, 1872-10-14
PURITY OF ELECTIONS,

There is no subject more deserving tho atten-
tive consideration Of the public than the grow
ing eri1 Of frauds at elections. Wo speak III no
partisan sense. 4 fraud is noue the less crin1i-
na1 when committed by one party, OF in the in
terest OF one candidate, than when perpetratcd
by the other side. Thirty years ago. tile moral
sense Of tho country WAS outraged when q
plot WAS discovered to carry the election Of
President in the State of Pennsylvania
by the importation into Philadelphia Of
voters from New York City, who we're to change
their residence On the eve Of the election, to
work at "laying pipe" in the latter city.
The country has prospered hugely in that kind
OF fraud since then, andit is to be regretted that
the moral sense Of too many persons has been 30
blunted that they only grieve at IN election
fraud when it is committed by their adversaries.
Sixteen yenrB ago, there was m indignant protest
from the Republican party in ali parts Of the
country upon the success Of an nlloged or real
fraud in Pennsylvania, whereby 1t WIS supposed
that the State, ut the October election, had been
carried by the Democrats by majority OF few
hundreds. But, in the time that has intervoned,
election frauds have become q part Of party
machinery and professional politicians seem
to applaud SUCCESS none the less
heartily because accomplished by notorious
AI1Est LAliAL kL9 H1oAC FV14I@
ical machinery. Beginning at the primary meot-
ing, delegates are elected or defeated, if not by
force or intimidation. by hordes Of professional
repeators, who hire themselves out for the occa-
sion. It ia notorious that any man who will pay
enough money can secure the election Of auy set
of delegates he may name a. any primary meet
ing in any part OF the city. He las
only to make T. contract for that pur-
pose with any professional, and tho lutter
will furnish oil the voters needed For the occa-
sion. Nominating conventions are either
packed by tllis MEANS Or filled by delegates who
expect, aa regu1ar part Of their business, to be
'corruptcd'' to nominate somebody. In almost
nny convention held for local Offices in large
cities, al experienced man can designato, from
printed list Of delegates, the person Oh each
ward delegation who hes to be- dealt with in order
to purchase tho votes Of that delegation. While
these things are 30 notorious that there is no
longer any question concerning item, and while
the first inquiry naado by each man who seeks a
nomination is how much money will it cost to
be nominated, it is also true that they are no
| part Of the legal machinery of an cleo
ton: that nominations are not
elections, and that fraudulent as may
be the primary meetings and tho nominating
conventions, still they do not affect the ballot
| bog, which is the real process Of election.
Waving, for argument sake, the close and i1,ti-
| mate connection between the nominating con-
vention and the election itself, are not the
elections, except in outward form, almost equally
| subject to frauds?
| There is in tl1is country no legitimate use Of
money at al election, except to pay tho costs Of
printing election tickets, dafraying tie parsonal
expenses Of speakers, hiring bands or music
! and the rent Of hills for holding public meet
| inss or committee-rooms. Is the use Of money
confined to these Or other Legitimate purposes !?
| They probably form but small pro-
| portion OF tho cost Of an election. We read,
with surprise, the statements that it frequently
costs the successful candidate $50, 600, or $780,,
600, to he elected to the British Parliament; yet
tue tendency Of things in this country is to the
! came result. What is this money spent for?
! Ii the first place, largo amount is expended
| in the purchase Of gangs Of professionals, who
offer to betray the party to which thay nominally
belong, by voting secretly for the candidate who
! will pay them for voting for him. This is
| bribery,-plein, unmftigated bribery, (which is
! only defeneiD1e or excusable on the ground
| that mau's vote is an article Of merchandise,
which he is at liberty to sell to the highest bid
| der. But the purchase Of legal voters is hut d
preliminary step to the purchase Of votes that
are not legal. The contractor who offers to sell
1000 votes at $40 hoad, will not hesitate to
contract that these men will vote twice OF four
times, they to receive larger prica for the ad-