the Jones faction in the last session of the General Assembly). but Felder, although a lawyer himself, had to have the assistance of seven other lawyers, before a friendly committee, to help him bring out his malicious and dirty fabrications.

TAKING UP "CHARGES" SEPARATELY.

But what did Felder, his detectives, his lawyers and his committee do and say in Augusta? These are the matters which for several days you had displayed before you and which I shall now answer to the complete vindication of my own good name --if you have any doubt as to my good name-and to the vindication of the honor of the State we love.

I have not a copy of the testimony or pretended testimony taken before the committee; this testimony has not yet been filel with the Secretary of State. I must take the charges and insinuations made by Felder from the newspapers. I have concluded to quote them from the Columbia State, for I am sure none of you will feel that that paper has misquoted anything or done anything that would be to my benefit, and in quoting from the acts of this newspaper I wish you to bear in mind that those reports were written by one Joe Sparks, and that Sparks is the man whom I ordered out of the Governor's office last year because of his wilful misrepresentations of me.

It is a hard task to cover everything mentioned in all the stuff printed from Felder and his associates, it being so voluminous, the purpose of the men seeking to injure you and me being to say much and write much, hoping that you would believe some one thing; but I shall endeavor to refer to every report, rumor, accusation and slander from this vile person in which he attempts to cast reflections upon me and my State. I take them up, one by one, in the following manner, submitting my answer to each of them separately:

HEYWARD COUNTY.

A most ridiculous charge is that of the "Heyward county" matter, wherein Felder claims that I called the election for the proposed county of Heyward, and after the bill passed, Fred Dominick, my former law partner, "was employed and paid a substantial fee to influence executive action thereon *** That the compensation received for his (Dominick's) services was substantial, and that he obtained the desired results at my hands and that his fee was divided with me."

Governo Ansel ordered the election for "Heyward county." The Legislature had nothing to do with passing a bill for that

county. Some of the citizens of Aiken county applied to me for an order calling off the election which Governor Ansel had ordered, and in the matter they were represented by Colonel D. S. Henderson, of Aiken; R. H. Welch, Esq., of Columbia; George T. Jackson, Esq., of Augusta, and Fred H. Dominick, Esq., of Newberry, representing the interests of Heyward county. After a hearing before me, I decided with the people represented by Colonel Henderson and annulled Governor Ansel's order of election-my decision being directly opposite to the side represented by Mr. Dominick.

Either of the attorneys mentioned will gladly corroborate these statements if corroboration is desired. The records in the Governor's office are open to public inspection, and those records show conclusively that Felder's charge is not only malıciously false, but laughable.

"THE LEGISLATIVE SYNDICATE."

The statement has been made by Felder that he had information that in the year 1900 there was a legislative syndicate in South Carolina, organized for the purpose of controlling legislation, and that I was, or that I claimed to be, the head of that syndicate. I ask you to inquire of the members of the General Assembly at that time, if they have now, or at that time had, any knowledge of the existence of that syndicate. I never heard of it until this fugitive made his statement. If I did control legis lation in 1900, when I was but an humble member of that body. I had more power than I had in the years 1911 and 1912, for am sure that not even Felder, nor the members of this commit tee who are following him, will charge that I had any control over your last General Assembly.

POSTAL TELEGRAPH COMPANY.

Felder charges that in 1900 he visited Columbia for the purpose of opposing the passage of a bill affecting the Postal Telegraph Company. He makes this statement: "I went down to the Jerome Hotel, where Senator Cole. L. Blease was stopping." He further states that in discussing the proposed legislation with me that I demanded that he "Come across with the quid pro quo (meaning money)."

Without stopping to comment on Felder's admission that he was the attorney and paid lobbyist of a large corporation, I will simply state that in 1900 I was not a member of the State Senate, and did not become a member of that body until the session

of 1905, and that during all the four years I was a State Senator I stopped at Wright's Hotel. If proof of these statements be desired, I refer you to the Journal of the State Senate for the year 1900, and to Mr. Robert Courtnay Wright, of Columbia, S. C., who, during the four years I was a member of the State Senate, was manager of Wright's Hotel. I emphatically deny that I ever had, at any time, while a member of the State Senate or the House of Representatives, any transactions or any discussions with T. B. Felder about any matters of legislation.

"BICKERT'S FOUR THOUSAND DOLLARS."

As to the charge that the sum of $4,000 was paid by Monroe Bickert to H. H. Evans and myself, or to Evans in my presence in the city of Atlanta some years ago, is a wilful falsehood.

Mr. H. H. Evans fought me for election to the Senate an did all he could for my opponent, Mr. Kibler, of Newberry, and until some time after my election to the Senate Mr. Evans and myself were merely on speaking terms. I have never, at any time, been in the city of Atlanta with Mr. H. H. Evans, and never at any time had any transactions with him or the firm of Blumenthall & Bickert, and no amount of money whatever has ever been paid me by H. H. Evans at any time or for any service. No money has ever been paid to him, to my knowledge, for me, and if so, he has certainly never delivered it to me, and certainly no money has ever been paid him by any person or persons in my presence for any purposes, either official, unofficial, personally or professionally, as the affidavit of Mr. Evans heret attached will show.

