The Newtown bee., 1893-02-17

GOVERNORS MESSAGE. ACT OF 1887, NOW GEN
 .tIt a man is so de- ERAL STATUTES, CHAP based that he is will TER XXxI, sECTIoN275 ling to sell his vote, he "Every person who certainly IS unfit to ex- shall offer or receive ercise the elective anything by way of franchise; and upon gift or reward, etc., or conviction of such an i'll any way confer any offense why should he gratuity reward or not be disfranchiseds preterment, etc, shall The man who pur- be fined, etc., or i'm chases the vote ot an- prisoned, etc.; and other is equally an en- any person convicted emy of good govern of offering, conferring ment and should upon or receiving any such conviction, be liable gift, reward, gratuity to the same sai penalty. or preferments shall be on your attention"
 '"There should be a
 law that would dis
 franchise man who ..t. {j sells or buys a vote."
 Well, governor! Haven't you discov- cred chestnut with bad worm-hole in it? Did you see the same old leaf, you recommend already pasted over it?
 Bribery at elections is bad enough, but it is old as our voting life. No small town is without it's secret list of fioaters. The memory of every committeeman holds the price of mules in the markets of past years. At the very election, for the Legislature of which Luzon B. Mor- ris became leading member, I was par ty town committeeman. While the vote was being received, one of the brokers came to me and said: 'Come out here to the widow. Look out there on that fence rail There they be; l5 on 'em,-they'll cost you jest $l.50 apece-$22.5 50 for the lot. They'll vote open ticket. Don't ask nothing till they've done their work. Good goods, and no shoddy. Take lem and you win. Lose 'em and you lose. | What do you Say?'
 Not far from the same year, a gentle man came to me and said, in substance, "I have just moved into town and am little known, my references are, my business, insurance agent. l understand you are on the committee. l want you to slate me for assessor. 1 understand how things are run and am perfectly willing to pay the regular 10 per cent of the compensation for party purposes" To his great embarrassment on further | inquiry 1 found he belonged te the op- posing party. After the late election the expenses of some of the New York offic- | ials, as sent in to Albany were printed in the daily papers. A leading politician said, as those of the mayor elect from New ! Ork city were read, ''Giiroy's kite couldn't have got up very far in New York without a longer tail than that.'' Why multiply examples? The evil is creasing man, once sold, has d mortgage on his franchise for life; and
 
 rapidly under the multiplied temp mptations engendered by hot party strife. The old hackneyed remedies are useless. There never was a conviction under the statute. | Spread the meshes of law to catch briber and bribed and both alike slip through. Convict all whose fingers are soiled with corruption and you would paralyze the business of the state and have to roof in a village for penitentiary.
 Why not try the remedy proposed in the December number of the Century. Repeal bribery laws. Allow buying and selling votes as freely at election as the buying of cattle, but unseat every mem- Der convicted in court (not Legislature) of using improper influence of any kind either by himself or his committee. If both candidates or committees are con- victed, disfranchise the town for the first conviction and double the penalty for a repetition of the offense--T PomDeraug.