The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-10-13
rur pREsENT STATE OF THE con-
rrsT BRIBERY.

don't of the United States. III the niui-
ca,;o,s do not point to this conclusion,
thcn signs are as deceptive In fres'-
don,;al contests as in fair weather. III
there be an element of doubt in the case
:, has heen introduced by the announce
mont that comes from Republican head
Quarters that the party authorities nave
,,dertaken TO raise two millions of dol
Iors for use in the campaign between
nov and the day of election. If this
fund is raised il is impossible to say
what figure it will crt. That it will be
r,ised we have not the slightest doubt
If the party managers en- sufficiently
impress the protected monopolists with
the idea that they are in danger. They
will nav two millions of dollars or ten
times that amount before they will re-
lease their grip upon the Threats OF the
American people We fear then that
if Chairman Carter really goes out
amongst the tariff money-bags in quest
of two millions of dollars, he will not
come back empty handed.
W nat can ne 10 Win thiS Ano"NJ "
he raises it?
Professor J. J. McCaok, who is citi-
zen of Connecticut, has articles in the
September and October numbers of the
Forum on "venal voting the only In
ference to be drawn from which IS that
the purchase and sale of votes amongst
our Yankee friends are as much matter
of open and above board business as the
purchase and sale Of chickens.
He shows that in one town 20 out Of
every loo Americans are venal; $50
out Of every 1000 Germans are; and
1913 out of every 1000 Irish are. He also
shows that in this town 10 Incorporate
Americans out of 100 incorporate Ameri-
cans are venal, and that 50 Of 100 Ameri-
cans who are both Incorporate and
drunkards are venal In another town
81 out of every 100 voters are purchas-
able. The same proportions run pretty
well all over the State.
in preparing his article. he sought cor
respondence with public officials in many
parts of the United States. The AttOr-
ncy. General of South Carolina wrote
him: I'VE are all too honest or too
poor to spend anything in elections. No
vote can be bought in South Carolina
and the Attorney General of Texas wrote.
I'VE never had any venal voting to speak
of. We are pure. honest patriots aud
good Democrats and vote for our coun-
try-nOt for money" Professor Nc
up his nose at them in derision as moth
ing more than huge jests. The Yankee
assumes that all men are, as matter of
course, like himself and he does not be-
leve it possible people can exist which
really holds some things in higher esteem
than it holds money. Our author says
that a Presidential contest in Connec-
ticut costs each party four hundred thou
sand dollars. The population of COnnec-
ticut is, by the last census 49, that
of Virginia is 1850, $50 1t is quite in
order to remark that if any such sum
as 100000 were spent in Virgnia in
one election the people would really be-
lleye that the world was about to come
to an end
But the most astounding feature of
Professor McCOok's paper is his account
of the persons whose votes are bought.
he has analysed the purchasable element
and he finds amongst them large proper
ton of mechanics, mechanics who are
also farmers, owners of good farms.
worth one thousand to fifteen hundred
dollars, farm hands, teamsters and
renters of land. How astonishing to
Virginian TO tell him that the votes of
white men in these ranks Of life can be
bought.
Since Professor McCooks articles APP
peared a citizen of New Hampshire has
published a letter. called out by the ar
ticles of McCook, stating that the pur-
chasable vote in that State is as large
as it can possibly be in Connecticut In
one town. which he describes as one of
the richest in the State in proportion to
population, he is gratifed TO state that
the purchasable vote is only about six
per cent. of the voting population. In
another town he says venality sis so
widespread that at the last State cleo
ton eight hundred dollars were sent in
for the purchase Of votes. Considering
that there are only one hundred and
forty voters in the town this sum seems
enormous but for some reason prices
ruled high, twenty-five dollars being the
ruling price" OF an adjoining town he
says: Il am told OH perfectly good au-
thority that in this town from sixty TO
seyenty-fve per cent of the votes are
purchasable, the price ranging from two
dollars upwards, although recently, when
competition was slight, number of votes
went for fifty cents each"
This is the account which our Yankee
friends give of their own population.
Professor McCook is one of the best
known men of the day. His articles are
written with very great apparent frank
ness, and we can conceive of no object
he could have in view to make him SLAM
der his own people. If what he says is
true, then no man can say what effect
Chairman Carriers 100000 are going
TO have in the contest. All we can do
is TO strive with all our might and hope
for the best. If the Northern populs-
ton is as venal as their own writers
represent it to bc, then free elections
are done with, and money, and money
alone, is to rule the country.