Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1880-12-02
Bribery by kissing.


During the recent campaign Brook
lyn girl wrote letter to General Gar
field, In which she said: "To-night
bought vote. Guess how! prom
ised to kiss the gentleman every day for
a year, and two other of my friends
have given up the Democratic ticket for
ten kisses apiece. | shall be very much
surprised if You are not elected" 7"
What reply Gen. Garfield made to this
pleasant bit of information is not
known, but there is no record that he
rebuked the young lady for her per-
sonal canvass in his behalf, or that lie
even discontinued the use of her
charms In such a liberal manner to
enhance the success of the Republican
ticket.
The prurient prudes and stern moral
lists and persons past kissable age will
unquestionably regard the action of
this young woman as species of brib-
cry and as Illegal trafficing in votes,
though we are not aware that there is
any statute that can send the briber to
dungeon CELL" or brand the accepter
OF the very pleasant douceur as SUBJ
iect for popular indignation or person u
censure. There was certainly nothing
underhanded, or sneaking, or behind
the back, as in the case of ordinary
bribing, where vote Is bought with
money, for the parties TO the bribe had
to transact their little operation face to
face. Again, in ordinary bribery there
is always something substantial and
tangible conveyed that may. be found
upon the person, or that he may pro-
duee as evidence that he has been
brided, but in this case there is nothing
that may be found upon the person of
the party of the second part, nothing
that he can show In court to prove the
guilt of the party of the first part. If
anything is conveyed it certainly dis
appears in the very act of conveyance,
and it even makes no difference hoW
many times the bride is protfered and
accepted. There is evidently no con-
sideration in the e-~transaetiOn. 1t Is
evanescent, ephemeral, and ETHEREAL in
every sense. The giyer loses nothing;
the accepter gains nothing. Looking at
the matter in its purely legal aspect,
iU is certain that If the transaction Is
illegal there is no legal method of
stopping It. That has already bsen de-
cided IN the Scotch case of McTavish
vs.. McTavish. 1t was a contest for
Parliamentary seat, and the children of
the defendant were accused of buying
votes with kisses. One of the Nc
lavish girls, buxom, strapping
wench, testified on the stand that she
bad akissed the whull tnan," and as
she was of business turn of mind
and was determined to see that the
votes which she had bought were de-
livered, she kept list of the recipients
of her favors. The list was produced
and the first name was that of the
Judge on the bench, who, blushing red
as lobster, declared it unnecessary to
read the rest of the list. The Donald,
the son, produced list of women he
had been kissing, the first of whom
was the cOmplainant's wife, who tainted
dead away on the spot. This ,ended
the reading of the list. The Judges
were divided in opinion until the vener-
able Lord Draplnthee, whose daughter
was engaged to Donald, won them over
to his view and delivered the decision,
which concluded with these words:
"T'herefore, we find that kissing is not
braiberie, but an occasion for merri-
ment. Solvuntur tabula risu."
Gen. Garfield may have had these
in his mind. which would
account for his silence, or he may have
thought that this species of bribery
was so common that it would be unfair
to single out one case for censure. 1t
will DO remembered that the young
woman says In her letter; 81 shall be
very much surprised if you're not
elected" Now. she only bought three
votes, one for 365 kisses and two for
ten kisses apiece. These certainly
could not elect Gen. Garfield or even
inspire her with confidence that he
would be elected. 1t follows that she |
must haYe known of other cases of a |
similar kind in New York and Brook
Iyn, and she may even have been a
of some secret organization |
banded together to corrupt the ballot |
box by this insidious and highly re-
prehensible practice, which the most |
superficial observer will see is fraaght |
with danger to republican institutions,
and Is one of those secret, behind the
ioor Vaccinations calculated to undo
the best laid schemes of the most astute
politicians. The large increase Of the
vote in New York and
Brooklyn is also strongly corroborative
testimony to the existence of such a
leep laid plot, by no means confined to
.he one girl who laid her charms upon
he altar of her country and willingly
sacrificed her favors for votes. If
Rarnum and Hewitt and the rest OF
,he Democratic gang who are bowling
fraud so lustlly will go to work and
lpprehend this dangerous creature and
,et their datnetivas fo wnrk tn find the
,ther nefarious wrctches who thus
boldly set their faces against the foe,
4 Gen. Garfield does not reward his |
fair canyasser with one of the best |
Postoffices in the land he will run the |
risk Of being stigmatised as ga horrible |
by all woman kind.