Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1906-06-14
BRIBING VOTERS.

DutuANu tUELNus
The question Of bribery at elections has
been so many times discussed in public
print that we give herewith the full text
of law passed at the recent session Of the
New Jersey Legislature. We have long
had laws against bribery on our statute
books, but none of them have seemed to
lessen the corruption comp aimed Of. The
new law is strong enough but the enforce
ment of ii is another matter. Il has some
points in it that have not heretofore been
embodied in a law in this State. II is as
follows:
! /. Any person who shall, directly or in
directly, by himself or by any other per-
son in his behalf, give, lend, or agree to
give or lend, or procure, or agree TO procure
or offer OF promise to procure, or endeayor
to procure, any money or other valuable
consideration or thing, or any office, place
or employ to or for any voter, or to or
for any person. in order TO indulge such
voter to vote or refrain from registering or
voting at any election, or shall corruptly
do or commits any Of the acts in this section
mentioned, on account of any voter having
voted or refrained from voting, or having
registered or refrained from registering for
any election, shall be guilty of a misde-
meanor, and upon conviction thereof shall
be sentenced to disfranchisement for a
period of five years from the date of con-
viction.
2 Any person who shall give, advance
or pay. or cause to be given, advanced or
paid, any money or other valuable thing to
any person, or to the use OF any other per
son, with the intent that such money or
other valuable thing, or any part thereof,
shall be expended, or used for bribery OF
of voters, or for any other unlawful pur-
pose at any election, or who shalt know
ingly pay, or cause to be paid, any money
to any person wholly or in part expended
! in bribery Of vo6er or voters at any elect
ion, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and,
on conviction thereof, shall be sentenced to
disfranchisement for five years from the
date of conviction.
5. Any person who shall directly or in
directly by himself, or by any other per-
son on his behalf, receive, agree or contract
for any money, Gift, loan or valuable con-
sideration, Office, place or employment for
himself or for any other person, for voting
Ill agreeing W fObC, VI lOt VI
agreeing to refrain from voting at any ele-
ction or for registering or agreeing 10 reg
ister, Or for retaining or for agreeing to
refrain from registering for any election,
shall be guilty of misdemeanor, and on
conviction thereof, shall be sentenced to
disfranchisemeit for period OF five years
ir5m the date of conviction.
Any employer of any workmen, or
any agent, superintendent or overseer of
any company or corporation employing
workmen, or any person whatsoever, who
shall directly or indirectly, by himself or
by any other person in his behalf or by his
direction, make use of or threaten to make
use of any force, violence or restraint, or in
fict or threaten TO inflict by himself or by
any other person any injury, damage, harm
or loss against any person or persons in his
epp'oy, in order to in luce o. compel such
employee or employees to vote or refrain
from voting for any particular candidate or
candidates at any election, or on account Of
such employee or employees having voted
or refrainei from voting for any particular
candidate or candidates at any election, or
who shall, by any sort of duress, constraint
or improper influence OF by any fraudulent
or improper deyice, continuance or scheme,
impede, hinder or prevent the free exercise
of the franchise of any voter at any election,
or shall thereby compel, induce or pre-
/ vail upon any voter to vote for or against
any particular candidate or candidates at
any election, shall be guilty of misde-
nleanor and on conviction thereof shall be
sentenced to disfranchisement for a period
of five years from the date of conviction.
!; 5 Any person who, having once been
convicted of a violation OF any of the pro-
visions of this act, shall again be convicted
of violation of any of the provisions of
!! this act, whether such conviction be for the
i same offence or not, shall, on such second
! conviction, be sentenced 80 disfranchise-
nlent and to pay a fine not exceeding one
| thousand dollars, or to imprisonment for a
term not exceeding five years, or both, at
the discretion of the court.
! 6. No person shall be excused from at
tending and testifying, or producing any
I books, papers or other documents before
any court on any indictments for violation
of any Of the provisions of this act, upon
the ground or for the reason that the testi-
tmony or evidence, documentary or other
wise, required Of him may tend to convict
| him of crime or to subject him to pen
atty or forfeiture, but no person shall be
prosecuted or subjected to any penalty or
forfeiture for or on account Of any trans
action, matter or thing concerning which
he may so testify or produce evidence,
documentary or otherwise, and no testi-
mony so given or produced shall be received
against him upon any criminal proceeding
or actions.
7. All acts and parts of acts inconsistant
with the provisions of this act be and she
same are hereby repealed
8. This act shall take effect immed-
lately.
| Approved May 3, 1906.
United States Senator John F. Dryden, of