New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1876-03-07
NEW-HAMPSHIRE POLITICS.
A STATE WHERE MONEY WINS.

EsQUE FEATURES OF AN UGLY sUBJECT-CHAN-
DLERs COLLECTION TOURS.
IRON STAFF CORRESPONDENT OF THE 1RBUNE
CONCORD, N. H., March 6.-No ono can come into
| New-Hampshire with the purpose Of informing him
self as to its politics without encounerng evidences
OF the corrupt of money TO control elections that
amaze and disgust him. These evidences lie right
on the surface of things He cannot overlook them.
The ugly fact that voters are bought at 50 much
head stands unconcealed before his eyes, and his
first impulse is to turn back from the
work of exploring the political field and
go off downhearted. There Disgusting the fact
indeed nobody tries to disguise it. The evidence
does not rest upon the charges of party against
his antagonist Both sides admit the practice. Each
accuses the other of originating il each refuses to
abandon it, and pleads the necessity Of fighting
the devil with fire." According to Democratic au-
thority, of the So 900 voters brought out at closely
contested election, about one-tenth, 5000,
brlbed. This statement / had from q member
Of the Democratic State Committee, and on
repeating it at Republican headquarters, ]
was told that the estimate was some
what exaggerated but was substantially correct.
The leaders on both sides, while confessing the prac
tice depore it, but will not risk defeat by abandon
ing il. If this abominable state Of things were
found existing in some crude new community in the
far West, pcoped by adventures, refugees and
other men Of lawlcss life and loose notions of moral
ity, IL would not be surprising; hut that the sys
tematc corruption Of the ballot should flourish and
increase, year by year, in the midst of enlightened
higlprinclpled, progressive New-England is mon
strous. / shall not undertake 10 account for its
presence here save by suggesting one two proba-
BILE causes.
Formerly, New Hampshire was n State where po
litlcal contests were fought high plane ii was
one of the cradles Of the Anti-Slavery movement
Soon after Garrison started The Lbod'or i'll Boston,
Nathaniel r. Rogers issued his HGGH Of Frcodom in
Concord. Rogers planted the gernnal idea Of the
Republican pary-resstance to Slavery by Consti-
tutonal methods. Garrison would have nothing to
do with politics, and his followers never voted but
Rogers believed iTsusing the weapon OF the ballot
In time the Free SocIs came 10 water the seed he
s0wed, and aftcrward the Republicans reared the
tree and ate the fruit For rs years the Repub-
lican party held the State, ON the Slavery issue
first, and then on the questions growing out of the
war. When these questions began 10 lose their
power over the public mind, the party leaders
began TO supply the want Of absorbing idea with
money. New-Hampshire votes first and votes every
year. and the influence of the result here upon cleo
tons in other States is sufficient 10 enable the polit
cal managers to raise large campaign fund away
from home IL il always much larger than is needed
for legitimate purposes, and the surplus naturally
goes ont in corrupt channels 10 control the vote in
close townships. IL is alleged that the Republicans
first began the business Of buying votes after they
lcst the election of 1871. However this may be,
there is no doubt that they have done great deal
more of il than have the Democrats for the reason
that they can raise more money.
The work Of collecting n campaign fund il usually
begun by the Republicans in Washington. COM
mittce, on which VIM. i. Chandler and y. &. Ord
way are pretty sure TO figure, begin upon the mem
beers Of the Cabinet and work down To tho Depart
ment clerks. One year they obtained ~ 900 from
the President and Secretary RobesOn had the bad
taste to double the subscription Of his superior
Members of Congress are also impOruned, and such
contractors as are accessible are made 10 come
down handsomely. After thus vigorously passing
the hat around at the capital, the committee start
for home. On their way they stop at the Baltimore
Custoui-house and raise another collection then
they go 10 New-York and there make . hand
some addition To their collections; and finally
they 20 through all the Federal offices in
Boston. When they reach Concord, they count
the money, and make up theirminds rs 10 how much
il falls short Of the requirements of the campaign
and the deficiency is raised in the State from public
officials, candidates for the Legislature, and wealthy
bartisans. In order to know in what localities
money can he used 10 the best advantage the State
Committee instructs the Local Committee in each
town to make a careful canvass of the town and to
report the name Of every voter under one of four
heads" Sure Republicans Doubtful Republi-
cans " Sure Democrats" and &" Doubtful Demo
Gratis" Often a second canvass is made a few days
before the election. The Committeeman from such
doubtful towns are summoned to Concord, and fur
nishcd with railroad passes for the journey They
have an interview with the Chairman of the State
Committee and the talk is some what after this
fashion:
Chairman-well, gentlemen, am surprised 10 hear
that your town doubtful That ought MOTTO be the case
Town Committeeman-The fact Il there IL a small
majority against u.s. but we think we could fix It all ngh
II We had little money.
Cbairman-Iow much money will it take to make the
Town Commttceman-welI we've been calculating it
over, and We think II will take about Si00
Chairman-ilumph! that's good deal ~ money for n
small town. Here's $780, and II you carry the town
we'll SEND you couple Of hundred more.
The local committeeman appropriate part Of the
money to pay themselves for Their trouble and with
the rest they buy enough votes to overcome the
hostile majority. The details of this traffic in the
suffrage are told without hesitation. An ex-Con-
gresham who is stumping the State was informed
in one place by the town committee that they were
paying as high as $40 apiece for votes, and that at
least @1O 600 would be spent by both parties in that
town. In another place he learned that the wife of
q voter went 10 a Republican committeeman, after
his meeting over, and said that her
husband had always been Democrat, but
the times were hard and he would vote the Repub-
lean ticket this year for $50. Next morning the
committeeman visited the husband and closed the
bargain. Among multitude of stories Of this kind,
told by Republicans of their own corrupt practices,
| will repeat only one more. In one of the towns
north of here an enterprislng committeeman learned
that n man who had long been devoted to a certain