The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1889-05-06
puy,nn votes In Alabama.

CAteaSo Tribune,
The Montgomery, (Ala,) Advertiser re.
Gently mourned over the wickedneVs Of
the black man, because 1.-THE election in
Opelika some Of them sold their votes
for money to the opposing white, candi.
dates. The Tribune suggested 10 Its scr.
rowing contemporary that twas not
"toting fair" when II put all the blame
on the shoulders OF the colored mem
that where there were black sellers there
must be white buyers, and that, there.
fore, the superior and ruling element
IN the community should be held
at least equally blame-worthy with
the inferior and dependent one.
The AdreriiSer owns up that there Is
much truth In this charge" and admits
that .there must have been whites who
we're low and degraded enough TO traffic
in colored votes But 1t says apologet-
ically that "there are so many black
tempters who on election day 20 round
saying Come, buy me, that the white
factions, eager for success, palter with
their consClences, yield to temptation,
and pay this disgraceful price for vic
tOry.n The ,AdrtrtiSsr finally reaches the
conclusion that the only way to stop
these things and TO prevent these supe'
nor whites from being subjected to q
temptation which they cannot resist Is
10 keep the whites solid In one party,
or to take the negro out OF politics by
DISTINGUISHING him."
This Is truly a lame and impotent con-
clusion. To protect the virtue Of the
whites the blacks must be disfranchised !
There are others and better ways OF do
inc II. One OF these is the enforcement
oithe laws against bribery. There are
doubtless such on the Alabama statute
hooks, though they do not seem to have
bsen tried az Opelika. Indict and punish
not only the black skins thot sell, but the
white skins that buy. Send both TO the
prnitentiary, but give the buyer the
longest term, for he Is the best educated
and best knows the enormity OF his
crime. Nor Is the Tribune inclined TO
believe that the latter Is the tempted
az much as the tempter. 1t Is SO
rarely the case that a black man Is
allowed TO vote in Alabama that he Is
not as well posted in the arts OF corrup:
ton as the white voters. His electoral
education has been sadly neglected the
last twenty years. But, however that
may,be, punish the offenders, whatever
their color, Punish them II the bride Is
merely the glass OF whisky the saloon
Keeper offers, or tho good breakfast the
prohibitionist offers for colored votes in
these local option elections where col.
ofed votes are bid for. Try this and see
II bribery does not cease, even In sinful
Opelika. England tried even more he'
roic measures, and finally put an end to
what had become an ntolerable evil.
or Alabama may pass a law contain.
inS that feature OF the Australian sys.
TEN which makes 1t impossible for any
one hut the voter to know what ticket
be nut In the box. When that has been
done bribery stops for lack OF bripers.
The irail whites are thus freed from
temptation. Not one OF them Will be
weak enough to pay ten dollars for the
vote Of a colored man II he has no
means Of telling whether the goods were
delivered according to agreement. so
long az tho black man can take the mon.
ey and then with safety go off and
vote the other ticket there will DO no
votes bought, no matter how many are
offered. u
these methods, which have been success.
fully used elsewhere, than TO jump ut
the unconstitutional, illegal conclusion