The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-12-31
DEGRADING The BALLOT.
yote-Buxing said 10 Be fragrant +
MARYLAND


Maryland.
BALTIMORE, Nd, Dec sL-contiaged
invest igation into corrupt practices in
elections on the Eastern Shore results IL
startling revelations. IN every Eastern
Shore county aud also in the southern
counties the debauching of the ballot pre-
vaiis. Wieomico and Worcester counties
are among The worst in the State for vote
buying. The system has grown in wico-
mieo to an alarming extent. so much so
that today out of a registered vote of
5.S77 il IS fair to estimate that there are
at least 2,o00 purchasabie negro votes. At
Sl5 each there are at least 1900 people
Who sell their votes At $40 the number
would be diminished to probably ]. 800. Al
s. there are not more than 500, and at
50 (the price paid BIZ the Republicans in
the lat campaign the number would not
reach over 1,o00
Prior to 1886 the eolored voter in Wi
conIco county was true to his party, al
ways voting for Lincoln without hope
OF reward, but after the Republicans
gained control Of the State and showed
him SO little attention the coIored man de-
eided that he would get some of the spoiIs.
and out Of q registered vote of 1875 there
are at least 500 negroes who sell their
votes.
For the most part these nsn stin vote
he Republican ticket but II there is no
money OUT they go home and don't vote
A falr example of this vas shown at the
last election It Was given out early In
the morning that the coIcred man was not
70 be paid, but the brother IN black re-
fused 70 vote and the Republican manag-
ers got scared and paid them the mag
nihcent sum of g CT So each % stand
up and be good citizens The RepgbIi-
can managers on the Eastern Shore always
refuse TO pay the negro as much for bis
vote as they pay the white man Fnere is
at least 81 difference in the price
This wholesale seIl-out IN the part of
the coloTed man has been serious prob
lem With the Republicans in Wieomico
The regular vote of the Republican party
N that county is about Z. Goo or 2 JOG at
/ the outside. and OF this 300 are negroes.
and when 1000 OF this 1900 and at least
300 q the white Republicans have to be
paid, It only leaves . solid party of about
700 On the Republican side. The Demo-
cratic party polls on an average about 2
'g0 votes and il is estimated that about
$50 OF these take money On election day.
Prior to 1891 bribery II Wiconico ooun-
u was done on much smaller scale
Then il was not called buying votes. y
but paying a man for his days work -
and 81 was the standard price When the
fusion fight of 1891 tore the Democratic
party asunder. the price was raised 10
SIS, and where there had been formerly
not more than 500 people IN the county
VINO even took the dollar, the number had
increased to over LOCO in 1896.
In 1896 an effort was made TO step the
bribery. and several prominent PEOPLE
tod -fsz
thought that true bills would be found
against them by the grand jury, but moth
ing was done with the cases.
No party can hope to win II Dorchester
county without money, nor, as a matter
Of fact. does any try TO do so. Brides
vary from 50 TO so. but IS is the popular
rate.
The Democrats say they cannot trust
the eolored men 10 stay bought; therefore
they bend all their efforts 10 keeping
them from voting One method is to get
them TO leave the town for the day An
other plan is 10 promise them certain
amount after the polls are closed If they
can prove that they have not voted
1t Is needless to say that the best men
Of both parties are disguised with the
system, and If they possessed sufficient
confidence IN each other an agreement
might be reached not 90 use money TO cor
rupt voters This confidence. however,
they do not possess, and the party making
such q proposition would simply be rated
short of funds.
The effect of law DISTINGUISHING the
illiterate voters, white and colored. or Of
the adoption Of the Australian ballot sys-
TEN. is somewhat hard TO estimate Ar
cording 70 the registration OF 1895. Dor
chester county has 1873 white voters. of
whom 1,eG0 cannot read or write. There
are ? 4o5 cOloTed voters. Of whom 1.249
are illiterate.
There is no good ground for thinking
that the ranks CT the uneducated contain
all the purehasable voters. and certainly
not every iIli.erate man is purchasabie.
DISTINGUISHING dneducated voters would
doubtless reduce the number OF those who
can be purchased, but it would net wipe
them out
1t has been suggested that the surest
method Of stopping the use Of money
would be to change the ballot law and
give the State the pure and simple Aus
traiian ballot; that is, to remove ali the
embIeTns and print the names of the can
didates IN one column, also to remove
from the election house all the clerks and
allow no assistance to any voter