State of South Carolina, County of Richland. Personally came before me John Black, 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 nor 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. JOHN BLACK. Sworn to before me this August 4, A. D. 1906. State of South Carolina, County of Chester. Personally came before me Joseph B. Wylie, 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 Dis State of South Carolina, County of Newberry. Personally came before me H. H. Evans, who, being duly sworn, says that he was a member of the State Board of Directors of the South Carolina Dispensary and that during his term of service Cole. L. Blease neither directly nor 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. Sworn to before me this August 3, 1906. H. H. EVANS. A. T. BROWN, (L. S.) Mayor of Newberry, S. C. State of South Carolina, County of Lexington. Personally came before me John Bell Towill, who, being duly sworn, says that he was a member of the State Board of Directors of the South Carolina Dispensary and that during his term of service Cole. L. Blease neither 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. JOHN BELL TOWILL. Sworn to before me this August 3, 1906. A. C. JONES, (L. S.) Notary Public for South Carolina. State of South Carolina, County of Kershaw. Personally came before me L. W. Boykin, who, being duly sworn, says that he was a member of the State Board of Directors of the South Carolina Dispensary and that during his term of service Cole. L. Blease neither directly nor 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. Sworn to before me this August 4, 1906. L. W. BOYKIN. (L. S.) J. R. ALEXANDER, I have in my possession copy of the testimony taken before Q. You were associated with him in what matters? A. None at all. Q. You didn't hear him say who was the agent who he retained at a salary of $2,000 a year? A. No, sir; he didn't mention his name. He continued his conversation with Mr. Parker along the same lines, but he did not mention the name. He was trying to get Mr. Parker to suggest some one who would influence the busiHe did not mention the name. ness. At the bottom of this is the following certificate: "I certify that the above is a true copy of the testimony submitted to the commission and introduced in the case above mentioned. (Signed) F. F. COVINGTON." This shows that Parker lied, because Smythe here testified that he heard the conversation between Lanahan and Parker and that Lanahan did not mention the name of the agent. Parker swears that he did. Who is the liar, Smythe and Lanahan or Parker? FELDER AND GOODMAN. Felder alleges that while I was a member of the State Senate certain liquor dealers paid me $250 for fighting legislation providing for certain dispensary matters. Among his witnesses to prove this allegation he names Morton A. Goodman and J. S. Farnum. You will see by the affidavit of Mr. Farnum, which I append hereto, that he denies any knowledge of Felder's stateGoodman, like Felder, is a fugitive from the justice of the State of South Carolina, and I therefore am not in a position. to offer you any affidavit from him. It may be that Felder can get one when these two fugitives shall meet again. State of South Carolina, County of Charleston. Personally comes before me James S. Farnum, who, being duly sworn, says that he has read the following in the Columbia State newspaper of July 13, 1912: "In this connection I desire to state that when Cole. L. Blease was Senator from Newberry and a bill was introduced to appropriate $15,000 to be used by the Attorney General of the State in conducting the prosecution against the grafters, that the liquor dealers employed the said Blease, then a Senator, to oppose the passage of said measure; and, as a matter of fact, the said Blease did oppose by speech, vote and influence the passage of said resolution, and that he received for his services the sum of $250 in cash, which was paid to him at Wright's Hotel in the city of Columbia, State of South Carolina," and that I had knowledge of said transaction. The statement that deponent has knowledge of any such transaction is false. That deponent has heretofore made affidavit replying to charges made by this same Felder, and in his affidavit he desires. to, and does, reiterate the statements made in the former affidavit, and further avers that he has never, at any time, given or contributed any amounts "towards buying votes in Charleston for Blease," or any other person or persons. (Signed) J. S. FARNUM. Subscribed and sworn to before me this 20th day of July, 1912. (Signed) H. WILKINS, (L. S.) Notary Public for South Carolina. BLOCKING THE INVESTIGATING COMMITTEE. Another absurd effort to do me injustice is the charge, made without any attempt at proof, that I obstructed the proceedings of the legislative committee investigating the State Dispensary. This charge is not only a reflection on me, but it reflects upon the other members of that committee, some of whom are not friendly to me. As a matter of fact, I was the author of the resolution which provided for that investigation. The record of my services as a member of that committee, and the report made to the General Assembly, will show that there is absolutely no truth in Felder's statement relative thereto. This matter is repetition, and I disposed of it in my first race for Governor six years ago. "STATEMENT OF CHARLTON WRIGHT." The statement is made by Felder that Charlton Wright stated in the city of Columbia that he handed me, in the ante-room of the Senate chamber, a check for $500 as compensation for my services in defeating a bill affecting the interests of the railroads. I have never, at any time, received any sum from Charlton Wright or any other man for services rendered any individual or corporation as a member of the General Assembly. The same issue of the paper in which this charge of Felder appeared—the Columbia State of July 13, 1912-carries a denial from Mr. Wright, in these words: "DENIES BRIBERY CHARGE." "R. Charlton Wright, of Columbia, who is quoted in the documentary evidence submitted by T. B. Felder to the Dispensary Investigating Committee as saying that he gave $500 to Cole. L. Blease for blocking some railroad legislation in the Senate, denied last night that he had ever given Blease this or any other sum, or that he had ever told any one that he had done so.' Mr. Wright, on account of an urgent call to New York, left the city that day; however, I presume the committee will not care to have any further statement from Mr. Wright, since he is so prominently connected with the Columbia Record, one of the newspaper combination opposing me, and as his denial appeared so conspicuously in that sheet which the committee is. so fond of reading. THE $25,000 SLUSH FUND. The insinuation contained in a purported copy of a letter of one Pickett to Felder, which it is stated that Felder produced before the committee, that certain liquor dealers were to raise the sum of $25,000 to be turned over to me as a member of the State Senate, and that a syndicate, to be composed of myself and Mr. Block and others, was to be formed to control the entire liquor business of the State Dispensary, is an entire fabrication. Those who have read this letter should note the fact that the alleged original has not been placed before the committee and that even in the alleged copy Pickett does not make these statements of his own knowledge, but states that they were made to him by another party, and no affidavit has been taken from that other party. I submit herewith the affidavit of Mr. Block, denying that there is any truth in the statements credited by Pickett to Wilson. Georgia, Bibb County. Before me, an officer duly authorized to administer oaths, personally came N. M. Block, who, being first duly sworn on oath, says that he has read in the State, a paper published in Columbia, S. C., under date of July 13, 1912, the report of what purports to be a letter to T. B. Felder, Atlanta, Ga., and signed by Smith D. Pickett, in which the statement is made: "Wilson further stated that the plan formulated by Blease to compass a defeat of pending legislation miscarried for the reason that Nick Block, of Macon, who was one of the syndicate, stated that the amount proposed to be raised was out of all reason and that the same results could be accomplished upon the expenditure of the sum of $2,500." Deponent says that the remarks attributed to him are entirely without any foundation in fact. That he never used such language nor language of that import, nor any language that could be so construed, and further, that he never had any conversation with Wilson on the subject, and that he has never either directly. or indirectly been advised or had any knowledge of the effort or the attempted effort to raise $25,000 or any other amount for the purposes stated in said letter from Smith D. Pickett to T. B. Felder. Deponent is entirely ignorant of all the allegations set out in said letter. N. M. BLOCK. Sworn to and subscribed before me this 17th day of July, 1912. |