The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1911-05-02
VOTE BUY|NG As
AfREQUENTEV|L
Pres. Barrett of Farmers
Union Scourges It
URGES UNION TO ACTION

declares That One OF Its Great Mis-
,ions is to Drive Practice of Brfb-
cry. Vote-Buying and Selling. From
Politics, and Sets Out How This
Hoth Debauches the Electorate and
Secures Indifferent Public Servants.
To the Officers and Members Of the
Union:
During the past few months papers
of y~ote-buying and selling in Adams
county, ohio. The country affects to
have been scandaiized as it has not
been in years.
Traffic in the franchise is not pc
culiar to Adamas county or to Ohio,
or to any other American State. At
the risk Of being termed a sensation
alist. | assert deliberately that it is
prevalent in a great many counties in
the majority, perhaps all, of the Amer
lean States.
l choose this particular time for
drawing the attention Oh the Farmers
Union to this evil, because it is an off
year in politics. II l waited for an
election year, with politics and parti-
sanship raging, I would be accused
OF unduiy dabbling in politics. AS it
is. that charge cannot be sustained.
The Farmers Union is assumed to
be a great moral force. That is why
its members should concern them
selves with scourging bribery from
American politics.
Our organization is. also a great
educational movement. We shall not
fulfill the first qualification OF that
mission until we purify the ballot. AS
long IS our men and Boys see vote
buying and selling going on, all the
education we preach into one ear will
go out Of the other.
make these statements regarding
barter and sale OF votes with the
greatest ~defberation. l know where
fheld, mainly. in three counties Of
Georgia. In the county in which I
was born. a small multitude of white
men were known to be willing to sell
votes In the county where I
spent fifteen years of my life. a similar
chaseable. In the county in which I
have now resided for about three
years. in the neighborhood OF 200
white voters are regularly IN the mar
ket.
Conditions are no worse in these
are no worse than in many counties
throughout the Human ma
ture does not vary with geography,
nor is it altered by pa~rtisanshtp.
Around a large number of our
houses in this country you will find
one man, or two men. who know just
about how many white voters in the
county will sell their votes.
You will find also in a large num-
Der Of counties in America men you
must fix" before they will help you
IN an election. I do not mean to say
that those men will brazenly accept
money for their influence.
Iha would be too rude. You go
10 such individuals and say. for in
stance: Tom, I know you'd knock me
ence and I now you're for me any
way. But you've got to get away
from your business to work for me.
mat means l ought to pay you for
your time, with a little more for ex-
penses, and a little more to treat the
Get many politicians in a really can
uld mood and they will tell you they
owe their election to his type Of
men. They may deplore the system.
out they want Office, and the most di-
rect way Of getting it is to bow to
ihe observation-disclosures.
This condition cuts two ways.
1t che voter and the cleo
torate and it secures. frequently. an
public servant
n man indebted to such a method
or his election has a contempt for
the constituents he bought, an indif-
ference to those who let such things
exist.
Naturally. he has no incentive to
exert himself to any extent and the
public service is the sufferer.
L need not dwell on the viciousness
OF dealing in votes as in merchandise.
1t pollutes popular government at it's
source.
Day by day we get government
closer to the people. Soon. we will
elect all officials by popular vote
emitted States Senators. judges, all of
tnem. from the highest to the lowest.
We wan to purge the electorate in
advance Of that day. that we shall
nave the abiest officials, and the
cleanest most ~incorruptble govern
ment.
Ia any community infested with fraf-