Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1902-08-02
Mtiseellattepns Reaaina.
POLITICAL GRAFTERS.
Candidates Being Bled by Campaign
Vampires.

Candidates Being Bled by Campaign
Vampires.
Political grafters, and their name
is legion, are getting in some Of theil
best work just now, for only few
short weeks remain before their occu.
patton will be gone for two years.
There is no county in the state, with
the exception Of Charleston perhaps
where this species Of beats and leg pull
lers flourish more luxuriantly and
where their bold faced demands upon
candidates are more persistent and
more successful. 1t is said that some
Of them make enough out Of each cam
paign to live several months without
doing anything. They seem to be toe
powerful for candidates to resist and
year by year their demands grow
larger.
The court house is the favorite re-
sort for these &c ntry, many Of them be-
ing from the cCdntry and they sit
around the court house railing fence
like buzzards awaiting the appearance
of candidate carcass to pounce upon
Their favorite side graft Is to borrow
quarter or a dollar until tomorrow,
or next Saturday." and few Of the
candidates are proof against pulling
out the coin. The candidate knows
that he will never see the color Of his
money again and the CRATER knows
that the candidate knows it and thus
matters are allowed to stand. 1t Is
nothing less than the selling and buy
ing Of a vote and it would be really
surprising to the people at large to
know the extent Of the practice. OF
course, any CRATER would boil over
with violent indignation were it sug-
gested that he had sold his vote, but
that is what it really amounts to. The
only trouble is that they will not stay
bought, for every candidate in turn is
approached and when the election
comes there has to be some buying
and if candidates should hold meet
ing afterwards and compare votes as
to any particular man it would be hard
for any of them to tell which one had
really been finally buncoed. The only
fact that they all could agree upon Is
that all of their legs had been pulled.
AS already said that is only side
issue. The great graft is for some fell
low who has or pretends to have some
influence at some particular polling
place to approach a candidate and offer
to work for him and even carry the
polling precinct for him. The fellow
may have some little influence and the
candidate does not want to get the en-
nifty of any one, so when it Is sugges-
ted that it Twill cost about $50 for legi-
innate expenses" and some more to
treat the boys" out comes the check
as a rule and out goes the liquor. The
Legitimate expenses" go as far as the
fellows pocketbook. Some other
fellow may get some Of the whisky,
but that is only because the CRATER
can't drink 1t all.
A gentleman was telling his expert
ence along that line yesterday. He
was supposed to represent a certain
candidate for governor because he had
done some work in pressing his claims
upon people. He was approached by
a town CRATER who announced that ne
had influence with q certain class and
that he thought he could carry them
for the gubernatrial candidate refer
red to. There would be certain expen-
ses attached, the CRATER informed the
gentlemen. The latter said in reply
that he had no money to buy votes, and
moreover, had no desire or intention
to purchase them. 20, you don't have
to buy them exactly" said the CRATER;
"all I want out Of 1t is a new suit OF
clothes. Then a gallon or two Of whis-
ky and a few kegs of beer to distri-
butte among the boys"
The gentleman Informed the fellow
that he would get neither the clothes
nor the booze, and the CRATER seemed
really astonished at the refusal. He
volunteered the information that he
was working a similar game on two To-
cal candidates.
And so the game proceeds and this
selling and buying of votes will con-
tinue until the very last moment be-
fore the closing Of the polls. 1t is a
most disgraceful state of affairs, and
where it used to be worked secretly
and under cover it Is now openly and
boldly demanded.
Candidates have the power to put a
stop to it, but without any agreement
among themselves they seem powerless
to resist the demands Of ward heelers
and sand hill bunco sharps.-Columbia
Record.