Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1906-06-13
.DISPENSARY INQUIRY CONTINUES.
LEWIS W. PARKER TESTIFiES-GRAFT Is
BEING UNEARTHED DAILY.

sary committee is getting down to
marrow these days. To-day was a
record day.
Lewis w. Parker declined to re-
peat what he remarked as private
conversation with. Samuel j. Lana.
nan, the senior member of the firm of
Lanahan & Son, of Baltimore. In
less than six hours the Supreme
Court decided that Mr.. Parker must
answer the questions. Mr.. Parker
exhausted every honorable means TO
keep from repeating what he regarded
as a purely personal statement. The
Supreme Court heard the arguments,
and, without leaving the bench, JUS
tices Pope, Jones and Wood refused
the writ and held the evidence COM
petent. Then Mr.. Parker went be-
fore the committee and related the
conversations he had with Samuel j.
Lanshan. Mr.. Parker, as every one
knows, is careful man, and is at the
head of millions of dollars of invested
capital in his various cotton mills,
and his whole course and purpose
apparently was to be cautious and
conservative.
Mr.. Lanahan is at the head of one
of the largest and best known liquor
houses in America. He, too, is a
cautious business man, and has made
his millions. Mr.. Lanahan has sold
the dispensary more liquor in the
aggregate than perhaps any other
one firm.
Therefore it is to be appreciated
that the conversations about which
evidence was forced were between
two entirely reliable and prudent
men.
Now, what did Mr.. Lanahan say
to Mr.. Parker?
He said that he was convinced
that it took more than the merit of
the liquors to do business with the
State dispensary. He said that the
dispensary bought cheap, mean Ii
quor. He said that it cost money to
do business with. the board in 1904
and 1905, and he could not afford to
Apay what had to be paid.
He told Mr.. Parker enough to
make him say that the conversations
implied that the ebates were paid to
get orders.
He told Mr.. Parker that cat the
last letting of contracts, which had
just passed, there was in it for the
members of the board of control not
less than $4,000. Later on Mr.. Par
ker explained that Mr.. Lanahan said
that the regulation rebate appeared
!, to be $500 barrel on orders, and he
was not competitor with his goods
on that basis.
Mr.. Lanahan is quoted as having
offered to sell the dispensary liquor
at from Is to 20 cents less per gallon
than it was buying at, if he did not
have to give up anything, and Chair
man Evans told him that if he did
not like the form of bids of the board
that he need not bid at all.
Mr.. Lanahan tried repeatedly tc
get Mr.. Parker to suggest some
South Carolina man with q pull tc
represent him, anu finally secured
some one who held an official position
to represent him.
Mr.. Parker declined to give the
nome of this representative, and the
committee, by vote of 4 to 8, de.
clined to order him to give the name
Some suggested he was member O.
the General Assembly. Mr.. Parker
thought this representative was pait
$4,000, but had never learned whe
ther such representative had ever
gotten orders or not for Lanahan &
Son.
Mr.. Lanahan is quoted as having
told Mr.. Parker that che had ar.
ranged with Mr.. Boykin, one of th'
members of the board of control, fo