Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1880-03-21
she English Election bweut.

At present it is the custom, especially in
counties, to employ an infnity of agents
scattered up and down over the face of the
constituency. Oae at every centre, one in
every village or hamlet; wherever it is
possible TO have one there is posted paid
agent to attend to the interests of his mas
ter. The paying of multitudinous agents
is really little else than indirect bribery
The agent probably has the power of infiu-
encing certain number OF votes, and so
may become little centre of unlawful
persuasion. lie may not it is true, vote
himself but his interest i bought and paid
for, though it is supposed that all votes are
nowadays free as air, pure as snow" 1t
is to the advantage of the rich candidate to
multiply agents, for the more agents,
bought the more votes he can command
and the better will be his chances. What
one side does the ether is bound TO do also
if it desires to win, and 80 the agents and
the votes hey influence comprise no small
part of the constituency. The paid agent
is really of very little practical use, except
that his employment secures certain
numb Der of votes; the free and independent
elector is not very fond of being canvassed
by hired servant; he resents the intrusion
and in many cases, unless the visit is
followed by call from some friend of the
candidate. he will vote wrong through
pique. The agent-not to speak of his own
modest honorarium-is a great source of
expense; he wishes, of course, to appear
most jealous, he wishes to seem worthy of
his hire, and consequently he telegraphs TO
he Central Committee as often as hecan on
the most trivial pretexts, spares no expense
sends for bills addresses placards without
number, does not stint his advertisements,
Is fussy and important, and in three cas-
out of four is mere money-sucker, useless
not from ant of will perhaps, but from
want of power. 1t may be said that it il
difficult to determine the point at which
the actual necessary servant or messenger
merges into the agent, but l do not think
that there would be any practical difficulty
in drawing the line. The class of paid
agents is very much higher one Than that
of mere drudges, for it is usually recruited
from the ranks of petty attorneys, clerks,
&c. In the case of an election petition, if
1t could be proved that several men were
employed and paid, and yet we're not used
as messengers or for any necessary" pur-
pose, such hiring should void the election.
1t is thought by some that in order TO pre-
vent personation and other election trick
it is Necessary on the day of election for
the candidate to be represented at each
polling-booth by an agent. This is by no
means necessity, and if such assistance
were required the candidate should be
obliged to obtain it from voluntary sources,
and not be allowed to engage an pay men
for the purpose; at the time of counting
the votes one paid agent would be amply
sufficient TO represent him. Paid agents
constitute pressure onthe voters which
should be made illegal, for theil appoint
ment is a practical Infringement of the
spirit of the Bribery acts. The For might
" ReutelC.