state board. He himself de-
clined to assert his belief in their
honesty and exhibited as his reason Il
copy of the terms on which the dis
pensary board asks for bids. He de-
clared that it failed to secure com
petitive bidding and was therefore
a violation of the oath Of office OF
these men. He then went on to tell
how he had bought, how he had run
the dispensary, how he had financed
how he had managed, and described
his visit to Cincinnati and Plttsbur2
and his dealings with Hubbell. He ad-
mitted that many people had believed
that he had received rebates from
Hubbell. but denied strenuously that
such was the case and charged that
those who believed it but measured
himself by their OWL yardstick.
Hubbell had given him the oppor-
tunitv to start the dispensary by sell
inc to the state on credit. So when ii
came to the rebates on the first ship
ment Ca matter of 7 cents gallon on
the cologne spirits used to rectlfy), he
told IIubbell that the latter could use
that money himself as the state OF
South Carolina was grateful to him
for assisting to start the dispensary
by permitting it to buy on credit.
Mr.. Bellinger and Mr.. Welch asked
the witness some very direct questions
along this line and had the witness
been in the supreme court room where
he could not have made lengthy
speeches every time question was
asked, they might have tangled him
up, but he INDUCED in argument with
the attorneys-and it is we'll known
that Senator Tillman can argue.
He admitted that the charges he
has made are that there are no COM
petitive bids and he had admitted
none when he bought from Hubbell;
and as to the charge Of excessive
amount of stock on hand, Mr. Welch
asked him some eye-opening questions
in regard to the dispensary working
off :'hard stock' i'll the last two
years, stuff handed down to tins ad-
ministration.
The whole affair was as much en-