Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-01-16
A National Humiliation.

The recent exposures Of political cor
ruption in Illinois. Ohio and other states
have Inundated the nation. have stirred
the national conscience. and have
aroused a wholesome public sentiment,
which assures a rigid. searching in
vestigation of all charges of bribery
and the punishment of all Offenders
whom the law can reach.
The Lorimer case. the latest OF .
series affecting the integrity Of cleo
tions to the Senate. presents a plain
record OF bribery, the only issues in
dispute being the number of persons
tainted. the extent of the knowledge of
criminal transactions on the part of the
candidate in whose interest bribery was
committed. and the bearing OF the de-
cisions on these two points upon the
Judgment of the Senate. sitting as an
elections court and tied up in and ham,
pered by presidents and legal techni-
calities. OF more recent occurrence,
and in some respects more shocking. is
the disclosure of wholesale bribery of
the electorate in Adams county, Ohio.
where hundreds of citizens were bought
like cattle. The bribery which affected
the legislator in Illinois tainted the in
dividual voter in the Ohio county.
One practical lesson taught by the evil
dences of corruption in the naming Of
United States senators Is that there is
need Of a better system Of ascertaining
the popular will with respect to the
choice of members OF the upper house OF
Congress. This improvement is to be
accomplished either through the pro-
vision Of primary elections to serve as
IL
ture of what the people want. or through
the direct election Of senator's by the
people. without the Intervention of the
legislatures, in accordance with a con-
stitutional amendment. The Adams coun-
ty case shows that individual voters may
be and are corrupted as well as legis-
lators: but the same case suggests that
it is more difficult to brfbe the many
than the few. and easier to detect. con-
Wet and punish the offenders. It is OBJ
yiously unwise to continue to trust to
the present process and methods Of sena-
torial election, which lend themselves so
readily to obstruction Of legitimate legis-
lative business, to manipulation and cor
ruption and defeat Of the popular will
Public indignation has been so aroused
by these disclosures that not only those
accused Of bribery, but those whose duty
1t is to detect and punish this offense,
will be held to the strfctest accountability
The judges themselves are on trial. The
Ohio judges passing on cases Of bribed
voters, the Senate. now sitting as an
election court in the Lorimer case, the
constituents Of confessed or convicted
bribers or bribed who offer themselves
for reelection, are themselves on trial In
the court OF public opinion.
In the last analysis the individual vot-
ers. who can by their votes repudiate
and punish legislative corruption, bear
the main burden Of responsibility for the
existence and continuance of this form
of political rottenness. The cleansing
must begin at the foundation. An Adams
county electorate, in whatever state it
existed. would logically return a COR
ruptib,e representative. A man who has
bought the votes which elected him would
nat,uai-5 nave few scruples about selling
his own sote. The millions of unbribable
voters in the United States can and must
see TO it that their will prevails in all
elections, that bribery when committed
shall be detected and punished. and that
they choose to represent the people in
local. state and national ONCE men who
will not brfbe. nor be bribed. nor condone
on personal or partisan considerations
bribery in the interest of others.