Evening journal., 1910-01-20
VIOLATION OF ELECTION LAWS.

N4OLA1lON Of ELECIlON LAWS.
HE chief lesson to be learned from the ac-
= ton Of, the Supreme Court of the State
in the case of John Goodwin. is that il is danger
GUS for persons TO make any suggestion of the
use OF money at elections.
The decision OF the court clears up many
points III connection with the law on the ques-
ton OF bribery or attempted bribery in Dela-
ware. The attorneys for Mr. Goodwin raised
all the points that have been thought of against
the law. 1t was contended that Goodwin had
been convicted without due process of law.
+ There were other objections such as the argu-
nent that the commitment to bail should not
have been made by magistrate not learned in
the law and that there is a wide difference in
the words "offer" and promise" But so far as
the Supreme Court Of this State is concerned,
the law and the procedure under it have been
regular. The provision of the constitution gov
erning alleged bribery at elections has therefore
been sustained by the former court and by the
present one and it will stand in Delaware The
case might be taken TO the Supreme Court of
the United States, but it is very doubtful wheth-
or the law would be upset. 1t is we'll TO re-
member that the provision was inserted into our
constitution by very able attorneys
The plain facts are, then, that the law is up
held that it cannot be successfully assailed be-
fore our Supreme Court and that politicians must
govern themselves accordingly.
It has been contended with justness that it is
a very easy matter for a witness to cook up
Case OF dllSScQ DIlDcry III the nope OF COnNlClln2
some one and 1t is true that may be
made up. But in that event the reliance is IN
the rare discriminating powers OF the judges.
Without particularly referring to the Goodwin
case II is well 10 recall that in cases OF this char
acter which have been brought in the lower
counties the judges, all OF them, have shown no
disposition to convict persons accused of vio-
lating the election laws unless the evidence was
clear and unmistakable.
The Goodwin decision may also convince per-
sons who may have had doubts on the mat
ter that when it comes to questions of alleged
violation of the law, or of any other questions,
our present bench knows no politics. The
Judges are not swayed by political considera-
tions
In days of long ago the Republicans used TO
assert that the courts were always inclined to
favor the Democrats where political matters were
involved, and bitter were the complaints but
that is past and gone and we have to deal with
the present
OF course, the Democrats will endeavor TO
make partisan capital out of this matter but
they should remember that whatever NAV have
been the violations of the law by Republican
politicians they would have to amount to huge
number before they would equal the partisan
ship that marked the Democrats when they
managed the state without let or hindranee.
The most important thing about the decision
is. as we have said, the warning that it carries
to men active in political affairs. This warning
Is that the constitutional provision regarding the
use of money at elections is real and vital
thing that cannot be disregarded. A man who
ignores the constitution does SO at the peril OF
going to prison. 1t may be hard to realize this
fact because in some parts of the state the con-
sttution has been considered lightly, the prac-
tice of using money at elections has been COM
mon and no man lost caste among his neiehbors
in some parts OF Delaware because he indulged IN
that practice Members of both parties have en-
gagged in bribery and some of them will, we pre-
sumo, continue to do so, but they will be taking
great chances. Those who are so unucly as to
be caught will not be able to say that they had
not sufficient warning of the risks they were
running