The Daytona daily news. [volume] (Daytona, Fla.) 1903-1926, 1911-01-20
Nearly Half the Electors
Disfranchised For Five
Years and Fined Ac-
cordinf to Amount
Of Bribe Taken.

the opinion that two-thirds of them !
have been guilty Of selling their votes
at one time or another. This is about
the most staggering revelation of cor
ruption yet made.
Lest any pharisaical finger Of scorn
b pointed at Adams county, however,
& NAY be ~ we'll to state that the DIFF
ference between her and certain other
counties-I was about to say all other
eUunt1es-is that she has repented and
= trying to cleanse herself. In that
1ar she has all the best of the COMPARE
oo0 and n entitled to praise. She is
worthy Of additional commentator for
the reason that she is setting a whole
some example to the nation.
Thirty Years Political Debauchery.
The testimony shows that the buy.
Ing and selling Of votes has been 60
ing on In this Ohio county for more
than thirty years. One man said there
have not been more than three or four
honest elections in all that time 20
Mtical committees, candidates. election
o@cials and practically all in authority
were implicated. The drain on candi-
dates was SO heavy that several spent
more to be elected than their entire
salary. A few were financially ruined
by running for office. Under this
regime Office seekers became scarce.
Men were not less anxious for the
plums, but the price was too high. 1t
got to be 80 that men had to be draft
ed to 60 on the ticket.
The corruption started in small
way, but the voters themselves were
20 eager to sell their portion Of SOW
ereiSnty that the shameful habit be-
came fixed. Election day came to be
regarded like Christmas-as a season
OF gifts. At first the bargain and sale
were secret. the negotiations usually
being carried on In hack lot Mt mid
night. After a time it grew more
they received. One old gentleman
mounted a box in front of the court
house and auctiOned of his vote to
the highest bidder. and. though officers
Of the law were standing by. nothing
was done about II
Both parties we..s concerned in the
tran1c, and this gave not a few of the
voters q chance to work both sides Of
the street. One old chap testified that
he had got SO from the Democrats.
an additional $40 from the Repul-
leans and wound up the day by work
ing the Republican candidate for sher-
III for 81. He did not say which way
he voted. but possibly eaScd his CON
science. if he had any left, by split
ting his ticket.
Vote Buyers Cautious.
The vote buyers usually made sure,
however. that they We're not fooled Ivy
these double barreled vote sellers. To
do this an election judge had to he Il
confederate. by shaking each ticket
open the Judge could see which way
It was marked and SO report by
scratching his ear or by some other
sign. Another method of identified
ton was to have each bought voter
mark his ballot in a peculiar way. a
different mark being arranged for
each man. Sometimes the marking
would be for a Prohibition or Social
1st candidate for some unimpOrtant
Office. If a ballot was found with
this peculiar marking the voter would
Be paid. The bidding was often fast
and furious. One man. Uncle Fred
die Book. went back and forth be-
tween the Republicans and Democrats
until his price was raised from SO to
SIS.
Adams Is a poor county, but poverty
was not always the excuse for vote
selling. One Of the culprits IS worth
$4,000. Others are ministers OF the
gospel. lawyers and doctors. Often q
higher price would be given man OF
influence" on the theory that he could
swing other votes with his own. MOI
was the traffic among foreigners
There are very few foreigners In the
county. The men are nearly all OF
old American stock. Nor are there
any large towns to spread corruption
Farming is almost the sole industry.
Adams IS one Of the Ohio river co1n
ties that have been nearly stationar.
IN population for several decades. I
has but one railroad. which IS man.
miles from the county seat. The hey
day OF its prosperity was before tn
advent Of steam railroads. when til
river was the chief means Of trans
portation One Of the big crops is t6
baccO. Another seems to he farmin
out votes. Most of the county is hill,
and the denizens IF these sections ar
called Till Rillic>" or "HillikenS.
Adams is the next county west G
SciOtO. in which the city of Port:
mouth is located. SciotO and sever:
adjoining counties are said to he n