Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1899-08-26
VOTE BUYING.


There is no good citizen who
does not deplore the fact that
in this county as well as i'll
every county in Maryland there
are a great number of people
who sell their votes. The con
dition is bad enough without
misrepresentation, but it seems
the editor of the Worcester
Advocate, who is also the chair
man of the Republican party of
Worcester County, does not
care what "A bad reputation
he gives the people, because
the county is Democratic. He
insinuates in his paper that the
course of justice in our Courts
is effected by the purchasable
voter. We cannot recall a
single instance of a man known
TO be a "seller" having occu-
pied a seat in the jury box in
Worcester County. and we do
not believe such is the case, but
we do know that very suspic-
ious circumstances point to a
member of the Worcester Bar
as a vote buyer, a man who has
sworn TO uphold the laws of the
State. 1t is not the habit of
the MESSENGER to print long
articles about these matters.
turned and twisted IN such a
way as TO deceive readers but
10 get right at the matter and
in such a way that there will
be no misunderstanding. 1t
has been the custom of the
editor of the .idrocate not only
to attack the integrity of our
best citizens, but also the fair
ness and impartiality of the
Court of this Circuit. Now we
do not believe any honest. fair
minded citizen doubts that
Judges Page, Holland and
Lloyd are honest, upright
Judges, yet the same newspa-
per that has attacked our iuries
has insinuated as loud as il
dared against our Courts.
The people of Worcester
county pay no attention To the
ratings of the 1drooate, because
its reputation for veracity is
not such as will give weight to
its utterances with any class of
people.
The editor of that paper is no
doubt in a position To know
how many purchasable voters
there are i'm the county, and
there is no doubt that the mum
Der has greatly increased since
his advent in the political af-
fairs of the Republican party.
\ few years ago, there were
very few colored people who
would vote any other ticket
than the Republican. II was
not necessary To pay them for
their vote when an appeal to
stand by the party of Lincoln
would do the work just as well.
but the colored man began
several years ago to drift away
from the Republicans, for he
found that the people who had
been discredited by the Demo
Gratis were in control of the
Republican party. He saw
that there was nothing i'm il for
him better than the Democratic
party. He realized that the
people who gave him employ
ment and kept his family when
he had no employment were
Democrats. and he concluded
To vote for his friends. He
talked il on the streets and il
got to the ears of the ex-Demo.
crat. now the Chairman of the
Republican party who puts up
such hypocritical wall about
vote buying in his paper. This
leader abandoned the old Gus
tom of Republican leaders and
appealed to the colored voter
with something more tangible
than scarecrows abour being
sent back to Africa. and the
election in 1895 at Snow Hill
saw nearly every colored voter
who could be "handled" go To
the law office of Mr.. .Adial T..
Barnes. the chairman of the
Republican party and editor of
the weekly waller, before he
voted Ii was openly talked on
the streets that the corruption
fund was being dealt out from
his place Of business, and the
next day after the election one
old colored man hobbled into
our office and asked if this was
the newspaper office. When
told. it was, he said he wanted !