West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1902-12-18
Observation-Disclosures
n Widespread Evil That Dis
graces Our Country.
LAWS HAVE NOT YET REACHED If

Worse Than Ever In tie Rs..snt
Elections = Ecor, Iu IadinaA 90
Eradicate the Evii--A Law xlat
Docsnt work-Barter of tkc tSean-
ehisc In Connecticut.
~ good citizens. 10 whatever party
Tiny claim allegiance. must condemn
the growing evil OF the purchase aud
sale OF voters at election. The practice
has gradually grown 10 he a great evil.
and public opinion does not fioNn IL
down IL the buying and selling ARE, for
the boncft OF their own party Gnl can.
didntcs. Those states aud districts
where the voters are nearly equally dl.
vldsd between the two great parties
are the fields where the rascnlly work
Is principally carried on. aud IL In too
bad To have 10 sny that llicic are no
exceptions TO the general rule The
New England states, the central stntcs
aud the west are equally guilty where
the election IL close and the voters are
wcrth the price paid
Indiana has always been what Ia
known AS u close or doubtful state,
aud so debauched has Il been that four
years ago the Republican legislatur
amended the law that then punished
the vote bribor and the brIbed M equal
ly guilty, 80 that now only the voter
who sells his vote can be punished. and
the one who pays the money goes free
The indianapolis Sentinel and the
leaders OF the Democratic party have
constantly wngcd fight 10 overcome
this greatest ofrcnsc that can be per-
pctrnted against the institutions OF n
free country and are now cndeayoring
To arouse public opinion so that more
efficient law may bc passed by the com.
Ing legislature. Tse newspaper named
in It's Issue OF Nov. IL has a number OF
interviews with leading Democrats md
Republicans. all OF whom declare
against the practice. Among these
William l.. Tnyl0r. the state ettoruoy
general voiced the opinion OF many
Republicans when he said: ~ never did
indorsc the umendinem To the election
law which allows vote hrlbcrs 10 go
scot free - the same time rccog
nizc tie fcrrr OF the argument made
lay those Who advocated the amend.
mcut /, srssr % So ihHt " only one
party to ilif 'l.iar 'a ulnisl4',,c l:ose.
cations ug' riuiv likely than II hulh nre
punlshahlt a'' in he latter case both
wnrld have thr mtmr uaeuu FOR main.
tanning scrfc..
"'lle laY ga il s;oo3 ivf0rr the
aMes;''"'; was udcpcd was practical
Is - dni@ !y1sr. ana the amendment
was p..ssvd IN the hope OF muk.ug IT
effective iigf cyeb with tie amend
mcnt tie I 'v ~ not much better than
a dm,d i,itc. Il r. tlne filcre have
bees Wtr prosecutions unJcr n. I'm
Mot Hurt. "ouniy thcrc were thirty
cnsc2 bion b, urg.iisi vote Sell,rs. ana
! believe there were ,Olne al.o il Sprn.
or couaty ! see also that some man
In lIIul hyillr i,uE succeeded IN huying
Up q lni oC Otefa TINT hc uOw wants
punished these prosecutions have all
brru brought about by The reward
c'atsr p!actd in ibc amendment. which
gives ANY one Who furnishes informa.
ton Hat will convict man OF selling
liIs yo;e 500 from the county treasury.
In my opinion. however the vote brib-
or Is ns guilty as the vote seller. and I
do not know hut that IL would be nd
yisnble to amend the law again. but I
do not know how the legislature. viii
feel about it,
Not one Of those interviewed hints
that the charges are oyerdrnwn OF the
extent OF the evil.
In Connecticut vote buying on an ex-
tended scale would seem to he the rule,
for startling charges are made and
published in the Bosion Transcript,
good Republican authority. which on
Nov 10 snld.
William ID. Bishop. Jr.. the Demo
crttic candidate for congress In the
Fourth Connecticut district. has re.
pentedly declared since his defeat that
three-fourths ~ tie vote OF the small
or towns Is purclasable. Mr.. Bishop Is
man OF high standing In the com.
muniy and his words have exception
al weight ilc says: 1T Is fact that
thre-fOurihs ~ the entire vote IN the
sinHll towra OF Connecticut Is purchas.
nhir ! gayr the cirrmcn OF the town
committees 10 mudcrsinnd TINT. while I
wonld Willingly pay ~ legitimate cx-
pcises that might arise iu The canvass.
! would NOT put up q s!ugie dollur with
which tO buy votcS Some 81 them re.
cciecd tliiS information all right. and
some Of them were not so wen pleased.
It is prculinr fact that some years
ago when ccg';ain prominent Bridge.
port men were running for oiiicc they
poured orr E;oLcy ln many OF the small
and doulHft1 towns In some towns
where ibr entire vote would not ex.
cced 2uO or 100 votes they put In from
E2.OOO to s.jsND. and votes sold as high
ms $io0 eacii And there ls IN many
OF these towns purchasaile element
TINT can lT' bought IN every campaign" 4"
The Republican machine politicians
that rule Connecticut. OF whom Sen
atof Platt Is the leader must have had
knowledge ~ his wholesale dcbauch
Of iilc voters. rs they were the bcno.
fcinrl's Of tIe purchased votes. and IL
Is wei known Tint the Democrats. 1f
willing DID uot have the funds 90 bid
against them.