The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1908-02-26
Senator Blease Answers the Tes-
timony of Mr.. Lewis Parker.

NO LANAHAN AGENT.
Submits Affidavit From One Of the
Firm and From Members Of Board
Of Control-Says There Is a Con-
spiracy Against Him BY the Gov.
ernor and Mr.. Patton and Some
Others.
One day last week Senator 3lease
of Newberry, arose in the State Sen
ate to a question of personal priv
ilege" and made some remarks re-
garding the testimony given before
the state dispensary commission by
Nessrs. Lewis Parker and E. A.
Smythe to the effect that be had been
employed by Lanahan & Son to rep
resent them before the former board
Of directors Of the state dispensary.
He said:
wish to ask the Senate to allow
to be published in the journal Eve
,&s,y;+e r,bicb ho;S
"Just before the campaign of 1906,
Mr.. President, the report was circu
lated that one in the employ Of the
State was an agent for liquor
house I had not acy idea 10 the
world, sir, that that meant me. and
never thought so until Senator Till
man, riding on railroad train one
day, was asked the positive question
as to who be referred to and he said
to this gentleman, whom I suppose
he thought was very intimate friend
of his and not friend Of mine, that
Blease was the man whom he meant
81 Immediately sat down and
wrote to the different gentlemen and
asked If it was true. and If it wasn't
true to send ne an affidavit. I read
those afidavits at Union at the cam
paig1 meeting two years ago.
Just about the opening Of this
campaign, this year, Just after had
something to say about Mr.. Avery
Patton, along with this winding up
commission, again this matter IS
brought up. The governor IS from
Greenville, Mr.. Avery Patton, of the
winding-up commission, is from
Greenyilie, both OF the witnesses are
from Greenville, the correspondent OF
the News and Courier is from Green
vile. Right at the opening OF this
campaign Of 1908 here comes the
governor with his-I want to be mild
ana I want to be polite-his wit
nesses and his appointee Patton OF
the winding-up commission, all from
Greenville-
And in addition to that news
paper correspondent from Greenville,
and if it amt political conspiracy
have never seen one-a newspaper
reporter from Greenyille county max
ing his report come out, headed
'Blease Hired by Liquor Houses,
They put a question mark after that
and it is well that they did.
Now, Mr.. President. 7 want tc
thank the Columbia State once in my
life for being fair, honest and
Straightforward in this transaction;
not only the correspondent in this
chamber, but the man who is IN
charge of that Office, with the way
it is put in the paper this morning:
sBlease is Alleged to Have Been the
Man
'tI am not afraid Of this matter
Mr.. President, because have never
represented any whiskey house in my
life in the capacity Of a sales agent
and the people Of South Carolina
after this thing was circulated ano
when I had hardly time to ansWe!
it gave me- nearly $4,000 votes fol
governor; and this summer Gov. An
the conspiracy between him and his
sci will answer to those people TO!
Greenville allies and newspaper cor
respondent. He will not only an
swer politically, but he will also an,
swer to me as man, face to face
be he governor or be he what be
may
c.-.+o. p,aoea bore raoS an ofT.
davit from Sam J. Lanahan saying
that he never told Lewis ". Parker
or any other person that Cole L
Blease was in his employ to look
after his interest in the whiskey busi'
ness in South Carolina; and as mat,
ter Of fact he did not have Cole l.
Blease so employed.
Now, Mr.. President, this aHdav-
it was published in the summer Of
1906. Lanahan was then living and
Parker did not deny it, or attempt &c
have Lanahan retract it. Now Ian
ahan is dead and can not speak; and
the Greenville witness shows up
Why? Because I hit GTeenVille's Pat
ton and am candidate for governor
against Greenville's Ansel. Yes, sir
that is my belief as to the reason
If man, Mr. President, says-l1
my good friend, the senator from
Richland says-that the senator from
Bamberg told him thus and so, and
if I go TO the senator from Banoe-g
and he says that the senator IRON
Richland is a liar, what more can
do? The fight is between them
Equally so the fight in this case is
between Lanahan and Parker; and
why did Parker wait until Lanahan
was dead? I dc not say that Parker
is liar, but Lanahan says that Par