The Cairo bulletin., 1908-08-23
SELLING VOTES
At ELECTIONS
EVIL MADE SUBJECT OF DISCUS
SION AT MERCHANTS
LUNCHEON.
AN ORGANIZED EFFORT
To Stamp it Out is Ureco-chaIrna
w. 3. tuctte Starts Lively Dis
cusion--J. S. Asthorpc Pleads
for Co. X.

for Co. X.
Yesterdays Merchants Iunche on at
the Alexander Club grill room was on
of the most interesting of the Sc S
SO far 1t was so by reason of the very
important subject proposed by W. B.
lluctte, chairman Of the meeting and
the discussion that followed. Th hare
were % or more of Cairo's leading
business men, who had taken an
active part in publt affairs at variors
times, and all recognized the perti-
nence Of Mr IIuette's question: AR
the professional and business men q
Cairo in favor of the buying and sell
ing of votes which has been a com
mon practice in Cairo? If mot, what
can be done TO st0n it,"
Commenting on this Mr. Huette said
he had asked no one to speak on the
subject and he would not call upon
any one particularly to say anything
He would like all to express them
selves, however, feeling that the sub
iect was important enough to deserve
serious attention, Silence on the
part of those present would be taken
as giving consent or answering the
question asked, in the affirmative
| Mr. Huotte had some difficulty get
ting the discussion started the qurs.
tion seemed to have strmped his au-
| dience for a few moments.
Leon Il. Denison was the first speak.
er. He spoke strongly against the
practice saying that the remedy lay
with the people. He cited Williamson
| county whore he formerly lived as an
example The practice had grown so
! bal there that an organized effort On
| The part of leading citizens was finally
made to stop it.
r. ]. Kerth gave his experience as
foreman of grand jury before which
| the evil was brought up. He said a
number of witnesses were summoned
bur none knew anything, although it
| had been common talk that votes had
been bought by hundreds, Mr.. Kerth
said attorneys had informed him that
ithe buyers of votes could not be pros
ccuted but only the sellers
John S. Aisthorpe made forcible
talk against the practice. He said he
did not wish to defend himself, but
wished to 20 on record as heartily in
sympathy with any movement that
would put a stop to the evil Individ-
ual effort would accomplish nothing;
it must be done by organized effort.
The evil had grown so bad that no
man of self-respect liked to 20 into
ant campaign in Cairo. 1t was not
confined to any one party, both parties
were guilty of the practice. We had
an element here, both black and white
which had been taught to sell their
votes and they made business OF it,
generally taking money from both
Isiles-"The boOdlers get up contest
between us and then skin us both,
said Mr.. Ai8thorpe. 1t cost from So
O00 tc $4,000 to elect a mayor and
from $500 to $500 to elect an alder
man. How were these men to get
thair money back out of the offices.
They could not do it honestly. Wei
must get together and stamp out the
evil: select good men and divide the
Offices between Democrats and Repub
liCans, and then refuse to buy a sin
glo vote.
Mr. Aisthorpe here begged leave to
l.. ~ stiah h
iect. the Cairo Militia Co. He spoke
of the complaint made by Capt. Grea7-
ey that business men had discouraged
young men from becoming members,
threatening to discharge them He
said this was a shOrt-sighted policy.
Not only might they need the militia
company in an important emergency
but the discipline taught the young
men as soldiers would make them
better employees. He hoped Capt.
Greaney's call for volunteers would be
met
Hon Miles Frederick Gilbert said
as chairman of the county Democratic
central committee he would say that,
so far as he knew the evil of vote-huy
ing was done by the candidates. His
COMMITTEES mad never spent one dollar
foi that purpose so far as he knew.
The evil was not in Cairo alone: it
prevailed i'm all cities and in most of
them worse than here. It ought to be
stepped
c. 6. Carey said it was no; a politi-
cal question aud he did not believe
candidates were any more to blame
than anybody else. Fifteen or twenty
determined men could stop it, by de-
claring in advance that they would
prosecute to the full extent of the law
any one who should sell his vote.
Abuses grow till people get tired of
them and then they rise up and stop
them
II was the general opinion that the
matter should be taken mp by all the