Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1906-08-24
plspEnsARY coRRuPrloN.

/
issue of The Enquirer was published
just as 1t came to us. Our represen-
tative at Glover heard the speeches
of DIR. Massey and Mr.. Mccain, and
after the speaking asked Mr.. Mccain
as to the name of the director re-
ferred to. Mr.. Mccain said 1t was
Mr.. Wylie. There has been no denial
of the story to The Enquirer; but The
Columbia Record, the state dispen-
sary organ, naturally became very
much exercised over the matter and
had long distance telephone con-
versation with Mr.. Wylie at Cleveland
Springs. In its issue Of yesterday
The Record gives what purports to
be the result Of that conversation as
follows:
In reply Major Wylie said: II was
on the train on the day mentioned
and in company with DR.. Massey
and Mr. Mccain, but the gentleman
quoted by The Enquirer possibly mis-
understood me or did not catch my
exact words.
"In discussing the dispensary, DR..
Massey said that he wanted to keep II
clean and with that idea he had voted
for me in the legislature.
II told him that thought as long
as the whisky houses kept putting of
mean liquor on us, II would be impos-
sible to keep down talk, and that In
my opinion county dispeDgaries would
/ be no better. / went on to say, fur
ther, that my attention had been call
ed to the quality of some goods we
had bought, and I got some samples
and carried them to Columbia myself,
Intending to have them analyzed; but
when I got to Columbia, found that
Commissioner Tatum had already
given samples Of these goods to the
chemist to be analyZed; that the
chemist had reported unfavorably up
Of low grade In alcohol percentage
and every other way, and that the dis
pensary force had been Instructed by
the commissioner to return them.
"Mr. Mccain then asked me how
much we were going to return. I re-
piled, Something like 1000 gallons In
cases and barrels The barrel goods
were some Of the old boards pur-
chases.
"I never have said that the other
members Of the board were corrupt;
nor have I dreamed Of saying that i
had to make threats to induce the
commissioner to return this liquor.
On the other hand, as I have just
stated, when I suspected the quality of
the LIQUOR and started to Columbia to
have it analyzed, I found that the
commissioner had already ascertain
ed that 1t was unfit for use and order
ed 1t returned.
"I told the gentlemen that ever
since I had been on the board mao
been in favor Of better whisky, and
that the board had put into effect
resolution to buy good, pure whiskies
from bond and blend and bottle them
at the dispensary. thus making sure OF
| their purity.
Somebody started a discussion of
prohibition. I stated that I had al
ways been a prohibitionist, on princi-
pie, and that whenever I should be
convinced that we can have prohibi-
| ton, I will be heartily In favor OF IT.;
| but II IL Is simply question or state
dispensaries or county dispensaries, 1
will take the former every time.
you cannot too strongly quote me
in denying the false statement / am
credited with having made regarding
the other members Of the board. l
am at a loss to know how The Enqui-
rer could have received such dis
torted and wholly incorrect version OF
my conversation with DR.. Massey and
Mr.. Mccain"
The State Of this morning contains
statements from Mr.. Wylie and Mr..
Mccain. Mr.. Wylie's statement is as
follows:
In reply to yours of last night, /
was on the train a few days ago with
DR.. Saye, and we were discussing the
state, dispensary. He said he had vot-
ed for me and hoped that we could
keep 1t clean. I replied that so long
as the board allowed the whisky houses
to put this cheap mean stuff on us,
there would be talk and dissatisfaction
and charges Of corruption, and II we
had county dispensaries 1t would be no
better Since have been a member or
the board, / have been contending for
better grade Of goods and we had re-
Gently passed a resolution to buy only
from bonded warehouses and to blend
and bottle at the state dispensaries
Some time ago had my attention call
ed to some bad liquors we had bought
I carried q sample of II. to Columbia,
and the commissioner had 1t analysed
together with a lot Of other BRANDS.
The chemist reported some OF 1t un-
IdVOTdDle anu ~" III pciCChed6O "a e11
cohol, and we ordered 1t returned, to-
gether with some others, which were
then on hand.
Dr. Saye and I also discussed prohi-
bition. I told him that I was a pro-
hibitionist from principle, and when
we could have genuine prohibition, l
was ready to vote for 1t. Since / have
been on the board, have endeavored
to enforce the prohibition features OF
the dispensary, which, / think, are as
near prohibition as we can ever get:
I also mentioned the fact that we had
some good whiskies in the dispensary.
which DR.. Burney pronounced all right
in every respect, not only case goods
but whisky In bulk, which we are buy
ing from the Richland distillery. The
train was in motion and lot of base
ball boys continually passing through
the aisles and the gentlemen evidently
misunderstood me-, for they are all
personal friends of mine and would not
Intentionally misquote me. did not
charge corruption in the board and had
to make no threats to get the whisky
returned.
Mr.. Mccain puts the matter like
this: