Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1900-11-22
ELECTION BRIBERY.
Estimate of the purchasable Vote OF heh'
County, Maryland.

Estimate OF tne turcnuNhbtV "eo"~ N' |
County, Maryland.
Baltimore Sun special. Il
Chestcrtown. Nd, Ncy. 19.-One OF
the most perplexing problems pressing
upon both oitical leaders and the
better element OF the citizens of Kent
county IL the wholesale buving OF votes.
This evil has reached such stupendous
PROPORTIONS In the county Us to DO
almost beyond control. BY con
servatiye estimate of those in posi-.
ton to know, out of total registered
white vote Of 3, 065, 100 are purchasaele,
and are purchased, with constant
tendency toward the spreading OF the
demorali2ing system. The oldest citi,,
| zeps do not remember when small
class of voters were not directly or IN.
directly bought by trifirg ''loans,
which were never expected !, Do TO
paid, and in some cases by the pay
ment of small sums of money, but only
within the past 10 or ID years has this
unhealthy political growth become
serious menace to manhood ana an
element OF Generalization, which, II
not promptly relnedied, will sink the
standard Of our citizenship to point
which must bring widespread reproach
upon the county. Twenty, thirty, forty
and as high rs fifty dollars for single
vote has been laid In holly contested
elections. These prices have made VIC
tins of many supposedly Respectable
Young men, and even old men--the
heads of reputable families have sold
themselves in the political shambles
and have been led to an igno:.
minious slaughter of their manhord
and responsibility. The secret ballot
only adds to the intolerabe conditions
by enabling young men who dare not
sell themselves in tho open and be
escC rted 10 tho voting window by their
purchasets to avail themselves OF the
''seurecy'' of the ballot and sell at The
highest price offered in the vote-huying
market The conditions are as m m,
to.erahle as they are deplorable. All
elements OF the Democratic party Cthe
seller cannot he classed with any partly
: Recognize the almost utter hopelessness
of the situation aud would gladly wei.
, come remedy. Under present condi
. tions the first requisite for candidate
g on the ticket of either party ~ sub
stantial bank accountable larger the
a better. Not only are the candidates
themselves impoverished by monster
n campaign assessments, but every county
!, official and each member of the IartJ
a is asked to contribute to fund tt
a debauch voters and secure politica
a supremacy by outbuying the other side
i. A prominent Democrat said today
ia "lf this thing keeps on few year
more nearly every man in the, count.
20 will have his price. The law Is ampl
h for the suppression OF this startllnl
"a evil, but both sides are equally guilty
and so long as that Is the case there !
IN no hone of an abatement. Let til
&c tnt IN pyt nn m n n m
m with pledge not to outrage the man
II hood Of any voter and with deter
a mination to prosecute every vote.buys
ii and seller in the county leach seller i
an tho county Is known to the buyers
ro both partiesl aud every man could b
To caught. One campaign would stop thl
wholesale traffic in American either
ship. OF course, tho other party wonlt
n with its unbroken army of sellers
nh win in that particular election, cut
al would be a victory 20 dearly purchase
", that repetition would not be desi
On able" .......... ...
nd These conditions, however, are neith'
yn confined to nor peculiar to Kent count
IN. but arc to greater or less degree 1r
ho yalent in every Eastern Shore count
an The fact that Kent is politically one
Dr.. the most uncertain counties in q
is SthtS mas proDaDly eAaSbefateu VI
trouble here 10 some extent. 1t is nc
led hoped that she will he the pioneer
ok eradicating this blight. With the pas
,te ing of the years the gradual increase
of, the rewards offered has spread the Giro
,en of influence. II is estimated that
re-. five years the white purchasable vo
has Increased 800. The negro, who
SO long stunned tho allurements OF t
yote-b buyer in his enthusiastic adht
ence to Lincoln's nose, has fallen frc
. race in large measure, and now ia
" marketable commodity on election d
or of each year. The buying of votes h
~ been reduced to 30 perfect syst'
W .no that leaders of ench party are thu
ars oughly posted as to every movement
;a5 this great army of sellers prior to eve
III election, and on election day Il yer
!, % able tug of war sets in, which OIL
IA ii closes when the last of these questic
ta5 able voters has been safely land'
W.. ~ When the risk is particularly hazal
W. Gus the voter is not allowed, or ut ie
,sns does not, vote, receiving half price.
Wv, CIV othor cases the ballot is cast aud so
5o, system of Identification is employed.