Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1906-04-27
Delinquent Taxpayers and Vote Buying


AT the last session OF the Vermont legsla'
ture an act was passed providing that
voter in a city town or incorporated village
meeting. who is delinquent taxpayer in
such municipality shall not be allowed to
vote in annual city town or incorporated
village meetings until such delinquent tax
payer has paid said tax or taxes and pre-
sents a receipt for the payment OF the same,
signed by the proper officer, TO the board OF
civil authority 1t was also provided that
the collector Of taxes shall annually on or
before the 18th day Of February each year
make a list OF said delinquent taxpayers ana
deliver the same TO the clerk OF the city
town or incorporated village, as the case may
be. to be used by the board of civil author
ity at the annual March meeting. Any col
lector or other officer who neglects to com
ply with this act is made punishable by fine.
II Is to he said in the first place that this
act was not complied with absolutely in every
Vermont town, and whether such failure
would affect the result in a close contest In
which considerable number Of persons were
allowed to vote as result Of such failure,
is matter TO be determined.
1t is fact, however, that the law as 1t
stands at the present time promotes the buy
ing of votes, and they can be purchased I'M
der this arrangement Just as surely as
"
polls.5 A set of men look over the list Of de-
iipouent taxpayers and select those they be-
lieve to be favorable to them or those they
know they can handle. The money is pro-
yided for the payment OF such taxes, and vot-
ers so relieved go to the polls, call for
certain man to mark their ballots, and the
purchasers know with absolute certainty
whether or not the goods are delivered
Not all of the men who have their taxes
paid for them are bought but the proper
ton is so large that the innocent ones con
stitute the exception rather than the rule
No matter in what city or by what party
the abuse is perpetrated it is crying shame
and II the present law is to remain on the
statutes II should be so amended at the com
ing session of the legislature as to prevent
II from playing into the hands of vote'buy-
ers There are various ways in which TINS
can be accomplished with reference to TINS
particular law. :.
II still remains for the legislature to adopt
soma amendment to the ballot law which VIII
make it impossible for ballot assistants VINO
help voters to mark their ballots to act as
spoilers for vote-buyers. The present bai-
lot has become so familiar that it might be
possible to abolish all assistance except tof
those who are physically unable to make
mark on account of blindness or other al
aiction. and the number of such persons is
very small. It is still possible for man
who is handing out ballots to to pass two
to one of his confederates who puts the ex-
ira ballot in his pocket and takes it to the
vote buyer. This gentleman marks 1t cor
rectlyn for a "foater,'f the latter passes In
nv the rail, takes his clean ballot from the
distributor, enters the booth, exchanges his
fresh ballot for the one marked outside, casts
the marked ballot and carries out the clean
ballot to the purchaser, which proves abso-
lutely that he has cast the one marked. me
fresh ballot is used to repeat the process, OF
purchase, and check upon the actual deliv-
cry of the goods.
The problem is serious one, menacing
as it does the purity of the ballot and IL
is time for our lawmakers to take TINS mat
ter in hand and attempt to devise an eff.
fective remedy for the evil.