The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-12-20
CORRUPT DELAWARE.
Her People Lost to All Sense
of Shame.
HER VOTERS IN THE MARKET.
White Men Offer Themselves Pub.
iicly to the Highest Bidders.

kct 10 Get Al They Can OF the Money
With Nhic, thr State IL Dchauchcd on
Election DaY--A First Voters Auction
sale OF His Vote at the Four Camera
Lawyers. Bankers, Pastors, cInss Lead
CTS. aud Doctors C~orrupting Their Eci-
Tow Mrn by the Thousand and GIoryinE
In Thcir D;s.rnce-WhoIc Cnurchc. sold
Dat to roiiticnI worhrrs-wive En-
gagged To Max Knscnis of Their I1us-
hnnd--Scw vot-ra bouKht When There
- M Contest, Merely That They May
he Accustomed 10 Dishonor aud lie
Read .or Br. Der, In the Next Contested
Election - a, Estimate That $500. o
HAS Mccn spent IN the Little State.
The -teae is laid in the little state of Delaware
H. the county Of SUSSEX, and In the ancient town
al Georgetown. II is election morning. The
polling place of the Georgetown Hundred is at
tie Iuurt House, an old. fashioned red brick
lLG!iius with white window frames and old
siyie board shutters, painted green. The Court
l.uuse Il unts II park, on two sides of which are
tuUniry tuvcrns dignihed by the name of hotel.
y crowd has gathered around tho front of the
Court iluuse-just the sort OF u crowd that may
lie found Ia any rura! district on an election
morning. There are farmers and typical coun-
irymen with gee whiz swaggers aud b'sosh
4 IillsnlA NsStTtlbHs. iUtFt are Ibthl lUtT-
Giants and business men with jus; enough
Of the town about them to make them
look a bit down on their farmer neigh
lurs md to feel superior. by thunder. to
~GHything that stood on two feet other than
iivir own precious selves. There was the town
bum and the customary assortment OF town
%,utiers. They were talking together. not of the
Tirtnc or lack Of virtue OF the various candi-
dates who were to he voted for. nor of the great
l.sI,ag Of tho rnt,pnNCp Tbar -ar liarYaRfnr
The price OF votes and the possibility of bulling
tae market. They were wondering which side
had the more money to spend. which would sue
cred in the contest for the dcbauChing OF tho
,feemen, which was to continue the whole day.
although these freemen did not call il by that
name. They were discussing this thing with
the calmness and the freedom that would mark
ldiscuss!on by Sun readers o; the Cuban war
>r the proprie;y of England's interfering In
Turkey to prevent the massacre OF the Ar
cniRns. There were p%artisans just as there
could be partisans In such u discussion.
A~FnrEMAN's VOTE TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER.
I II don't care" said one. Jim told me thet
bis fellsrs had 81 to the other mems one"
"Jim's n liar said another. bill told me
lhet he he'd sent down enough to go round
twice IL necessary. N there was more where tibet
rAme from IL they ran short"
BINS a liar" said another.
"Jim's n liar" said another.
Fletcher my vote agin' your'n Bill amt no
liar" said another.
"Whatcla think | ana millionaire? Havin'
t wait II hull year for 1t n then t resk it? Say.
| hetcha 81, though"
And 70 1t went. The discussion Mt times
RRxed warm. and then again it almost died out,
hut never once did the subject change. Finally,
all old man stepped up and Joined the crowd to
listen. He was n handsome old fellow, with as
Hue an Anglo-Saxon face as You would mectin u
weeks journey. He had mild blue eyes that be-
tokeneG p!rty. II CHEEKY manner that indicated
a perfect satisfaction with his surroundings,
and a certain b~luffness that was catching. AS he
approached the crowd from one side there came
his counterpart in cheeriness up on the other.
He was n younger man. He might have been
mistaken easily .r n district school master or
class leader in II Methodist church. He was
lin. The other was Bill: and when they Joined
The crowd there was M air of expectancy on
MANI faces.
What's this you be sayin' p demanded one
Of the two. I'VE think we can't outbid them
fe!!ers. ie think we'll lie! any furriner como
Inter the old county O Sussex m take caro- n
our people better II we kin take care n 'em
ourselves? Well, | guess not. Here you. Tom.
yn1 want TO sell your vote. III set the pace for
EN-. I'll give ye $50 for it,"
All eyes turned To the other. the look of ex-
pectancy increasing while Tom-who. ty tho
way. is called Tom merely to hide his identity
. raw-bnned American, who actually owned,
free and clear OF circumference. ono OF the finest
farms In the pench-growing district. looked
nightly pleased.
BRISK COMPETITION: Up GOES THE PRICE.
"Ye must think votes amt worth %nuthin'."
sctorted the other. I'm give ye thirty-tive.
Tom; come on
Forty. said the first, thrusting his hand in
his pocket. while the men in the crowd nudGed
nnc another. Toms face wore a smile that
would rival n sunbeam tor brightness.
"Forty-hvc, Tom." said the second bidder,
showing his hand in his pocket. too.
Fifty" said the first. Fifty, N ye get II.
Tom Ye can trust me. I've Leen buyin' your
80 = good many years. N l never went back on
je yet. did ~
"Fifty-ive," spoke up number two. without a
moment OF hesitancy. "T' hear that Teller talk
j. might think $50 was a mimic money. Fifty
five, d. SO take II?
sixty" said number one. - ye think yo
hin rcNro meg Why. we got money = burn"
"sixty-fve." said number two. " He's a white
man, n'hls votes worth 1t. il It's worth a cent.
slxty-ive IN hard cash."
The crowd had grown In size and pressed
closely around the bidders and the freeman who
WA selling his franchise. The spot they stood
on was almost precisely the SPOT on which. in
in- days hefore the war, tho Sheriff had sold
! ANY negro slayes-nlggFrs, rs II ese freeInen
C"lttmptuourly called them. Less than fifty
i,"t away. ana In plain view OF all who had sim
ly TO turn their heads to SEQ 1t, stood the county
Whipping post that the State of Delaware main
raIna ,inl for the punishment OF her criminals.
lut 1t was there only to punish real criminals,
le,'y thieves who steal chickens. ar the like. 1t
Ina no tcrrors for these men. They were not
CRIMINALS. They wonld not steal chickens.
Seventy" came back the first bidder with