The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1913-01-28
MUST Stop CORRUPTION.

the principal address at the
State Temperance Convention. nc
will be welcomed for two reasons
First, because Of his theme and the
great importance OF forever preach-
ing the evil Of intemperance anu
seeking to minimize the eva OF tne
liuuor traffic, whether legally carried
on or illegally. There is another a
son why Judge Blair will be welcomed
to Raleigh and hat Is a ne is
the Judge who presided over the our
that broke up bribery in Adams couh-
ty. Ohio, and disfranchised several
hundreds Of it's voters who had been
taking brides. Bribery reached nlsh
water mark in that county, and for
tunately there was a man on the
bench who had the courage and the
brains to go to the bottom Of it and
break it up. 1t can be broken up
elsewhere if the people are determined
to do it and the officials will do their
duty, but the laws Of North Carolina
are not sufficient to cope with this
evil which has crown with our other
modern methods. Everything is big
ger than it used to be. ever corrup-
ton.
Two years ago Senator Skies, Of
Wake county, introduced a model cor
rupt practice act in the Senate and
vainly sought to get it considered, but
that standpat Senate kept it in a pig
eOnhOle and never permitted it to pass.
Mr.. Justice, Of Guilford. has intro
duced in the House a corrupt practice
ruptiOn and to Strangle it before it
gets deep hold in North Carolina.
There is no q why the Justice
act, with such amendments as the
wisdom OF the Legislature might see
tit to adopt if any are necessary to
make it stronger. should not become
a law within ten days. 1t is a re-
Election upon the State that we have
no such law now and that we have
jagged behind. Now that other mat
ters of Importance are behind us. we
can now take up matters Of this kind
n get the best primary and cor
rupt practice law because we have
the experience Of other States.
! North Carolina has been singularly
free from corruption in politics, and,
except in a few counties, our cam
paigns have been conducted economic
ally and clearly; but there are at least
half a dozen counties in the State, and
may be more, where the expenses OF
campaign have become sc large as to
call for vigorous measures to strange
this corruption before it becomes fixed
upon our political system. A promi-
nent and honorable Republican in
North Carolina, who has v hello
office but has always been a Repubil.
can, writing to the editor Of this pa
per. approving the suggestion Of Z
corrupt practice act, writes:
Where the two parties are abou
evenly divided as in my county, thu
use OF money is growing alarmingly
l have it upon good authority that IL
one campaign in recent years, not tn
last campaign, the county candidate
and their friends spent not less thai
$tsOVV Al inc cICC(lON. oOLn pdfIlc
were equally guilty and the money
OF course, could not have been use,
l~egiumately. 1t was currently re
ported that not a few men in the coun
~, who were we'll fixed financially, de
manded money before they wOul
vote. Unless this practice is stopped
public Office will be put up to the high
[ est bidder"
This is not the county in whic
large sums are spent in the ele<
tons and there are counties wher
in the case of a hot contest. none
: is poured out like water into the pr
G nary. In as much as in North Caro-
h lima the nominations of the dominar
party generally ev%entuates in the ele,
ton. it is quite as important to Or.
vent the use of money in primari,
as in elections. Indeed, it is mo-
important in North Carolina. \,
many ear ago in one county