The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1882-10-05

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come iie slefeoiyped battle cry u THO re-
puhitan party Not q campaign y msah'
lea nor platform framed that this ISSUE
ia not ugged therein. II Is the modified /
form Of the bloody.ahirt, but It's advocacy
on the northern stump Is ~ vigorous and
frequent as we're the appeals occasloned By
the waving Of the onsangulnod garment
before referred 10. The scope Of tho coun'
try, however, where these desiderata, the
fair count and free ballot, are considered as
especially necessary at the present time IL
confined within the southern states e5-
clusiyely, aud the cry is loudest just pre-
vious to an election, or afterwards, in cases
of contest for the Offices before fought Tor.
No one, not an enemy to the repuohc
would for moment attempt TO uphold
practice of falsely counting votes or lntim-
idating the voters, but to charge that III
the south alone will such practices be
found is unjust and untrue. AS a matter
of fact, whlch would be superiluous to
argue to the southern people, elections IN
the south are as honestly and justly con-
Quoted as in any section of the Union.
We are not going to discuss that branch OF
the question. What we wish to impress
upon the people is the general prostitution
of the right of suffrage throughout the
whole country, as shown in the light oil re-
cent events. 1t seems indeed as If the ma
| iority of the citizens Of this country had
ceased to regard their ballots as any special
privilege or power in their possession, and
are as ready to dispose of them for gain as
they are to sell anything else
they possess that Will bring
a'goou price. This is terrible situation. a
grave charge, but it is in the main the cor
rect statement of the case from Maine to
California. Just within the past two or
| three days the fact is being stated that 1t
cost $3.50, 900 to carry the state OF Iowa for
prohibition 1t has been an open secret
since 1880 that it took 100000 to carry In
diana for GARFIELD, and il such states as
PENNSYLVANIA and New York it has been Tor
years a notorious fact that the men ofmoney
| have carried every election. Indeed none
but those with full "barrelsn are ever
n,,cad in nomination in the heaviest and
closest voting states. 1t is the common
remark of the country that The man who
ventures into politics without money, is
an idiot only to be lost in a con test with
bigger bank account. Men are chosen Tor
office in utter disregard of their personal
merits, solely with view TO the amount OF
money they can command in campaign.
| In New Jersay, in the face of the indignant
protests of the country, robson, by his
ill-gotten wealth, has received the nomins-
ton for congress without opposition, and in
Ohio KEIFER, by the use of eight or ten
thousand dollars, has also been able to re-
ceiye a denomination. In other words, all
over the Union it is money that carries the
day, smothers principles and beats honest
men. In New England we are told ON the
best of authority, that the mass OF the popu'
Iation retain their places in the factories
according to the mannerin which they vote
an adverse ballot to their employer
costing the bold American citizen
his situation. Such is the manner
of conducting elections in those states
where the alleged unfair count and
intimidated ballot of the south is most con
stantly and loudly denounced. To vote
man with money or position, is as corrupt
ing to the ballot as to vote him with shot
gun, or more so, for the latter method does
not profess to be fair, and creates reaction
by its very violence. The other course
gradually and secretly poisons all channels
of public life. Where has the right of SUI
frage been most glaringly prostituted, FOL
example? In Mississippi, where the shot
gun has kept thousands from the polls, or II
Iowa, where S350,O00 has bought and voted
thousands against their real convictions
, We merely suppose the charge again
both states TO be true for arguments sake
The negro feels that he has by force beei
prevented from exercising right which
only the dearer to him from that fact II
Iowa the appreciation of their right is SO de
based that small bride buys it. In the on
. case it is appreciation without exercise, IL
the other exercise without appreciation
= The tronbleis that this indifference abou
voting, this low appreciation OF the import
5 ance and dignity of the right of suilrag', i
! on the increase everywhere and is under
mining the only safeguards of freedom tina
the people have-their only weapon OF de
Tense and ofIense in the administration
affairs. Instead, therefore, of turning thei
attention SO closely to the south and pratini
: about fair count, these virtuously indig
nant members Of the great republican party
had better devote themselves to the bust
ness of bringing back to its original clear
ness and purity the citizens conceptions o
the true scope and importance OF thei
rights of suffrage. Let the laws against al
character of interference with the freedom
of the ballot be doubled in penal force and b.
enforced always and without fear or favor
And, above all, let attention be directed u
other portions of the country than tn
south. The least of the evils complained Q
in connection with the ballot in the Unite'
States are those In the south, and before W
are longer denounced as the hig' -hande'
corrupters of elections, We should like to Sc
the axe of correction applied TO the roots o
the gross bribery venality, fraud and iniim
idation from Iowa eastward to Maine.
f BEEcHEH on THE NEW YORK NoMi