The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1870-05-28

attempt to partially correct an evil,
which q member Of the same parry, in
the other house, complains is too much
corrected already. But this provision,
even If it were made to apply to al
citizens. would BE- Of little avail It
would lead to much litigation, by CIV
ing birth to petty feuds, and dissen-
siOnI. and keep alive q spirit Of antag-
onis n, between the blacks, and the
vile dirty politicians, whose tools the
majority Of the more ignorant Of them
must be, until they grow more en-
hghtened. on the one side, and those
whose prejudiCes keep them still blind
to The fact that slavery has been
abolished on the other. Than. a re-
for1aatory of the evils which white peor
meH suffer under the prevailing con-
dition Of things, it cannot but be totally
useless 80 long as the supply Of workers
is 60 much in excess of the demand for
the,n n. Some years ago, we believe
in 80, Massachusetts, made It obliga-
tory, upon all citizens to vote in sealed
envelopes, of uniform appearance, pro-
vided by the State, but the change in
the vote of the State at the election that
next ensued, alarmed the party in
power. They saw that their popularity
wss by no means 80 great, when they
haa 10 depend upon an honest expires
sion of the sentiments of the people, ss
it was it in theix power to frightep
thu poor into supporting them, and
they so far modified their Law, rs to
le4ve it optional with the voter, 70 do
poeit his ballot openly or in q secret
envelope. This Of course in nullifying
ali the good the law in its original
shape accomplished, virtually repealed
it'll We cannot but believe that such q
p4ovision would be . wholesome add
tibn TO the statutes Of every State, and
that coupled with heavy fine and i'm
pEisonment for bribery at the polls, it
would soon enable the workingmen to
show their strength. Bribery at the
polls, more Familiarity called vote
brokerage" is in some places carried on
with the most shameless effrontery.
In Providence r. l., State considered
by the uninitiated to be as nearly free
from immortality as any within our
rational jurisdiction, at q municipal
contest, these brokers actually estab-
llshed Offices, hung out shingles, and
Transacted their nefsrious business
With a most astounding barefacedness.
As high as $40, were publicly offered
Tor votes, and it is believed that o
wealthy firm has on one or two occa-
sions figured before the country in 70
very creditable way, which backed the
successful candidate, paid 100000 for
his election. In other places, votes are
purchased perhaps not with the same
degree of publicity, but the business is
Everywhere almost as energeticaHy
successfully, and safely prosecuted.
/ In Penn sylvania there is an Iron
works, the proprietors of which have
more than once been shown up" in
our columns, where every employees
must vote his employers ticket. But
Pennsylvania has by no means o
! monopoly of that. business. In the fac
tories and mills Of the East, and the
4 immense corporations Of the West and
\ South, the same system prevails. The
mechanic or laborer must vote no hi
employer dictates, or beg. or steal. OF
starve. And this is what we cal
freedom of the ballot. The /" glorioul
privilege" which belongs to, and is en-
joyed only by the wind-puAed pauper'
of this mighty Yankee nation. The
precious boon, which enables the work
ingman, to, at each recurrence OF an
election, forge tighter and stronger
the chains which bind him in slavery to
capital. The ballot is no privilege in
the hands of the American workingman
to day. 1t is rather an engine Of op
preston, under the control of bis mas.
ter his Oscnsr-money. And yet it ID
only by and through the ballot, that he
can hope for disenthralment, by and
through an intelligent and conscientious
exercise of what ought to be price.
less and inalienable right Let n,
unitedly and earnestly hope, that he
will speedily be brought to full rea
lization of the truths which these
words but insdequately express.
$40 PER WEEK