The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-11-23
GORRUPTING THE BALLOT
Wholesale Bribery Praetieed Dur
ing the Late Campaign.
xenrIy Fifteen Million Dollars POUR
ed Iato the Republican Treasury.
an Alleged BarEain Between Cro-
ker and PIatt-strikins IEIastra-
tions of DIsIoyuIty to Bryan.

BALTIMORE. Nd. Nov. 2s.-vOte B1ib-
ing in Kent and other Eastern Shore
counties Of Maryland had its parallel in
Western Shore counties of the State and
in hundreds of counties IN different
States of the Union. If the practice OF
buying votes is not broken ur 1t viii at
tain TO such an extent that elections will
universally be decided by the corrupt use
of money, and not by the iree viii Of the
people.
Campaign committees and subscriptions
by vested interests for the defraymeRt OF
election expenses were practically IN
known in the politics Of the United States
until after the close OF the civil war. The
poorest and most obscure MAJ in the
baekwooGs would have promptly resented
as an insult any proposition looking to
the purchase OF his vote. 1t is true there
were election frauds: witness the Plaque
mines frauds in Louisiana and the repeat
ing and false counting which were done
under Know-Nothing auspices IN the city
OF Baltimore. But bribery. which has
ROW taken deep root in every doubtful
State and every doubtful Congressional
district in the entire Union, had no part
in the determination Of election contests.
II is one of the manifold blessings which
has come through the rise and progress OF
the Republican party From campaign 10
campaign il has grown and grown until
now il fourishes like a green bay tree The
story told of Kent county IS startling
enough. II is very far from being the
- s.Ea
on The current political gossip which Heats
in this direction. According TO this. a sum
in the neighborhoOd of S50, ESQ was spent
in the interest OF the Republican electoral
and Congressional ticket On the Eastern
Shere Of Maryland The same policy of
buying votes vas practieed in alIcczt every
county on the Western Shore, and TuaiOr
places the expenditure at $50. 600
1t is not understood that any vote buying
/ CT consequence was done in the city Of Bal
tiTnoTe- It seems 10 be the fact that IL
the large cities there IS not much OF this
kind Of business. For various reasons II Is
rather q dangerous operation n the cities
and one which is very likely to 81 these
concerned N trouble
There are other methods Of improperly
influencing city voters which are literally
availed of-metnods perhaps net 50 bad as
bribery. but certainly Of a character which
/ those responsible for would hesitate very
| long before introducing into private bust
ness transactions. Politics in the United
| States is fast becoming a vast gambling
| game, where bFag. biuf, trickery, and
| stacked cards are the leading features
| The principal players show very often that
/ private motives, not public policy, infiu-
ence all their actions
The campaign in Maryland just ended
1 furnishes mere than one striking illuStra-
tion Of this Suspicious were entertained,
tor
/ ance. that several gentlemen supposed to
/ be active IN promoting Mr. Bryzn's pros
/ poets at heart were really taking no inter
( est in the cause and in a covert way were
/ throwing all the cold water upon it they
/ could. These charges were Indignantly
| denied by these affected Since the cleo
| ton the stories have been revived and
pubIicans. who make great sport over II,
! and affirm they know what they are talk
ing about
One of the most noted Democratic ward
bosses of Baltimore, who vas ostensibly
I working very hard for Bryan, in his conf
/ Dental moments had no hesitation in ex-
pressing the most cordial wishes for his
/ defeat All of these gentlemen will be in
1 the fight next year in Maryland tooth and
| toe-naiI. because it will be their fight.
and. as politics goes Il may possibly make
/ no difference that passiveiy, if not active
/ ", they assisted IN the downfall of the
national candidate of their party
The tortuous ways Of Maryland politics
I are. Of course. not much better and not
! much worse than the politics Of other
States ruled by bosses who think of them
selves only. Il viii be recalled that grave
| doubts were expressed during the cam
! paign Of Richard Cookers professed deyo-
ton to Bryan Everything tends TO con
| firm the belief that. as usual there was q
than knew what he was about
In Wall Street il the later days OF the
campaign, it was said, and by men who pro-
| sessed TO have a share IN the transaction.
| that month or two before the Kansas
| Civ Convention q fund was raised various
| 1y estimated at from 100000 to 81, GOO, GOO
FOR the purpose Of securing the insertion Of
a silver plank IN The Kansas City platform
The silver plank was put in. and. as is 3
matter CT history. by one majority only. Da-
| vid 3. Hill was NEST anxious TO be a mem
Der of the committee on resolutions. M
| Croker would not permit this but put on
| the committee from New York enc OF his
| own nep. who voted for silver II Mr..
Hill had been on that committee silver
| would have been left cut
Senator Daniel OF Virginia an intense sill
yer man earnestly questioned the expedi-
ency OF FeaffirTniEg the silver clause Of
! 1896. Other Southern men on that commit
tee sided with him Colonel Baughman- Of
Maryland made an eloquent and passionate
| appeal against it It has been said the
| vote Of Prince David, Of Hawaii. put in sill
| yer. L might just as well be said the vote
| of any other member of the majority de-
termined it Certainly but for Mr. Croker
! man it could not have carried.
The Wall Street men said Croker got
| the money which was raised, and whether
| he divided with anyone else was neither
known nor cared. As Mr.. Croker is or
record as saying he is in politics for his
pocket, everyone is at liberty &c draw his
own differences.
To return 20 the question Of the system
attic bribery &C voters everywhere, it may
be stated in what States IT ran riot OF
election day outside of Maryland: II
West Virginia, in Ohio, in Indiana, in Ill
! nois, in Kansas, in Nebraska, IN SoutI
/ Dakota, aud in New York. There were
others. OF course, where bribery was
more Or less largely resorted to. but i
was nest gIaring in the States named. I
may be surprise to people generally Il
hear this about State in New York