The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-08-27

contest for control of party erganiza-
tons. in Maryland and in all other
states, there is almost invariably
charge that one side or the other is
using money at the primaries and re-
sorting to tricky methods to secure
control. After the primaries have been
held and the delegates to the conven-
ton selected. it usually develops that
these charges are for the most part
unwarranted. But there has been no
denial of the charges of gross bribery
and corruption in the conduct of the
Republican primaries in Maryland.
From a dozen different counties re-
ports have been printed, in Democratic
and Republican newspapers alike,
showing that money was openly used
in the purchase of votes at the pri-
maries. In a number of districts the
negro voters were made the objects of
competitive bids. We are RECALLED with
an account of how a Mudd adherent
started the bidding at 81 a head for
the negro voters in one precinct Nc
Comas men promptly raised the price
to So, and, as the election promised to
be closely contested, the competition
forced the prices sharply up to so each,
while in several precincts the rivalry
was so keen that sfrewd voters held
off until they were paid SIS each, and
in one case SIS, to vote for the Repub-
lican who was willing to put up the
price. These charges are not denied.
Both Mudd and McComas have de-
clared that they have had no personal
hand in distributing any corruption
fund but neither has declared his ig-
norance of or his opposition to this
method of debauching the ballot for
personal political preferment. The
best that has come from either of these
leaders, now that the contests are
about over, is a declaration from each
that he is in favor of clean politics"
Each is, apparently, anxious to con-
vince the public that he can furnish
pure politics from a stream which has
been grossly polluted at its source.
Trusted lieutenants of these leaders
frankly admit that more than $4,000
has been spent in the primary contest.
and that it has been done openly, bra
zenly, in shameless violation of the
law.
The successful candidate of these pri-
maries, should he be elected to the
United States senate, will naturally take
an advanced ground on some of the
great problems that are confronting the
American people. He will be Mortified
at the lynching epidemic. He will urge
a reform in the divorce laws that
threaten the sanctity of domestic life
He will be ready to denounce Mormon
ism as a blight on American civilization.
He will express utmost indignation that
trusts are allowed to go unthrottled and
will talk about the genius of American
institutions until the cows come home,
but he will stand mute on the problems
of assaults upon the integrity of the
voting public. upon which, all honest
men concede. the safety of our system
of government depends.
Methods such as have been used in
the pending contest in Maryland will
be naturally adopted in other elections
in the state, and citizens will probably
continue to wonder why courts are in
huenced to partisan consideration, why
the laws are not enforced, and why the
standard of official integrity has fallen
so low that high-class men cannot be
induced to accept public office. Mary
land has furnished an aggravated ex-
ample of the political methods that
have been employed in Pennsylvania.
Rhode Island and other states of the
union within the last two years. Both
parties have practiced the system of de-
bauching the ballot boxes. but the
Maryland Republicans have been more
brazen in their work than have the pol
iticians in other states, the Democrats
of Montana not excepted. The exposure
of the practices in Maryland is suffic-
iently startling to make men pause and
consider the logical sequence of such
methods if they are to be pursued with
out interference by the decent element
of the citizenry.