Semi=weekly graphic., 1897-12-04
Political Corruption in Mary
 land.

EOl1D1GAl SOFEhVblOn HI hAA1
 land.
 It is almost shocking to hear the Baltimore American say "there are counties in Maryland in which brib- cry has for years been as we'll reeog- nized a portion of campaign as stump speaking itself. Of late years, at least, it has been far more infiuen tial in determining the resul l.. In such counties large portion of the people, and especially of the lead ing public men, have been actively CT passively concerned in the prac- tice, either by direct participation or by less courageous eonnivanee. "
 sThis is dreadful, says the New Orlans States in commenting on the above, "but the Baltimore American is an independentnewspaper and has such a well established reputation for veracity that we are forced to believe that it has stated what it knows to be facts and did so be- cause it was duty it owed the peo- pie of the State. It's very candid statement forces us to remark, how ever, that political corruption is not confined to any particular State, but is very generally scattered over the whole of the country. It is sur prising that in one Of the oldest commonwealths of the American Union, where we have been lead to believe there is much civil virtue, political corruption prevails to such an extent as to be regarded as a striking feature of every cam paign.
 "The corruption does not cosist in bribing Q man to vote against ones political opponent, because Mary land has the Australian ballot sys- tenn aud the buyer cannot be sure of the delivery of the goods on the day Of election, buthe can and there is nothing in the law to prevent him inducing a voter to remain away from the polls and this it seems is what the manipulators of elections in Maryland nave been doing. The American referring to 1the counties where this form of bribery is prac- ticed, says:
 In such counties it is hopeless to expect that iuries will condemn to the penitent tiary their friends and neigE bors who have done only what the most distinguished citizens of the neighborhood have been, to ey- cry one's knowledge, repeatedly guilty of. The penal laws, it is true, are of value; if for no other reason, because they do declare bribery to be @ crime. If they did not exist it is possible that more men might persuade themselves, as a leading citizen of this State half century ago is said to have done, that in a government of universal suffrage bribery affords the only means by which property can secure that weight in the community to which he supposed it to be entitled.
 ''The only possible remedy for the condition of affairs in Maryland, /" continues the States, lis for that State to restrict the franchise by enforcing in addition to the Austral- ian system of voting an educational and property qualification, and thus eliminate from tbe elections a class of voters who regard it as proud American privilege to sell out to the first bidder. This is what Louisiana aims to do when the Constitutional Convention assemblies next Februa- ry. For years the ignorant negro vote has been purchasable com modity, which political parties and factions have shrugged to secure, and the moment we get rid of it we shall have lair and honest elections with every assurance of good and eif1cient government, no matter
 
 which side wins in the future battles to be fought out between white men,"