State of South Carolina, Richland County.

Personally appeared before me, H. H. Evans, who, being duly sworn, says that he resides in the city of Newberry. That the statement of T. B. Felder or any other person that the sum of $4,000 was paid over to him by Monroe Bickert in the presence of Cole. L. Blease, in the city of Atlanta, about the year 1905, is totally false. Deponent further says that he has not at any time, for the said Cole. L. Blease or for the benefit of the said Cole. L. Blease, had paid to him by any person whatsoever any sum of money whatever. And deponent also says that he was never in his life in the city of Atlanta in company with Cole. L. Blease. That in 1904 the deponent was against Blease in the race of the latter for the State Senate from Newberry county, supporting Hon. Arthur Kibler for that position. That from

that time on for about two years the deponent and Blease were not friends towards each other.

H. H. EVANS.

Sworn to before me, the 19th day of July, 1912.

(L. S.)

B. F. KELLEY,

Notary Public for South Carolina.

AS TO LANAHAN WHISKEY HOUSE.

Felder asserted that I represented, several years ago, Lanahan & Company, liquor dealers, of Baltimore, in this State, and secured purchases for that house from the State Dispensary Board. This charge is hoary with age, and was first made by Lewis W. Parker, the head of the mill merger which I am now fighting. The whole matter was threshed out before the Dispensary Investigating Committee at Spartanburg about seven years ago, later in the Senate of this State, and also when I was a candidate for Governor in 1906, 1908 and 1910. The reports of the investigating committee referred to will show the testimony of Mr. E. A. Smythe, taken before that committee, in which he stated that he was present at the conversation between Lanahan and Parker, at which time Parker claims Lanahan made the statement that I represented his house, and Mr. Smythe says that no such statement was made by Lanahan. Soon after Parker's statement I published affidavits of a number of gentlemen showing conclusively that he had misrepresented both Lanahan and myself. These affidavits I submit herewith, and a statement of Mr. Smythe, taken under oath before the investigating committee.

State of South Carolina, County of Richland.

Personally appeared before me William G. Childs, who, first being duly sworn, says that he is and has been for years a resident of the city of Columbia, county and State aforesaid, that he is the president of the Columbia, Newberry and Laurens. Railroad Company and of the Bank of Columbia, S. C. That he has known Samuel Lanahan for many years and knew him quite well at the time of his death, and that he has known Cole. L. Blease for many years.

That he knew a good deal about the business of Lanahan in this State, and that when he first heard of the statement of Lewis W. Parker connecting Cole. L. Blease with said business, he knew the fact that Blease was not in any manner connected with said firm, and told Blease to prepare an affidavit in answer

to Parker; that he soon thereafter was in the city of Baltimore and saw Samuel Lanahan and asked him about the matter, and that Samuel Lanahan told him that Parker's statement was untrue, as he had never had Blease employed and had never at any time or place said so to Parker or any one else. That he then said that he would make affidavit to that effect and dictated an affidavit and sent for a notary and had the same signed with the official seal, paying fifty cents for the notary fee. That this deponent has seen the affidavit, which is now in the possession of said Blease, and has also seen the copy thereof as published in the newspapers of this State, and that he saw the same affidavit and heard Samuel Lanahan swear to it in the presence of the notary public in the city of Baltimore, State of Maryland.

That this deponent knows of his own knowledge that Cole. L. Blease was not the agent of the Lanahan house in their transactions with the State or county boards, of control for the sale of whiskey or otherwise. W. G. CHILDS.

Sworn to and subscribed before me this 18th day of June, A. D. 1909.

J. F. LIVINGSTON, (L. S.)
Notary Public for South Carolina.

State of Maryland, City of Baltimore.

Personally came before me Samuel J. Lanahan, who, being sworn, says that he never told Lewis W. Parker, or any other person, that Cole. L. Blease was in his employ, or was employed to look after his interest in the whiskey business in South Carolina, and as a matter of fact he did not have Cole. L. Blease so employed.

AUGUSTUS W. BRADFORD, (L. S.)

Notary Public.

State of South Carolina, County of Richland. Personally came before me Jodie M. Rawlinson, who, being duly sworn, says that he is a member of the State Board of Directors of the South Carolina Dispensary and that Cole. L. Blease has never directly or indirectly solicited business or asked that purchases be made from Samuel J. Lanahan or any other party engaged in selling whiskey or other articles to the State Dispensary.

JODIE M. RAWLINSON.

Sworn to before me this 4th day of August, 1906.

W. T. LUCIUS, (L. S.) Magistrate for South Carolina.