Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1912-07-31
THE HALF HAS NOT REEN TOLD.
Charleston Situation Dominant and
OvesshadoW6 ANY State Issue.

If any criminal action is taken in
the Stothart case 1t will be on the
initiative OF the legislative investi-
eating committee and not through
the activity Of any one in Charles
ton.
The public generally knows less
than half the truth of the Charles
ton situation.
Four weeks ago it would probably
not have been q hard task to gather
an abundance Of real Information"
on the situation but since all that
blind tiger" testimony came out be-
fore the Investigating committee, and
the world has been served pages
and pages of news matter on the use
or the dictagraph by detectives in
South Carolina, the people here are
beginning to get bit leary when
they are talked to. Yet the retlcence
only lends 2 greater air Of mystery.
But this Is known: Tie Stothart
matter has been brought to the at
tention OF Solicitor John Peurifoy,
who would have to prosecute the
case in this circuit, and he has taken
1t under advisement." This, and the
fact that no further effort to bring
action will be made by others than
the Investigating committee, means,
right plainly, that there Is no inten-
tion of doing anything" until after
the election-that Is, until after the
hrst primary, anyway-since there
isn't chance that the committee Is
gong to move In any direction,
against anybody, until it has com
pleted its hearings and then it's
movement will. according to the best
obtainable Information, be only in
the nature Of general report Of it's
findings and certain recommends
tions.
Even the Meeting Is a Mystery.
AS matter of fact, even the next
meeting of the committee, its loca-
tion and Its specific purpose-that
1s the nature Of the testimony to be
adduced-is an unknown" quan-
tlty right now It was Anticipated
last week that session would be
held the latter part Of this week, but
1t IS now understood that Chairman
That the next session will be held in
Charleston, Is probable, but indef-
mite, though certain DEVELOPMENTS.
recently. incline to that belief. Par
ticularly, along this line. is the fact
that tie committee has lately "been
told some things" about Charleston.
which have not come out in the tes-
timony as yet. At the same time.
the rather vague impression has been
spread around over the State that
the committee intends to meet next
In Charlotte to hear witnesses who
will not come to South Carolina
put the chances seem to be against
that rumor.
All over the State there Is a senti-
ment against taking testimony "be-
yond the borders and 1t is stronger
In Charleston than almost anywhere
else. At the same time there Is
, strong element in Charleston who
insist that the testimony be gotten,
II the committee Is assured by an
outline that 1t Is worth going after,
even II the committee has to go a
greater distance than merely into an
adjoining State.
However hard 1t may be at this
time to get new matter" in Char
lesion, it Is impressive that the peo-
pie here look pretty wise when thew
refer to the Augusta hearing, and,
with peculiar smile, ask: "Why
didn't they turn up more of MIR.
wilson's evidence; that wasn't all
he got And "Mr. Wilson" seems
to have mixed right literally and
taken part in some right free c0nver-
sation--but nobody KNOWS" openly,
anybody "Mr. Wilson" talked to or
what they talked about.
Mayor Grnce's Case.
AS far as "Mayor Grace's case" is
concerned, he assumes the position
that he has quite fully made It out
he has done all he said he would do,
In tracing graft up to the Cover
nor's Office" and Mr.. Grace Is plain
~ Of the opinion now that the situa-
tion is up to the people Of the State
At the same time there Is no room
to doubt the fact that Mayor Grace
knows moro" than has so far come
to the surface-and very probably
the committee "knows more" of what
Mr.. Grace knows than 1t has heard
in public hearings so far.
Mr.. Grace's position Is not that Of
putting Charleston any deeper in
the mire" than has been actually nee
essary, up to this time, to demon
stratc conclusively that there Is, and
has been for eighteen or nineteen
months, "a system OF graft IN the
city" and, as has been indicated. he
assumes that he has fully shown
that.
But, when 1t is a fact of record
that there are 300-odd liquor dea alers
In Charleston-or people or houses
who have Federal right, as far as a
Federal right can go In the premises,
to deal IN spirituous and malt IL
quors-half dozen or so witnesses
can hardly be expected to have told
the story to the end. And, right
here, it Is pretty safe to assert that
on the list Of witnesses which the
committee has declined to give to
the public-because they are not
ready for the names to be made
known yct-there are some Charles
ton names which would not be unfa-