The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-12-20

vote being 1900, the sum Of 500, 900 means
50 for eyery voter. white and colored. The cleo
ton day expenses are SO for every vote cast.
pRrpE PAYING IN PUBLIC.
In an article Of this kind 1t is neither neces-
sary nor desirable TO print names. Readers
outside OF the state would not know the indi-
viduals II tho names were printed. For readers
In the state the Incidents are notorious. Every
body there knew of them. Everybody there
will recognize the actors. The Incident related
at the opening OF this article was related origi-
nally to THE Sun reporter by a Democratic
member of the State Constitutional Convention.
1t was related by him without a blush as an In
t~erestinG incident in the line of the reporters
Investigation. 1t was repeated by the reporter to
dozens of mon In the State. They said they had
heard OF 1t and the incident was true, although
incidents OF the kind were not common. The
object of the bidding was to win the favor OF
the foater vote. Whichever slue had the most
money would get the first chance at all tho
~floaters. The sum paid, sl2o, was not regarded
as high for that advantage.
In tho town of Laurel, in the southern part of
Sussex county, a placc.holder drove ont to the
Broad Creek hundred and established himself
in his buggy on the dividing line. He took out
the money that was to be spent in debauching
the voters of the two hundreds and put II In
his lap. The runners OF the Union wing OF
the Republican party corralled the voters
and voted them and then sent them out to
the buggy. where tho placc.holder paid them
the price of the crime. This thing went on
until noon, when the Democrats In Laurel, hav-
ing run short OF money and wanting to stop the
vote buying for the day, induced q constable to
go out and try and put a stop to the p.ace-hold-
er's business. The constable went out. The
place-holdcr drew his revolver and, telling him
to 90 to hell, proceeded with his business. The
constable went back to Laurel. The place
holder continued paying for the purchased votes
until the polls closed.
now A BOROUGH ELECTION LOOKS.
In Dover, the ca pital OF the State. the amount OF
Union Republican money was so grent that the
Democrats who were trying merely to purchase
their own voters to keep them in line got excited
now and then as the reports of Union Republican
successes came in. Once a young lawyer. who
was handling the Democratic money, dashed
out OF the room to give orders to n lieutenant.
Bills were sticking from between his fingers.
He carried a handful of money. just as do the
ticket spectators In front Of the theatres In
New York. just as 10 tho book makers at the
race track.
The SUSSEX County Republican of Georgetown,
in It's issue after the election, commenting on a
business boom. said that election week had come
to be regarded by the merchants as better than
Christmas week. They did the best business OF
the year then, and on no other day were there
so many men about with bundles In their arms.
AS early MS 0 o'clock on election day II was
known that the Union Republicans had plenty OF
money for the purchase OF votes. They began
by paying ~fioaters SIS each. and at this price
they got nearly every one OF those who demand
cd money for their votes. The number was
greater than ever before. and several thousand
dollars was required. The Democrats had only
$500 for use on election day. and the regulars
did not spend n cent.
The method used by the Union men in the
purchase of votes was to allow the workers S25
for each and every aoater that he Influenced to
vote the Union ticket. II a worker could buy
a voter for $40 he could put SIS in his own
pocket. This royalty per head stimulated the
vote contractors to unusual exertions. One of
them relates that his royalty amounts to 500.
DOODLE AGENTS WHO GET ROYALTIES.
I'm tho afternoon the Union Doodle fund.
great as 1t was. ran short. The price of votes
then dropped, and many foaters were induced
TO vote on promises OF payment later. On
Wednesday afternoon one OF the workers was in
great trouble. He said that he had bought votes
TO the amount OF $500 on promises. His roy
atty or profit was 500 on the transaction. He
could get neither sum from the Union COM
mittee. and those whom he had bought threat
ened TO prosecute him IL he did not pay them
He was frightened so badly that he
begged for the Sa0O. saving that IL he could get
that mnch he would willingly give his royalty
of 500. Wednesday night he had received neither
sum. and went back home to plead with those
he had bought not to prosecute him for bribery,
but TO walt awhile"
The above is clipped from the Psninsuiur Nsus
aud .idrrrtiSrr. the most influential newspaper
in that part OF Milford which is In Kent county.
An item 20 sensational. one would think, would
a head half n column long in these DAYS
of modern journalism. 1t was printed In the
{ u md .1drcrtis>r under the ordinary single
line head reading: Election Day in Milford.'
The article. of which this was n part. began thus:
CALM CONTEMPLATION or INIQuITY.
Tuesday was a beautiful d%ay-bright and
warm the mercury rising rs high as 7lO, and
sweat poured from the faces OF the workers.
The streets In the vicinity of the polling places
were crowded by men who were there to vote
and who stayed after they had voted. Good g.
der prevailed, there being only one row. and
that caused by one man giving convict negro Il
$40 bill with which to get a bottle Of whiskey On
the sly. The convict, who had been released
from Jail only last week. did not return any
1t is not the facts that are related. but the
manner Of their relation-the calmness. the
matter-of-fact calmness of the thing. that re-
veals the depths OF utter shaInelessness to
which the people of the State OF Delaware have
fallen since the appearance in their politics Of
men with ambition and ~thout-absolu
without mora! principle. Cheating, lying. swim