The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1911-03-22
They ARE TIRED
Gov. Blease Removes the Members OF
the Dispensary Commission.
FOR NEGLECT OF DUTY

FOR NEGLECT OF DUTY
He Thinks the Members Took Too
Long In Getting Results-Ae
Charges the Members Also With
Incapacity for the Work They
Were Engaged In.
Governor Blease has issued exc
cutive orders preemptorily removing
from Office Dr.. W. ]. Murray Of Co
lumbia, Mr.. J. S. Brice Of Yorkville,
Mr.. John McSweeny Of Timmons-
vile, Mr.. Avery Patton Of Greenville,
and Mr. A. H. Wood Of Gafney, COM
posing the commission appointed 10
wind up the affairs of the late South
Carolina dispensary.
Neglect Of duty and incapacity,
are the reasons assigned by the Gov
ernor for his action; and particular
ly does he disapprove of the arrange
ment whereby the Atlanta law firm
Of Anderson, Fielder, Rountree & Will
son was retained to assist the COM
mission in recovering from liquor
houses and other parties money al
legged to be due the State as result
Of dealing with the State dispensary.
An act passed in 1909 vests in the
Governor power to remove members
Of the commission, wherein he may
deem it for the public interest to do
So" and there will be no resistance
in the courts to the orders.
Gov. Blease still has under advise
ment the act passed by the General AS
sembly last month at his own urgent
suggestion, providing for an investi-
cation Of the dispensary commission s
acts by legislative commission.
News of the Governors dismissal
Of the comisioners did rot come from
the Governors Office, when informa-
ton was sought there, the Governor
said, through his secretary, that II
anything was to be given to the press
relative to the matter, 1T should
come from the other end Of the line, )"
The Governor even refused to say
whether he had removed any mem
bers Of the board other than the
chairman, reporters being at that
time unaware definitely as to the is
suance Of such orders to Messrs.
.Brice, McSween, Wood and Patton.
DR.. Murray received the order ad-
dressed to him by registered NAL
this morning, the envelope bearing
the endorsement, Return Receipt
demanded" DR.. Murray declined to
make for publication any statement
upon the Governors action.
By telephone it was ascertained
that Messrs. McSween and Brice re-
ceived their dismissals by registered
mail this morning; Mr.. Patton hao
not received any communication at
the hour when he was called up, and
the train from Columbia had not thel.
reached Greenville, and Mr. Wood
was not at home.
While the Governor declined to
say whether or not he had dismiss
ed all the members Of the comm!s-
sion, the copy Of the order received
by Mr. Murray shows that the order
was first made out with the name left
blank and then the name filed IN on
the typewriter.
"I had heen expecting it." said Mr..
McSween, when he was called up at
his home in Timmonsville. Moth
Ing more to say"
cts all right" said Mr. Brice at
Yorkville, II had heard he vas going
to do it the last time was In Co
lumoia. But what about that inves-
tigation.
"No, haven't received anything
from the Governor yet" said Mr..
Patton, "but I am not surprised. In
fact, l am much obliged to him. We
expected some thing of the sort the
| last time we met. But is he going
to sign that investigation act?
The commission had practically
concluded it's work. 1t has turned
into the State Treasury about s4OO,-
900 collected from liquor houses.
Governor Blease had. in a letter
casting insinuations on the members
of the commission, asked the Legis-
lature to appoint committee to IN
yestigate the conduct of the commits
sioners and the Attorney General in
the handling of the affairs Of the old
State dispensary.
After the resolution had passed
both houses and had been placed III
the Governors hands, he declined to
sign it. If he should sign the reso-
luton, it would give the members OF
the commission an opportunity to be
vindicated of the insinuations cast by
the Governor.
1t is not believed for e moment
that Blease will sign the resolution,
he prefering to look after the matter
In his own way. The members Of the
commission have no other recourse,
it is said, the laws Of the State not
giving them power to bring action
against the Governor for slander.
ICY DEATH FOR FIFTY.