The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1895-11-20

would be sat down on most emphatic
ally at the next election, and two
thirds of it's vote was cast for No
license. But during the last few
years great change has occurred. The
majority of the present voters have
grown up under the influences which
have prevailed since the war. The
towns have increased, it is true, but
the majority Of the voters are still
farmers and natives.
The bosses who now control Blank
county estimate that one-half the
voters are openly for sale at every
election; at prices varying from a
rank and file, with higher fees to the
leaders. here called ''roosters," who
gather up the voting cattle, and herd
them at the polls. There are three
Republicans to one Democrat in the
county, and consequently the princi-
pal contest is at the Republican prim-
ary (or nominat:ng) election, which in
Pennsylvania is regulated by law, and
bribery is subject to punishment the
same as at regular election. Ii
there is any contest over an
office at the regular election in No
vember, then these votes must be
bought twice, but the greatest
amount of corruption is at the party
primaries. Money for vote is often
openly paid at the polls, and openly
demanded. Money for their vote has
been demanded by church officers,
elders, and deacons. 1t is demanded
by well-to-do farmers, as we'll as by
the more degraded. They seem to
have little appreciation of the enor-
nifty and degradation of the crime of
vote-selling. The amount of money
necessary to secure an office Is often
greatly in excess OF its legal emOlu-
dollars to become a member of the
lower house Of the state legislature,
and the pay for the whole term is
about fifteen hundred dollars.
At one primary election about $12,-
900 was spent by three candidates in a
contest for the Republican nomina-
tion for county office that pays three
thousand year. One Of the candi
dates opened sort of corruption
bureau, with secretary and treas
urer, ,and the cash was paid on written
orders. After paying out $1,000, the
bureau closed and the candidate with
drew, because the other candidates
were more liberal and were getting
ahead.
The most important official elected
at county election in Pennsylvania
is president judge. In power, honor,
and dignity he perhaps rates above
the governor of the states. The term
is ten years. and the salary 81, 900.
They are expected to be lawyers of
long practice, great learning, and
high character. Yet more than one
county in Western Pennsylvania has
elected as president judges men who
lack every qualification such an Off
cial should have, and who possess
nearly every quality which he should
not have; men who are ignorant of law,
having but little practice at the bar,
lacking in learning and culture, diSsi-
pated, notorious as corrupt political
workers, even confesSedly criminal, or
having secured the nomination to the
office by ballot-box stuffing.
Characters such as these have been
elected over candidates who would
have been an ornament to the bench
by constituents who were perfectly
aware of their bad record. The lives,
honor, aDd property Of the citizens
are in the hands Of these judges, and
they have been used to wreak the ven
geance of political boss upon one of
Before the war. Western Pennsylvania
counties selected such men as Chief
Justice Agnew to sit on the benches
now disgraced by these men.
The foregoing facts show that there
has been most OminOus change in
the character Of our farming popula-
tiOn. from the farmers who formed
the "Ironsides Regiment" to their
sons, the contemplate pOltrOons who
herd at the Republican primaries.and
allow themselves to be bought and
sold lide cattle; a change omnibus for
free institutions. Appeals to higher
motives fall fiat on such creatures,
cannot call them men. The change
affects not only their political moral
ity but their business honor. Thirty
years ago the fact that man was
farmer was guarantee that he was
trustworthy in a business transac-
tion, now the residents of the towns
are more suspicious Of farmers, when
dealing with them, than they are of
the city tradesmen.
Furthermore, the deterioration is
mental as we'll as moral, as was to be
expected. The younger generation Of
agriculturiStS are inferior to their
fathers in intelligence, mental train
ing, and information. They read
nothing but trashy newspapers, or no
books except cheap fiction. The coun-
try literary society,"" that country
boys training school and thermometer
of rural intelligence, is dying out for
want Of material to maintain it.
The deterioration of the voters in
Blank county, Pennsylvania, may be
more marked than in many other
places, but the same process is going
on everywhere. Our free institutions
had for their foundation the Ameri-
can farmer That foundation is
crumbling to pieces, affected by dry
rot. What are we going to do about
ito FLIUS AGRICOLE.
Papa"
She knelt beside the detected figure
and fondly kissed the dropping head.
Papa, can not keep the wolf from