New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-12-11
cratic ticketa Oh. you bet we had vouchers for


listened with interest to this academic discussion
suddenly interposed with more heat than eau
ton.
Il don't b'lieve as no man should sell his vote:
no American citizen. blieve the man that does
sells his country. Why. know a man right in
this city who owns half dozen farms and has
bank account, and he and his four sons all went
and sold their votes
Friend" interposed one of the teachers, sar-
donicaly. IT'S wrong to steal. too; but If you
came down the road and nice. fat chicken
up tree-well chickens are mighty fine
! There gentle chuckle OF appreciation at
the proper taking down of such Haunting virtue.
/ but the purist held TO his text and continued
NO. sub. l never stole no chicken. nuther;
but I know people right here in Dover with
plenty of money who sold their country and took
money for their vote, I tell you was sur
prised."
! Late in the evening the Addcks schoolmaster.
who hitherto had declined to discuss politics
! with Tribune correspondent, yielded to the eX-
| tent of explaining his own attitude. Said he:
There was a time when 1 could have told you
Sill about this-when I was on the outsde-but
! that two years ago, and now 1 can't tell
| you from the inside, for it wouldn't be policy
for me. I used to fight, but got tired of work
! ing with no returns. You heard me say we lost
| our Hundred by four votes If the money had
| been put In the right hands-and don't mean
to be conceited when say they were mine-we
would have carried the district safe for Mr..
! Addicks" This school teacher had salary of
/ $50 month. Single votes in the last election
! brought price exceeding two months salary.
A man identified with education in Delaware
sat IN the correspondents room on another night
! and told unvarnished tale Of Delaware poll
! tics. and when he had finished said:
II have told you the story as 1 see 1t. / have
| always voted against Mr. Addicks and have
| been a lifelong Republican. My people know
where I stand but I don't talk about it. II
were to say at home what have said to you
| NV place would be vacant in June and my ca
| reer in Delaware schools ended. AS long as L
! keep stil 1 am tolerate That's ALL
! There are other and sinister stories of
the trail that political corruption has left in
the schools of Delaware. Said teacher VINO
has given the best years Of his life to education
| in Delaware:
| 'I suppose this time may mean the end OF MT.
| Addicks, but I do not believe that this genera
! ton will see the end Of Addicksism."
or the effect Of corrupt politics in debauching
| tho ,,outh of Delaware countless authenticated
| stories are at hand. The following Is told by
the Rev. Robert A. EIwood Of Wilmington.
! He said that soon after election boy came 10
| him and asked for assistance In gettlhs Joo'
/ MY father has turned me out of the house.
| BEFORE election he went to the Addicks leader
and made arrangements to sell his vote and
! those of my two brothers and me. When he
came home and told me what he had done said
that It was my first vote and I wouldn't sell 1t.
He tried to argue with me- but when held out
he got mad and said:
Il want you to get out of this house and
never come back. If you can't contribute TO the
support of the house. like the rest of us. you
can just get out a"
Mr.. Elwood tells OF other Kent County boys
less coura geous who received $50 for their first
vote
But political debauchery is not merely an
Election Day epidemic. 1t attacks the moral
character of its victims every day In the year.
There Is a story authenticated beyond the
shadow OF doubt, and told now without names.
simply to keep pledge Of the temptation OF
Delaware father, which shows the subtle weap-
ons employed in corrupting community. An
illiterate farmer in Kent County had two sons.
The elder worked on the farm with him. while
the younger in his brief school days had showed
unusual ability. The ambition Of the father
was to provide technical education for his son.
an ambition that seemed hopeless until the day
he talked 1t over with the local Addicks leader
the man who, by the way, threatened to kick
Addicks downstairs when the Bay State Gas
man made his first overture, ten years ago. To
this man, now high in the Addicks ranks, the
troubled father came and told his story.
That's all right; It can be arranged" said this
leader. Lets see, there's your vote the elder
sons vote and the boys vote. Give them TO
and we VIII got the boy appointment to An
napolis." For time the father hesitated-he
honest man-but in the end his ambition
for his triumphed and he agreed. simply
making the condition that he would ask his sons
ratification. When he had told them OF the offer,
the elder boy, not without regret, declared that
he would not stand in his brothers way. but
the younger boy suddenly flashed out:
You do what yOa WILL father but will
see Mr.. - in hell before I sell my Vote So
the bargain fell through. but there were other
sons less gallant, and there was no vacancy
in the appointments for Delaware that year
There is another well substantiated example of
the insinuating power Of political corruption
which illustrates the manner in which the pro-
fessionaI politicians have been trained to study
the weakness in the moral ar1nor of every voter
in their district. In the same community in
which the previous incident occurred there lived
an old. broken down man. lifelong Democrat
who practically penniless. He had served
during the Civil War. but age and infrmity had
brought him to the door of the poorhouse At
length he went to the same politician already
referred to and told his piteous story.
1T can be arranged" was the suave answer
Vote with and you will come out all right"
Pm an old man and I yet sold my
vote" was the desparing answer; but 1 sup
pose I have come down to 1t at last" Two
| months after election this veteran received q
pension Of $50 a month. which he is still draw
ing, and the Addicks leaders know how their
purchases vote