Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1888-11-29

Special Csrre3plndeneo OF q zetta and Journal
GEoHaETowN, Nov, 92.-The use of
corruption fluids at elections and the open
purchase Of consciencoleBs voters is
nothing new in Sussex county. II has
been folio we'd for years. and the minds of
TIE people have become 90 dulled to this
vepal practice that it 10 only ON rare oooa.
eioDs that it raises q ripple Of excitement
O= furnishes q subject Of unusual com.
ment.
This years election proved ono Of the
rare occasions. While the corruption
fund was no larger than il has been many
q time tif as lsrge) the work was mora
openly and hrazeniy done, and the cor,
rtlptible voters weTO more bold IN de- I
mRndirg and receiving Q prioa for their
Isuifregeu. These circumstances, coupled |
with published reports Of the amount OF |
money raised and sent TO Sussex for the .
purpose Of buying votes, attracted general !
attention 20 this grave evil, and nov
Sussex citizens are discussing how best OF
Iffectually put q stop 10 the detestabls
ard Illegal practice.
Where tbs corruption funds came from
this year, is one Of tho things mo follow
can fnd odt." The Republican corrup
tiop rand for instance, 10 placed as high
NJ 10000, by Democratic estimates,
while no Republican will admit that it
wns even half Of this sum. Ed Bacon Of
thia town, who was rs closeto the Repub
hcan campaign management as any other
man, insisie that It amounted TO only
ga 00D and that all Of this uum was raised
Ia Sassax county save the 81 600 that
Horace Greeley Knowles brought down
from Philadelphit. He also insists that
The democrats had as much money as the
Republicans.
Whstever may have been the amount
used the faot remains that there were
sorrupticn funds 10 both parties, and the
burden OF proof Ia to the effect that the
iRepubliean purse was larger, deeper aud
more piothotio than the receptacle in
which the Democratic cash was stored.
This, hogever, was not due to any pre-
ponderancs Of political virtue on the
Democratic side, but Boiely to the fact that
the Democrats this year were unable to
equal their opponents In raising money
for uss on election day. This is all.
now VOTES ARE BOUGHT.
The raodus operandi In buying votes in
Georaetown hundred was fully explained
to me, and the system pursued here is
the one adopted throughout tho county.
II ~ plain, simple and effective. There
are over 200 puinhRsable voters in
Georgetown hundred, out Of total vote
OF less than 800. Here 10 the scheme
Of purchase;
The ecorruptionfund having baen raised,
treasurer is appointed. With the fund
IN his possession, the treasurer sits in
some quiet office or back room adjacent
to the polls. Tho aotive party workerg
constitute themselves committees to at
tend to tho purchase Of votes. Most oil
the copscienoeiess wretches who have
their suffrages for sale are known, and
the buyers watch for them. They are {
curious set, for, strange as II may appear
they have political convictions and prefol
TO 7ote their party sentiments. Say tha
the 'ioAtei" Ia Democrat. He want
Ito vote the Democratic ticket, but h
wants SO, 80 or Sc for voting it, and viii
hold ont for his pay. An offer Of So, oI
even SO, to vote the Republican tiCke
would be rejected with scorn, and oil
rock bottom price would have to he ia
creased three or four fold before he woult
consent TO vote for the opposition ticket
But he oan be bought by an extrRordinar.
induoenent, and here Is where the ionl
purse gets in Its work. 1t "a the BAN
way With the Republican "hoater." H
wants pay for voting his party ticket, bu
big sum will buy him over. As nigh a
$40 and $50 have hesn paid for singi
votes when contests WERE thought to b
close and excitement ran high.
Here, then, is the market for the vote
buyers, After tho voter is spproaahe
his price obtained, the bargain completes
and the ballot deposited, the purchase
conducts his purchased eleetor 10 n
treasurer OF the fund, who pays him tn
price agreed upon. The treasurer, no
voucher OF his accounts and ns dire'
tory for the party ia future contests, Reet
an accurate list OF the purchased voters
the persons by whom they were bought
and the amount of monsy paid in eac
case. This list ia methodically made or
in the following form:
Voter By whom yoteh' pai
/. Johu Blank, George Buyer. sl5.!
2. william Ssll, John Dealer. iO.'
And 30 on. The Democratic list
purchased voters in Georgetown huudre
n is said, contains about so nanlesi q
Republican list about 1876 names. n
Democrats, from the best informatit
that can obtain, used about 800. II
Republican fund amounted to e6ol
81 200 and wns not oil expended. ~
lists are carefully preserved for futn
use, but thsre Is u compliant among U
''f0aters" that tho Republicans arc n
no careful in keeping the lists secret
the Democrats, and allow too many on
siders to scan the names and learn wi
are venal enough to sell their votes foF
money consideration.
HOW THEY AEE REGARDED.
It Is hard 10 say how those dagred
sellers OF their SURFACES are regarded
the community in which they 1--we. ~
uraliy, they are not locked upon as leo
Ing and respected citizens, but most
them hold as high head aa any OF th'
peighboYs. The evil has Increased IN
men who own their farms are net esnspi
10 ask pay for their votes. Most OF u
GLARS simply ask their party to pay I'M
real estate and poll-ta1ea, but this ls no
ehe ltss price for their votes. sol
have the hardihood TO asAcfor 50 OF 2
bill In addition to tho payment OF I'M
taxes. The seller, however, IS tolerate
and his offsDoe is never cast IN MS Ia'
The feeling Of his more honest neigno'
Is seldom heard, except when his enaf'
ter and standing are especially lequli
into "Oh. well" will be the respon
With deliberate and suggestive intonat"
"he's all right, maybe, but-he ssi'
Vote.n
SINE REPUBLICAN SENTIMENT
Ita,k.d With several we'll known
puhlicans about the evil, aud here ls vi
sulne Of them said:
..What do / know about vote. paying
Suss, K ?" repeated McKendree pownha
representative elect from Sussex couu
''Well, must say that nly experience
gins and ends with the recsnI esnpy, 1l ",