The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-12-20
has added the word Union" 10 ita title. and
calls itself the Union Republican party,

DEBAucHIHG THE NEGRoEs.
1t was in 1904 that the wholesale dc.
bauchery OF the Republican party occurred. 1t
was In that year that the negroes. from end to
end OF ths two counties, we're bought with
money. The negroes of Delaware had been uni.
formly Republican. They wero Republican
from principle and from gratitude. They were
proud of their right to vote. Delaware was q
Southern State and one Of tho few in which
they were permitted to exercise the franchise
unhindered provided they succeeded in getting
their tax receipts, which cost. II they did not
OWE any real estate, $3.50 each. They would
not be brlbcd. The Democrats, except In a few
cases, could not touch them with money. 1t 10
reasonable to believe, from facts that have been
CLEANED, that those to whom Democratic money
was offered took II, and n they had the chance
voted the other way. The only way the Demo-
Gratis ever made sure Of keeping tho negro
from voting the Republican ticket was by
buying his tax receipt from him in
advance of the election. without that
he could not vote. Tho negro was Republican
and the negro was honest until 1904. In 1894 the
Union Republican party leaders spent money in
Delaware with q most lavish hand. They know
how much they spent. Probably nobody else
does. Ono of the lieutenants told THE Sun re-
porter that S35, 900 was expended in Just one of
tho lower counties. and the smallest one at that,
on election dny.
THE Sun reporters informant in the follow
ing case is n Republican who has been Interested
in Delaware politics for many years. and, being
close to the Republican machine oil the time,
has been in touch with it's workings. and there
fore in n position to know tho truth. A poll
was taken in Kent county In October. 1t showed
that there were 3.140 Republican voters In the
county and 1890 Democratic voters. OF the
3.l40 Republicans about 800 were negroes.
For the Republicans to win II was necessary to
get $50 "r the Democratic votes. The returns
on election day showed TINT they succeeded in
getting 800 OF the necessary votes. They were
beaten by about 100.
ABOUT THE DISTRIBUTION OF SOS, 900 UNION
REPUBLICAN MONEY.
The men who were handling the S35. 900 Of
Union Republican money were asked how 1t
came that they did not buy enough while they
were about IL. as So, 900 would figure out SO
n vote for the 500 votes that they had got.
Their reply was that they had held back II lot
TO pay the niSners." But the negroes never
needed paving 1t was said. Then It was ex-
planned by the boodlers THAI for six weeks be-
fore the election tho Democrats had been
at work among the colored men. They had
kept drumming into their ears the fact that
the Union Republican party hackers were
rich men. that they had sent q barrel
of money into the county. and that
they were fools IL they did not get their
share of 1t. They were told that tho white
men were all going to get n piece
OF 1t, and the colorel men would he fools to lot
them have il all. There was no crime in taking
II. 1t was there. and 1t was theirs By right 1t
is hardly necessary to explain that The object
Of the Democrats in aoing this was to get the
Colored men IN "a dissatisfied state OF mind so
that on election day 1t might he possible to win
the votes Of some OF them. and il the Demo-
Gratis did not get any votes they would at least
make II necessary for the Republicans to spend
someo OF THUR money to keep the negroes in limo,
and there would be less to spend in buying
Democratic votes. Their talk had had Some
effect on the colored men, and tho Republican
Central Committee. according To the story OF
the %boodlers. had met on the eve Of the cleo
ton and had decided to pay to each colored
voter q certain amount without the ask
ing. Then, by one stroke. 1900 honest voters
were debauched. To their credit, he il said,
mauy of tie negroes refused the money
when it was first offered. 1t was urged
upon them. They were told that the
party leaders had sent 1t for them. that
il had been put aside for them, and that IL be-
longed to them. 1t Is hard for any one who is
not a resident of Delaware and has not lived
there and gone through the last two elections
to understand The dreadful effect Of this course.
1t was unnecessary from any point OF view. 1t
was one of those useless crimes that are the
more wicked because they are useless. Had one
asked n year earlier what the floating vote OF
Kent WAS, the answer would have been 1000.
II the question ia asked to-day, the answer is:
AT least :. 900 and the niggers." BY the foat-
ing vote is meant the purchasable vote.
KENT CoUNTY's c. u. u. VOTE.
To realize fully the significance of these fg-
ures the reader must consider the total vote. The
total vote OF Kent county is a little under g 5000.
More than 9. 1000 whites are purchasable. and
the negroes" One-third OF the total white vot-
ing population is corrupt. One man in every
three must be paid to vote. The figures are
not exaggerated. They must be correct. THE
SuS reporter obtained the estimates OF eighteen
different men in the county. Only one estimate
WAS under 1000. That was made by a State
official. He said: "Oh, that's ridiculous. ut
tcrly ridiculous; 1000 the idea"
We'll. how many do you think there are ?"
asked the reporter.
"Oh. | should say that II would run between
1900 and LOO"
There were several criminals among the eigh-
teen who made estimates. although they are
not called criminals In Delaware. They are
men who do the actual vote buying. One OF
these men estimated the number at 5000. and
proudly boosted that he ought to know, be-
cause he had been window man for the
Union Republican party for three years." The
window man Is the man who posts himself SO
tina, ne can see that the purchased vote is deliv-
cred. Twelve OF tho eighteen men said
that the purclasable white vote was q
good deal more than 1000. and that
this figure WAS at least three years old
and the vote had been growing larger every
year. Another thing that helps prove that the
1000 estimate is conservative Is the estimate
OF the floating vote In Sussex. the lower county.
Estimates were obtained in Sussex county from
fifteen sources. These estimates varied from
200 to 5000. Sussex has something over n
thousand moro votes than has Kent. The cor
ruption and dobauchery is proportionally tho
same. Tho figures one in three hold good there.
100000 TO BUY 1900 VOTES.
Still another proof of the truth OF the figures,
and this is n proofapplicable to Sussex as we'll as
to Kent. Is the amount OF money that has been
spent In the two counties at the last two cleo
tons. A popularity OF the Delaware politician