Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1914-11-25
The City Election.
E5. Reporter:

of reform is rapidly spreading
over our country" We who are liv.
ing i'll this twentieth century are
indeed witnessing changes such a.
our forefathers never dreamed of.
One of the great reforms now sweep.
Ing the country is that ofpurifying
our elections by stopping the prac.
tice of veualIty.
West Virginia has it seems as
strong laws against the buying
and selling of vntes and the use o:
Intoxicating liquors in elections
as could be we'll made. Yet this
does not seem to have any effect
toward stopping this pernicIous
practice. Those who control the
election machinery can 80 contrive
to violate these laws, that they can
escape the punish ment they
40 richly deserve. We have very
few Judge Blairs and very few
prosecuting attorneys as had
Adams Co., Ohio. In this grand
country of ours.
Your correspondent has been
informed that this thing has been
practiced in the city election Of
Kenova, as we'll as other elections,
for several years past That al
each election there is what is
known asa"corruption fund" raised
from the various candidates and
their friends, for the purpose l SIN
told of handling the ''foaters," as
they are called, which means peo
pei who sell their right of suf
TRACE. Both parties in the
city elections seem to have
been equally guilty along this line
There are said to be about forty of
this class of citizens in Kepova,
and 1T Ia generally supposed that
the partv that can secure these
"hoaters" elect their ticket, which
means that the "hoeter" vote ie
the "balance OF power" / am
told that so warm has waxed the
fight In past years that as high as
S25 has be paid for single vote
Automobiles are also used exten.
siVely on election days, and it wac
remarked frequently on the street.
on the day of the recent election
that many poor fellow got a ride
IN a machine, that would hardly
get another until the nexteiection
and 1T was really said that some
of those fellows who got the ride,
had to walk home after voting.
Some of our Kenova people in
talking upon this subject take the
view that the only sure way to
stop the practice is by the stlrrlpg
up OF public sentiment against it
to such an extent that those who
violate tho laws along this line
will be afraid to ply their trade.
We are enclosing you an editorial
clipping from the Herald.Dispatch
which appeared in a recent issue
of that paper, upon the subject of
venality which if you can find
room In your valuable paper, we
would he glad for you to repro
duce for the benefit of the readers
of the Reporter; and by the way,
here is "tood for thought" for our
ministers. protested ch ristians and
good citizens of our city.
When such vast good is being
done from the pulpit in the way of
temperance reform and other moral
questions we do not remember to
have heard you ministers denouncing
this vice, from your pulpirs. We
believe that if you will study this
subject you will come to the con.
clusion that it is hardly second to
any as a prevailing evil of the day.
1t has been asked why you do
not denounce the practice from your
Pulpits, why you do not organize
your congregation against it, for the
coming election2 From out the
list of all the proposed Christians,
good citizens and societies, lodges.
ETC., of Kenova, there are certainly
enough to rise above partizan poll
tics and say to any who might be
disposed to buy votes or use liquor
IN the elections, "YUu must for the
sake of decency, for the sake of hui
mainly, leave off this vile practice. ("
Ii has often been said that the
traticker, who buys as you might
say the very soul of poor human
being for few paltry dollars, is as
much entitled to the, contempt of
his fellow man as the victim who
sold, and surely be is as guilty
under the law.
There seems to be quite a senti-
ment starting now all over the
country, that in the case Of the
degradation of a girl by a man,
that the same standard that applies
TO the girl, shall also apply to her