Middletown transcript., 1888-11-15

Sduu dIt6luptou lIduQu1SpAt S0LdH
in the best city on the con-
tinent, what may we expect in
cities not SO fortunate What grand
thing is the law of registration With
out it elections in this country would
be farce. There must be scrutiny
on this subject. The law must have
keenest twist for the neck of repeaters.
Something more than slight fine and
short Imprisonment. It is an attempt
at the assassination of the republic,
when man attempts to put in spur
ious vote. In olden times when men
laid unholy hands on the ark of the
covenant they dropped down dead.
Witness Uzzah. And when men at
tempt to put unholy hands on the
American ballot-box, the ark of the
American covenant, they deserve ex-
termination.
Another powerful foe of this sacred
chest is intimidation. Corporations
sometimes demand that their employees
vote in this and that way. 1t is skill
| fully done. 1t is not positively in so
many words demanded, but the en-
ploye understands he will be frozen
out of the tabiishment unless he
votes as the firm do. So you can go
into villages where there are establish
ments with hundreds and thousands
of employees and having found out the
politics of the head men in the factory,
you can tell which way the election is
going. Now, this is damnable. If in
any precinct in the United States a
man cannot vote as he pleases, there
is something awfully wrong.
How do you treat that employe who
votes differently from what you do !?
Oh, you say you do not interfere with
his right of suffrage. But you call
him into your private Office and you
find fault with his work, and after
while you tell him there is an uncle, or
an aunt, or niece, or nephew that
must have that position. You do not
say it is because he voted this or that
way, but he knows and God knows it
is. If that man has given to you in
hard work an equivalent for the
wages you pay him, you have no right
to ask anything else of him. He sold
you his work he did not sell you his
political or religious principles. But
you know as well as do there is some
times on that sacred chest, the ark of
the American covenant, shadow
corporate or monopolistic.
I do not wonder at the vehemence
of Lord Chief Justice Holt, of Eng
land, when he said: "Let the people
vote fairly. Interference with a mans
vote is in behalf of this or that party.
I give you notice that if an offender
against the law comes before me, I
will charge the jury to make him pay
we'll for it," No shadow plutocratic,
mobocratic or capatalistic. Every
man voting in his own way-Gog and
his own conscience the only dicta-
tor.
Another powerful foe of that sacred
chest, the ark of the American coven-
ant, the ballot-box, is bribery.
You know something of the hum
dreds of thousands of dollars that
were expended to carry Indiana in
1880. You know something of the
vast sums of money expended in
Brooklyn and New York in other
years to carry elections. Bribery is
one of the disgraces of this country.
And there will be more money used in
bribery this autumn's election than in
any previous election. It is often the
case that a man is nominated for office
with reference to his capacity to pro-
vide money for the elections or with
reference to his capacity to command
money from others. You know the
names of men who have at different |
times gone into the gubernational
chair or congressional Office buying
their way all through. I tell you no
news. Your patriotic heart has been
pained again and again with it.
Very often it is not money that |
bribes, but it is Office. " You make |
me president and I'll make you cabi-
net officer you make me governor
and I'll make you surveyor-gen-
eral; you make me mayor and
I'll put you on the waterboard
you give me position and I'll
give you position" That is the
form of bribe often and often in these
great cities. do not say it is in our
,ity, but you know again and again
the land these have been
;he forms of bribe offered. So it is
,ften the case that by the time man
comes to an office to which he has
been elected, he is from the crown of
head to the sole of foot mortgaged,
With pledges, and the man who goes
% Albany or to Washington to get an
,ffice is applying for some position
which was given away three months
before the election. Two long lines of
worm fence, one worm fence reachi ng
@ Albany, and the other to Washing.
on, and there is a great many citizens
lstride the fence, and they are equally
,oised, and they are waiting to see
IN which side there is most emolu-
nent and on this side they get down.
But bribery kicks both ways. 1t kicks
he man that offers it and the man
hat takes it. Bribery to-day you will
Idmit to be one of the mightest foes of