The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1911-01-05
ALL SOLD OUT
Votes Aueliened 0f at he Pahlie Ssssas
to de Hissea Bidder.
MANY ARE CONVICTED
Preachers, Deaeons, Merchants, Baah

Preachera, Deaeons, Merchants, Bsch
Farmers and All Other Kinds .oa
People Sold Their Votes ea
Whole School District is Left yzfa.fs-
out q Voter Now. .s$ ss
Adams county, Ohio. hereaftsr
must hide IT'S head in shame. Newer
before in the history Of the United
States has such shameless barter t0
votes been exhibited. .ils;;5,
Out Of voting population OF 6,deG
almost 1,o71 already have been an-
dicted, and several hundred have
been fined and disfranehlsed for 1so
years. 1t IS said that the entire
number OF fraud cases may reaca
2, 900, or 33 1-3 per cent OF the vose
ers OF the county. It may even e1-
ceed that figure.
! Already there are charges that As
least nine other counties In the saRra
part OF the State are in like condF
ton. Columbus hears thatsthere ara
"boodie'' counties to the north m
well. Decent citizens fear the exteat
| of the promised revelations. @.sS'l .ss,
Traffic in votes in Adams county
has not been confined to political
camp followers. People OF ask
classes have been indicted and found
guilty; Deacons In the churches, bus.
,iness men, professional men and that
bulwark Of American liberty. tho
honest farmer, have one and all COMO
to the voting places and handed IN
their ballots to the highest bidder.
In one school district not a single
voter will be left-that Is in JefeF-
son township, which includes Vans.
leyvllle. Every male citizen has
been indicted. Two more Minister'S
both OF Queen county, were indicted
today. Each received IS for his vote.
One young. man confessed that R0
sold out to his own father for Sf6.
It is said that: the buying and Esn.
ings OF votes has been going ON In
Adams county for more: than thtfty
years. It started with the use ce
election funds in Gubernatorial cann-
paigns. "The Hill *Billiesi or Eess--s
dents OF ,thss poorer districts ia SAs
hills; immediately pounced ron -
| as a fine method ofsturning an extra
penny. It was not long before GEE
didates for all offices found that an
amazingly large number of hansS
were out. The price of votes, which
had been small in the beginning
began to rise. Competition grav
so keen that ncn auctioned thei- aal-.s
lots from soap boxes in front OF the
court house In West Union. Many q.
county officer has been forced to ray
campaign assessment OF more than
s2,5O0 to obtain an office with q sal
ary Of $780,. Running fo~ oEice
has meant the financial ruin Of more
than one man. Tho price o. voteS,
went up from So to $40. More thar
one-third the voting population or
Adams county is declared to hive
been inyolve1 in the traffic. St' ra-
pacious did the voters become thai
the politicians found the situaion
! fast getting beyond their control i5
Finally the scandal grew SO bad
that Judge Blair started to clean
things up. He tried, by agreement,
to do away. with the buying and sell
ing Of votes.
"Boodling started when the old
method OF ballotlng was use1," eaid
Judge Blair. when party work
er bought a mans vote he would
hand the man ballot and watch him
put It In the box. Under the new sys-
tenn the voter goes into tbs booth
and shows the judge his ballot. II
1t is right, the judge signals to tho
party worker outside. and, after tho
ballot is cast, the party worker hands
the voter his pay.
II myself have seen men standing
on the auction block. saw farm
er worth $4,000 stand on a soap
box in front OF the court house IA
West Union and auction of his vote.
The mayor, the prosecuting attorney
and the town marshal watched tho
auction and did nothing.
ut got so that men openly boast
ed that they wouldn't vote unless
they were paid. I have seen twea-
ty-seyen men in one precinct sold IA
block by leader. When ran
for office the fret time. six years ago,
one hundred and twenty-eeven men
In Manchester organized and told me-
I'd have to pay them or be defeated.
wouldn't pay was elected in the
judicial district, but I lost Adams
county"
Some two hundred confessed brtb-
ers have "squealed" and have been
released under the informer's act.
However, they have furnished the
county officers and the Judge with an
amazing mass OF information, on
which indictments are being returned
by the hundred.
Adams county Is in the grip OF
cold and snow and the wind bites
around the hills. but the yOte-sell-