Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1888-04-09

keeping record of the votes bought and
they will be settled with after election. !"
North up was runner for the republican
party and was working for Lapham. The
price of votes started at SIS. rose TO 81 then
TO Slo. At $50 2. NJ. McCusker cried out
publicly .'let her slip at Sl0." In some in
stances the men would be handed brass
check or button as he passed the ballot
box which were afterward apparently
cashed at Atsood's hotel. One Albert Slo-
cum distributed the checks for time. Sew
eral persons inquired at the bar room where
they should get their checks cashed, and
were directed by the bar keeper to the pool
room The bar keeper informed the report
er that there was man with his pockets full
OF greenbacks in the pool room cashing
| chechs- Two men came down from the pool
room with bills sticking from their outside
coat pockets. Cash" Lawkins acted as
s,eerer for the voters, and would bring them
IN squads of two and feur from the polls
moan 10 the hotel, around to the rear and up
to the pool room, and then go back for an
other lot.
Outside the town hall were a number of
bosses and heelers. They would hold whis-
pered conversation with the voters, band
them tickets and watch them vote. man
came up and said to William Martin. a sa-
loon keeper. "What is the best you can do
for me?' Martin said three dollars" The
man said Il can do better than that" Mar
tin said, ''you can't" The man replied Il
will bet you i've dollars can. l will take
You round the corner and prove it," The
man afterwards said he voted for Lapham
In candidate Lapham's barn the bosses were
paving of the voters in horse stalls.
William Martin told the reporter that he
had been paid S25 and showed the money.
1t was current talk that the democratic heel
ers had begun buying voters in the morning
but had become discouraged by the amount
of cash possessed by Lapham's friends, and
withdrew, saving the balance for another oc-
casion. On Warwick plains live number
of negroes who gain their livlihood by small
farming or employment along the shore. A
number of these men were induced to vote.
All were paid $50 and some of the men are
now clamoring for the balance. In East
Greenwich the democrats had only thousand
dollars for expenses. After spending
two hundred and ninety-seven in persuading
men to vote their prinsiples at So per
head they found themselves buried out of
sight by the Doodle on the other side, which
it was supposed came from Lapham. The
republicans gave the democrats fair notice
that they were willing TO go to S25 or $50 if
necessary. The democrats drew out of the
field and sentthe remaining sos back TO
Providence. The republicans had it all their
own wav, marching up their "freemen" to
the ballot box by platoons, while Hon. Thos,
w. Chase, member of the law aud order
league and the Methodist church, stood be-
side the moderator and gave each of the v'-
ters electa slip of paper with the voters name
and the magic figures "Sl5' upon it. This
slip the voter deposited in bis inside pocket
then went out and got it cashed. Another
prominent member of the law and order
league also member of the Baptist church,
told the reporter he had acted as a go be-
tween i'll little transaction whereby 20 col
ored men sold their votes to the republicans
for SIS apiece. Rev. o. Still, who sat in a
chair only few feet away, but did not
know what was going on, he assured the re-
porter that if the latter's statement were true
he would dcnounce the acts and perpetrators
from the platform.