Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1893-02-27
Corruption in Elections.

The Connecticut Legislature has before
it bill to suppress illegal and corrupt
practices in elections. The Philadel-
phia Press says it resembles in its terms
the corrupt practices law of Massa-
chusetts, forbidding bribery by any
means whatever, restricting the sum
candidate can spend in campaign and
for what purposes he can use it, and
requiring every treasurer of political
committee and each candidate to file
within fifteen days after election an
itemized statement of receipts and ex-
penditures. There are other provisions
of the bill which name the penalty for
its violation and forbid the use of
liquor saloons as committee rooms and
the employment of state, county and
city officials as officers of political eau
cuses, committees or conventions.
1t will be seen that the bill is strictly
drawn and if it were passed and en-
forced it would be an efficient aid in
checking corruption in elections. The
difficulty begins, however, when such
law is to be put in force. The political
committee CT one party will not prose-
cute the committee of another party
because it knows it is guilty Of the very
same practices and that any attempt to
indict the other party would result in
retaliation. And for individuals to at
tempt to enforce the law and indict all
parties would be hopeless task. The
facts that would insure conviction could
only be obtained from those who were
on trial, and to secure a jury that would
bring in a verdict of guilty would lie
next to impossible. The difficulty of
convicting in an election case was illus
trated last week in Buffalo, when a man
who was shown by the most indisputable
proof to have been guilty of fraud was
acquitted.
The need of something being done to
check corruption in elections is, however,
acknowledged by every one who has
studied the subject. Professor McCook,
of Hartford, stated last week before the
judiciary committee of the Connecticut
legislature that there must have beer
from 20, 900 to 25, 900 venal votes cast in
that state at the election last November.
The average through the state of this
vote, he said, was about Is per cent,
varying from 8 per cent. in some towns
to 80 per cent. in others. Professor
McCook's conclusions on this subject are
not based ON guesses or hearsays, but
from actual investigation and from facts
and figures furnished him by district
and county committees. He has obtain
ed from these sources the price paid for
votes, the percentage of venal voters
among different nationalities and among
men of temperate and Incorporate
habits.
The exhibition Professor McCook
made was startling and set every intelli.
gent man to thinking. If the situation
was so discouraging in Connecticut, q
state in which large majority of the
population is of American birth, every
one asked, what must it be in other
states? The remedies he proposed are
an educational qualification for the fran
chise and the sustaining of good moral
character, the most secret ballot law
that can be devised and the letting in of
all the light possible on the manner and
method Of conducting campaigns. These
requirements would doubtless put an
effectual stop to venal voting, but the
difficulty of enforcing them, particularly
the need of voter sustaining a gooC
moral character, at once presents itself
There is another aspect to this matte
also. Corruption in elections has in
creased the cost of campaigns so greatly
that they have become an oppressive
tax upon candidates. If this cost con
tinues to grow as it has in recent year
only men Of large private fortunes viii
able to run for office. The campaign o
1892 in Massachusetts cost according t.
officials returns of committees and can
didates, nearly 100000, and doubtless
much more was spent. Professor Nc
Cook estimates that presidential cam
paign costs the two great parties $4OO,
600 in Connecticut. Good judges say
that over 100000 was spent in Sar
Francisco alone last year for politica
purposes. These are only scattered
illustrations Of the cost of political cam
paigns and every one conversan
with such matters knows that thes,
great sums cannot be spent honestly
Corrupt practices acts will unoubtedly
do some good, but they must have be
hind them strong public sentiment 0
they cannot be enforced. For the crea
tion of such sentiment every one VIII,
desires fair, honest elections shoulC
work regardless of party.
COUGHING LEADS TO CONSUMPTION
Kemp's Balsam stops the cough at once
Lanes Medicine Moves the Bowels EacI
Inn t.I hoo 4, l,.,