The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-12-31
! BY JUDGE A. Z. BLAIR.


Association,
II has been stated that ! have had
personal knowledge Tor many years
81 the traffic In votes that has pre-
vailed IN Adams and other counties
in my judicial district, and this is quite
true, | have had both the personal
knowledge and the positive proof Of
this practice in my district for long
time.
In the fall Of 1906 | registered VOW
that ! would put an end to vote buying
In Adams county the very first oppor-
tunity had. In tEat year Judge Ed -
win +. Corn, Vt Ironton and myself
were candidates on the Republican
ticket for common pleas judges ard
Henry G. Bannon. af Portsmouth, WAS
the Republican candidate for congress
man short time before the election
The Republican executive committee
Ut Adams county made n demand that
We three candidates put the sum Of
$4,000 into the county campaign. When
VIZ refused to donate "a cent above &
small amount each for legitimate ex-
penEea the county committee threaten
Ell that II we did mot ac9ede Ia their
demands they would throw every coun-
~ candidate off the ticket
Judge Corn, Judge Ranuon and my
SELF would not give IN ana the result
NaA that the committee made good it's
threat and depieted the ronnty ticket
nf every candidate, Sat even this did
not have the desired effect and at the
eleventh hour "A new ticket was got
ten UP with part Of the old ticket and
some new names, and this IL the first
opportunity / have had TO carry out my
resolve.
The barter In votes, believe. has
prevailed To 4 eonsidera bl. extent in
..Aentit sight otner Southern Ohio
counties Tor perhaps the past thirty
years. Two years ago. during the
local option campaign. learned Of
money being used in Scioto county By
the 'wets' and promptly called a
special grand fury and had indict-
ulertS returned against mann parties
and that stopped the Note-huying IN
that campaign and ! believe. pre-
vented the nse Of money tn any great
extent in elections following in that
county.
As To the present investigation being
started at this particular time viii
sas that the people or Adams conn
t., including the politicians ~ both
parties hay ;mportuued both Judge
Corn and myself TO break up the prac-
tiee of having 10 raise big corruption
funds every election, as il was con-
Eliminating more aud more people
every Year ana bsnkrupting many of
i1E EaHutGaiPsv
Judge Corn was not acqualn with
the inside workings If the game AZ
played In Adams county, and I WAS.
! knew Just where To press the
various buttons in each party to bring
the desired result and for that
reason, l. instead OF Judge Corn, came
here 10 beEr. the inqlt4sition From
results already obtained there viii be
no morv vote selling in old ADAMS
When this ine estigaton closes, which
VIII be about tbs middle nj next week.
the county wili have had a thorough
political renovation.
Tt good influence ~ this probe will
permeate thu body polite of the en-
tire state. am we'll satisfied, and
even more, t,eiieye that this strong
wave of protest starting In Adams
county against the practice OF cor
rupting elections will swell to such
proportions that II viii overflow the
every Commonwealth In the linton
We have nIads~ the start AT the root
o. the evil.
VIZ hear the eity councils selling
out franchsiet and State legislatures
giving tb. United states senatorship
to the highes. bidder. and men have
bssn seBt to tht penitentiary for deeds
81 this kind. but the foundation Of the
whole trouble has been that the
proper safeguards have not been
thrown arorr" the ballot box.
Parity the ballot and we will have
better officials, public otficiais viii hold
their oath of office