The Pickens sentinel. (Pickens, S.C.) 1911-2016, 1912-04-11
DISPENSARY
INVESTIGATION
Resort to the Courts threatened
to Force Gov. BIease to
Testify.

reading.
How successful the committee
will be in forcing Gov. Blease
to testify and make good his
charges against certain State
officers and the Ansel commits
sion of graft and corruption
remains to be seen, and will be
awaited by the public with keen
interest.
From the proceedings as pub
lished the following is taken:
Members of the legislative
committee said yesterday that
every legal method will be used
to force the governor of South
Carolina to appear in person
before the committee and make
good his charges and insinua-
tions preferred in special mes
sage No. 4 which was seut to
the general assembly. The
governor charged in the message
wrong doing on the part-of At
torney General Lyon and mem
bers of the Ansel commission.
More than a score of witnesses
have been called by the commit,
tee and not one charge has been
substantiated. The governor
has been requested to appear
on three occasions. The COM
mittee has met with a fiat re-
fusal each time. Members Of
the committee also stated that
the court would probably be
asked for an order to force the
governor to give up the letters
alleged to have been written by
T. B. Fielder to H. H. Evans,
A sharp issue of veracity was
raised yesterday between Sen
ator W. J. Johnson of Fairfield
caunty and H. D. Rantin, for
mer editor of the Fairfield News,
a weekly paper published at
Ridgeway when Mr.. Rantin
took the stand before the legis-
lative committee and declared
that Senator Johnson had given
him the information that s50,-
600 had been paid by James S.
Farnum for immunity. Dur
ing last year there appeared in
the Fairfield News an editorial
to the effect that Farnum had
paid $4,000 and that seven in
dictments We're wiped out
against him. The statement
was made directly. Mr.. Rantin
was the editor of the paper at
that time. He declared !yester-
day that the information had
been given him bv Senator
johnson. At the last meeting
of the commission Senator
Johnson denied that he knew of
any additional money being
paid by Farnum to Attorney
General Lyon or any other State
official. Members OF the inFes-
tigating committee said yester-
day that Senator Johnson will
be recalled to testify 1t was
brought out that Senator John
son was a stockholder in the
Fairfield News when,the editori-
al appeared.
The witnesses appearing yes
terday expressed thigh opinions
as to the ability of the members
of the Ansel commission. The
governor dismissed the COM
mission on the grounds Of in
capacity.
James Y. Wallace, a member
Of the Blease commission ap-
pearing before the committee
yesterday. insinuated that A.
torney General Lyon and I. B.
Fielder had deposited some
money in a bank in Cincinnati
which they had collected from
Deanis Weiskopf who had over
charged the Stateof South Caro-
lima for labels and intimated
that it was the intention Of
Lyon and Fielder to cover up
the money as it had not been
reported to the B!ease commits
sion. Mr.. " allace stated that
the first time the Blease com:
mission knew that this money
was on deposit in Cincinnati
was when P. II. Nelson brought
out the fact on cross-esamina-
ton of one of Mr.. Lyon S Wit
nesses in the trial of the famous
label case
At this point Attorney Gener-
al Lyon called the committee s
attention TO the fact that Mr..
Wallace was giving his opinion
l &l,ot tho OO;O-