The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1906-02-16
SENATOR TILLMAN
BEFORE COMMITTEE
Continued From First Page.

and one thing and another was
brought ont in connection with the
dispensary management, showing a
condition of mismanagement and cor
ruption, that was disgusting and dis
graceful, causes me to turn again and
say wherein has this board obeyed the
law9 I found from the testimony
that came out and I learned from gen
eral conversation that the require
nent in the dispensary law with ref
erence to signing requests that would
serve as a basis Of settlement be-
tween the county dispenser and the
town and county was not obeyed; l
found that these things had been
thrown in the waste basket and I said
here is, board ignoring the statutes
in regard to the purchase Of liquor
and this other matter which would
leave things to run out at both ends.
Why this was done I could not an
swer and I have not been able to state
any Ineligible reason in my own
mind why. If you will examine the
oath that these men took you will see
that they swore to support and en-
force the law. They broke it in the
first place in regard to purchasing
and in the second place in regard to
that particular point in the dispen-
sary law which I regard as Of vital
Importance, and I might mention one
or two other particulars in which they
have disobeyed and failed to enforce
it.
began to feel that these men, if
not corrupt, certainly were under sus-
picion. AS to the condition in Spar
tanburg, [ analyzed that ana l found
that under the law the county board
of Spartanburg had been practically
appointed by the coutny delegation
from Spartanburg. The law was
'-,>echzsnged, | do not know how many
years ago, taking away from the
governor, where it had been, this re-
sponsibility in regard to the admins
tration Of the law and putting it i'll
the hands of the board to be elected
by the legislature. This certainly
was political machinery. I therefore
decided that it was time for me to
take hand in South Carolina poll
tics once more. I went about IN re-
sponse to invitations and madespeech-
es at various places and I prepared
several paragraphs Of those speeches
in typewriter copies and put them in
the papers. I was still unwilling to
charge dishonesty. Evidence has been
produced that this same board has
bought from the glass works down
here bottles at all excessive price and
the same bottles or similar bottles
which could be bought in North Caro-
lima or in Georgia at lower prices;
and whiskey has been purchased at
excessive prices the very same or bet
ter whiskey is sold by the distiller or
manufacturers of Georgia at lower
prices. This smoke was getting very
big and it seems to me stealing was
going on here. I had the courage to
say It and I believe it and that is all
there is to it. That the basis Of it.
Now who has got it do not know.
l will say in this connection [ want
this committee in response to speech
es that have been made and demand
one way or another that they probe
this thing to the very root. Go back
to the beginning and come on down,
or begin here and go back, whichever
you choose: just so you travel the
road from end to end Investigate
Governors Tillman, Evans, Ellerbe
and McSweeney. I demand it so far
as am concerned and I leave it to
you gentlemen to do rs you please.
] have nothing to conceal Or to be
afraid Of from AL investigation by
any mortal, either alive OF dead,
which could be brought out against
me. I started to say that for years
and years, less frequently Of late, IN