The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-10-26
is BRIBERY TO COST US THE rREsI-
DpECY?

When General Washington took com
mand at Boston in IT'S. In writing TO his
friends he called the conduct Of the Con-
necticut soldiers in his army "scanda-
lous." or Massachusetts he wrote: Not
withstanding all public virtue ascribed TO
these people, there is no nation under the
sun which pays greater alteration to
money than they do" Again: Such a
dearth Of public spirit and want of vir-
tue, such stockjobbing and fertility in
all the low arts 1 never saw before, and
pray God / shall never see again." and
still further: Gould 1 have seen what I
have. and am likely to experience, no
consideration on earth should have in
duced me to accept this command" The
usual Yankee editions of General Wash
ingtons letters omit these, but he wrote
them all the same.
Thus wrote General Washington Of the
Yankee of III years ago, and, If we can
believe Professor McCook, he is the same
man to-day he was then. We have al
ready commented upon Professor Nc
Cooks articles in the September and Oc-
tober numbers of the Forum in which
he tells us that nearly one-half Of New
England's population is bought and sold
in every election When we hear of the
enormous fund which the Republican
committee is collecting, when we think
of the millions Of money that the tariff
barons wall cheerfully contribute rather
than relax their hold upon the throat OF
the people. and when we add to these
reflections Professor McCook's account Of
the venality of his own people, the out
look is positively sickening. Has it come
to this, that we are 10 be ruled hence
forward by money alone, that purity in
elections is ended, and that that party is
10 make and administer our laws which is
able to appropriate the largest sum to
brihing voters?
We Of the South are happy in being
able to say that money can cut no con-
siderable figure IN our elections. The ne
groes, even, cannot be bought in the
wholesale way that Professor McCook
tells us white voters are bought in Con-
necticut But since the fact concerning
his people is, We must assume, what he
represents it TO be- the question pre-
scented 10 the country is, what Is to be
done about IL?
Professor McCook's panacea for We
nality in elections is to "insist upon
fair education and a good moral charac-
ter in the voter. and the best secret
ballot law that can be contrived." Here
we have the Yankee TO perfection. All
good is to come from public schools
and secrecy and concealment. We may
eliminate the conditions concerning moral
character, since. If all men were of good
moral character there could not possibly
be any venal voters His requirements.
therefore. are fair education in the voter
and the most secret ballot possible"
We are not sure that either OF these
would contribute in the smallest degree
to making a venal population, such as he
describes that of Connecticut to he, in
the slightest degree less venal. Our own
observation leads us to the conclusion
that as you educate bad man in book
learning you make him a worse man.
II Is true the Yankee idea that all good
emanates from public school education is
catered to. but we are not sure the evil.
whsn IL onns axista- IL not increased by