Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-04-11
Reforming Rhode Island.


Journal has been engaged in trying to
reform Rhode Island. 1t has accom-
plished good deal in that direction, and
the Dispatch has always been prompt
to credit it with the results OF its
work. But we have not, it seems,
given the Journal all the credit 1t
deserves, seeing that We did not
fully appreciate the herculean task 1t had
undertaken. Up to the turnover r
year ago Rhode Island was put down as
wooldyed Republican State. II Is
hard to reform anything Republican, but
in considering the J0URaFs efforts we
reasoned that Rhode Island was
after all very little thing.
However, it appears that though sha 10
small as regards territory and popula-
ton. she can show more corruption 70
the square foot than any other State in
the Union save, perhaps, Ohio. The
election in Rhode Island last week
was marked by a perfect saturna-
liza OF fraud and bribery. 1t was
q regular political orgie in which the
buying Of voters was conducted in the
most shameless manner. Some of the
scenes that disgraced the occasion, and
which are described il the Journal, sug-
gest that indeed do curses like chickens
come home to roost, and that the
carpet-baggerS Rhode Island sent
South to manage the man and the
brother have returned to plague that
State. The Journal says in the town of
Warwick the talk was all about the
market rate Of freemen's suffrages, and a
stranger would have imagined that a
cattle market was going on. The "price
OF voters started at s., rose to s., and
then to SO, at which it closed. At 2:3O
p. VI. McCUsKER cried out publicly, "'Let
her go at $40 And it went" As the voter
passed the ballot box he was handed a
brass check or button, which would Of
forwards be cashed at the pool-room Of
a hotel. In the barn of Candidate
LAPMAN, who was prominent on the Re-
publican ticket, the bosses were paying
oil voters in the horse-stalls, and
here voters commanded S2j each. On
Warwick Plains, where the settlers are
principally negroes, the market opened
at s. per vote, went up to $40 about the
middle Of the day, and closed firm at
Sl5. At East Greenwich the last figure
held pretty well during the day. Twenty
negroes were sold at that price, and
presumably went home singing:
"I've fifteen dollars in my inside pocket, don't
you SnOw."
at one of the voting-places the free
men were marched to the polls in pla-
toons and a prominent citizen stood
there to distribute slips on which were
written the voters names and the
magic figures TO-" The East Green
wich Pendulum describes the market as
having been very active. Early in
the morning, 1t appears, the Democrats
made little firt. They had 81, 900, and
offered s. per head, and bought about
1920 worth in a job lot. After that, how
ever, the Republicans ran tue price up
SO rapidly that the Democrats were
squeezed out Of the market and retired to
Providence, where it is supposed they
could get fair article at moderate cost.
The Republicans bluffed them by openly
declaring they would pay $50 a vote if
necessary. When these facts are con-
adered it will be recognized that the re-
form contract undertaken by the Journal
is something simply stupendous, and that
it is marvellous the Journal should
have made any progress at all.
Nor is that all. 1t will be recognized as
marvellous that some of our northern
contemporaries should have the i'm
pudence to concern themselves about
alleged southern election frauds when
SO much missionary work remains to be
done ut their own doors. What says
the great reform apostle MURAT HAL
STEAD