The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1911-01-31
ALL ILLINOIS
ON VERGE OF
A SCANDAL
DANVILLE mo UIRY Y
THREAT EMS Wild ESPREAD
FRAUD REVELATIONS

(Ry Leased Wirel
I Springfield. H., Jan. 30.--llinois is
on the verge Of an uphcalel that may
Zip up vote buying scandals in a jag
sed lines Of counties stretching form
Chicago to Cairo and from pike coun
ty to the banks Of the Wabash.
The disclosures OF the ballot mar
ket at Danville haze sent a bowler
crash! down the mountain side. 1t
Is gaining momentum daily Legisla-
tors and state Officials who are con
yersant with political methods in
vogue lownstate say that before 1t is
stopped many a city and county will
be tangled up in the Wreckage
Politicians Want Reform.
Strangely e ough the very political
machines which brought the vote buy
ing system to its present state Of de-
velopment are expected to be the en-
glaes TO rits destruction. 1t has grown
into "A rapacious Frankenstcm mon
ster, and IT'S creators would now be
glad to feed it poison, stick IT in the
midriff-n short, do anything to get
rid Of their iucumbranca.
II has grown too expensive, In
some couales it now eats up all the
NCfits In the offices. Wholesale in
iictmcnts OF vote sellers and whole
sale dislanchisement Of the purchas-
able sQuas il j sgererally said at
the statehouse, would be greeted with
joy by the politicians who now buy
yOtcs I'm election daN
DanVlle Holds lnterest.
Keen interest is being manifested
in The Vermllion county scandal by
the lawmakers Most OF them are
chary about talking for quotation, hes
itating to bring the vote selling pack
about their ears They say openly,
however that the conditions in Dan
vile are duplicated in other Illinois
communities galore and that batch
OF indictments in Vermllion county
would blow off the lid in many sec
ito Of the state
There has been considerable talk
Of starting an inquiry by the general
assembly into the vote marketing
scandal Tie members in general
however, believe that a cure can best
be effected through gram iuries ana
by the enactment of a currupt prac-
tiCes Of law
Edgar copnty is Cited
According TO information given by
legislators Of long experience in poll
tics Nermillion coulty is a mere no
vice when 1t comes to vote buying
In Edgar county, it is said the art has
reached its highest degree of perfec-
lion. State political eaders have
talked conlidc TALLY for years Of the
purchasabe vote in Edgar county,
principally in the city of Paris.
The system is said to have grown
up gradually in tie past twenty years
Or so II started with cigars ana has
wound up with bank notes The re-
suit il is asserted, is that In some
precincts there are voters VINO refuse
TO vote unless they are slipped "a
little coin"
In Coles county according TO report
the conditions in some elections have
been as bad as in Danyille In Dan
Vile the purchGsable vote is yariously
estimated Some leaders in the dis
trlct put it at $50; others say it is t.
500 at minimum still others say
that in the last election it ran between
$500 and 1000 The cities OF Matoon
aad Charleston are said to be the
Coles county points where vote buy
ing Is centered
Smaller Cities Worst.
One amazing feature Of the growing
scandal is that some of the smaller
cities are the cal hotbeds of the corr
ruptiol They nave no "hoboes" no
barreLhouses, no transient population
to speak Of still they are said to be
FAR worse than The First and Eigh-
eenth wards of Chicago when it
comes to trafficking in ballots
In Pittstield over in Pike county,
for instance, the bought vote is said
by reputable persons to he about e.
tourth Of the entire vote cast. It has
perhaps between 600 and 500 voters.
Leaders in the couaty say Pittsfeld
las at least goo purchasable votes.
Jacksonville, in Morgan county. is
mother city in which vote buying is
aid to be far from unknown In the
orridor talk ID was said that votes
brought as high as $40 each in recent
elections
Springfield the capital city. is an
lther city with an odoufer0us racoru.
lccoring TO the grand jury investiga-
ions into the last park election. how.
aver, The politicians here are in adj
ance OF their brethren in Paris and
'ittsIield In that election il is nov
hargcd, instead Of paying good hard
ash for votes ley favored the idea
If putting enough ballots into the
loxes themselves before the polls op
med to carry lne election.
Cairo Held Most Corrupt
Carlo however down In the toe Of
.he state. Is always regarded by the
| politicians as probably The worst ely
in the state for election frauds The
price is said to be lower than in the
upper counties consequently NOR,
votes can be bought. On election dan
voters are marched up in aroyes
Two bits is said TO the rate on
'ome, while the better dressed ones
'i5e East IS s.. BUS l. aKanSl G5 5Bha.
5 said to possess ilqurishirg ballot
market
)rg nal Idea Of Art.
Miss Blanche Nevia. the sculptor
| no made the statue of General Mul