The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1890-09-17
BOUGHT FOR REED.
BkREFACED CORRUPTION IN THE
TOWN OFWELiS.


I TOWN OFWELLS.
The Open Manner In Which Ballots Were
Paid for There by the Treasurer of the
Doodle Funds-The Way they Garry
Elections up North.
WELLS, Me-, Sept. 9.-In the Port
land dispatch of yesterday the Times
correspondent referred to the own of
Wells as one in which money was used
to buy votes for Reed. Investigation
here to-day has furnished abundant
confirmation of the statement made
yesterday. Indeed, it is shown from
the investigation that not in the his
tory of the town can there be found
match to what was witnessed here yes
terday in the line of bribery, and
probably no such open bribery was ever
seen in any town in the country as oc-
Cured here in furtherance of Thomas
B. Reeds candidacy for the Fifty-sec-
ond Congress.
The Republicans were we'll equipped
with money and were prepared to take,
at SO each, as many votes as should be
offered. They could undoubtedly have
paid more than $40 if it had been ne
cessary for them to do it, but it was
not, for the Democrats were very weak
financially. In former years the Wells
Republicans have divided their corrup-
tion fund. committing it in portions to
number of vote buyers, each buyer
being placed upon his honor to use
money exclusively for the purchase Of
votes. But every year some one or
more of the vote buyers has betrayed
his trust and has knocked down" part
Of the whole of that committed to him.
Two men were accused of embeZZling
Republican Doodle in 1888, and against
one of them the serious charge was
brought that check for $50, which
he had received in quasi-direct course
from Reed himself, he had appropriate
ed exclusively to his own use.
1t was, therefore, determined that
this year the corruption fund should be
handled by responsible person, by a
man of honor" by one who would not
divert a cent of it from the use for
which it had been provided; in a word,
by one who would hold the corruption
fund as sacred as he would hold the
funds of the church of which he is an
influential, devout and highly esteemed
member.
The Hon. Barak Maxwell, the rich
est man in Wells, a man whose check
is as good as government note, per-
son locked up to by the ordinary Wells
man as a superior being-he it was
who was chosen to handle the Repub-
lican corruption fund. He accepted
the Office of boodler in chief profound
ly sensible of what was expected Of
him, and he performed the duties of
the Office with great faithfulnessS and
eXactness. And the beauty of the
whole matter is, that he IS not depend
ent upon what he can say for himself
to prove that he did his work well, for
a hundred persons saw him at work.
He did not do his business in stable
nor behind fence nor in an ante-room,
nor did he make any attempt at all to
hide what he was doing.
The voting was taking place in the
Town Hall, a room about 40XS0 feet,
having no dark corners or recesses.
Upon bench placed against the side
of this room, Ex-senator MaXwell-for
he has been a member of the Maine
Senate-seated himself. Then he put
his right hand down into his trousers
pocket and pulled out a great bunch of
bills, fyes and tens. Next he took a
blank book out of his coat pocket and a
pencil from out his WalStcoat. He was
now ready for business.
There were two men charged with
the duty of making contracts. Will
liam Wells was one of these and George
Getchell was the other. Wells has held
positions of emolument under the gov
ernment, and only last summer served
as census enumerator in this town.
Getchell is at present the postmaster at
Wells depot. These two men made the
trades, buying as cheaply as possible,
but only in rare instances getting any
better arrangement than that Of $40
vote.
Having closed contract with a vo-
ter, the buyer would escort the man to
the moderators's desk and see that he
put Reed ticket into the balllotbox.
Then he would convey the man into the
presence of ex-senator Maxwell, the
boodler in chief, and give verbal or
Il MI
ly, and in thoroughly businesslike
manner, hand the man who had voted
the Reed ticket the amount of money
called for and enter up the dlsburse-
ment in his blank book. During a por-
ton Of the day the boodler in chief was
very busy.
It is estimated by people who know
the town of Wells well that there are
at least 100 out of the GOO voters who
are venal, and if this is not an overes-
innate and if the Republicans captured
the bulk of the yenal votes, as q mat
ter Of course ex-senator MaXwell's dis
bursements must have run close up to
$1,000. It is not probable that there
was a quarter of the amout of vote
buying for Reed in the town Of Wells
that occurred il many other towns OF
the district, but, unfortunately for Mr..
Reed, the treasurer of the Wells corrup-
tion fund made al imprudent exposure
of the Reed plan of carrying elections.
Republican Losing Ground.
WHITE RIVER JUNCTION, VT, Sept.
5.-Thc verified returns from all Of the
243 towns in the State show total of33,-
3lS for Page, 9,2l4 for Brigham, and
l.2l6 for Aklan aud others. These
returns from 243 towns make Pages
/ nt a., Il Ii. ,,,a; ;nr;t,- ID SQS