The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1898-07-29
DEMOCRATIC NOMINEES.
BRIBERY IN ELECTIONS.


The people frequently complain at
"bad laws" and attribute manv of
the troubles of the times to the lack
of laws restraining the bad ten
denotes of evil doors. But the real
trouble is not in the lack of laws,
but in the lack Of enforcement.
No evil is more demoralizing
than that of bribery and corruption
in elections; and in this country no
evil is more general. North or
South, National, State or munic-
ipal, it is next to impossible to con-
duct an election free from cor
rupting influences. And yet the
law against these abuses is strong
and explicit enough, and the
trouble has been altogether because
of its non enforcement.
We are glad to learn that an effort
will be made at the election next
Thursday to have the laws enforced
and to bring all violaters to punish
ment. We hope these good intPn-
tions will be carried out to the let
ter. We should he glad indeed to
see all the workers at the polls obey
the laws, and a united effort made to
protect the purity of the ballot; and
that all may understand the law
and the danger and responsibility
for its violation, we subjoin certain
sections bearing upon these evils.
To-wit:
SECTION |. Be it enacted by the GEN
erdL assembly of the State of Tennessee,
That it shall be unlawful for any per-
son, directly or indirectly, by himself
or through any other person.:
(a) To pay, loan or contribute, or
offer, or promise to pay, loan or con-
tribute, any money or other valuable
consideration to or for any voter, or to
or for any other person, to induce such
voter to vote or refrain from voting at
any election provided by law, or to in
duce any voter to vote or refrain from
voting at such election for any particu-
lar person or persons, or to in
duce such person to go to the polls or
remain away from the polls at such
election, or on account of such voter
having voted or refrained from voting
for any particular person, or having
gone to the polls or remained away
from the polls at such election.
(b) To give, offer or promise any
office, place or employment, or to prom.
Use or procure, or endeavor to procure
any office, place or employment, to OIL
for any voter, or to or for any other per.
son, in order to induce such voter tc
vote or refrain from voting at any cleo
ton provided by law, or to induce any
voter to vote or refrain from voting al
such election for any particular person
or persons.
(c) To advance or pay, or cause to be
paid, any money or other valuable
thing to or for the. use of any other per
son, with the intent that the same Oh
any part thereof shall be used in
bribery at any election provided by law
or to knowingly pay or cause to b,
paid, any money or other valuable
thing to any person in discharge or re
payment of any money, wholly or il
part expended in bribery at any sucl
election.
SECTION I. Any person convicted o
any of the crimes or offenses mentioned
in sections and of this Act, shall bt
punished by fine of not more than one
thousand dollars or by Imprisonment
in the state prison for not more thar
five years, or by both fine and imprison
ment, and shall be disqualified from
holding office or exercising the electiv
franchise for period of six years; anC
any corporation or agent of a corpora
ton, guilty of any offense herein mad,
misdemeanor, shall, upon conviction
be punished by fine not exceeding
one thousand dollars.
Said fines when collected to he pait
into the public school fund of the State
THE country favors peace, but n