The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1916-12-29
Corrupt Practices.

The following is the second OF
series of articles written by Mr.. jackson
q. Ralston in an effort to lesson cleo
to, al corruption
To the Editor of the Prime Georges
Enquirer
When we hear that juror has been
bribed to render an unjust erdlct, TAX
ing away a mans property of deriving
him of liberty, we feel as if the very
foundations of government were as
sailed: and the juror receives speedy
and severe punishment. When we
hear that a man has been elected or de-
feated to office, or measure has pre-
vailed or failed because of the use of
money, we shrug our shoulders and
helpIessly say that such things always
have been and always will Re and it
is hopeless to do anything about it.
When a man is a candidate for the
Presidency or the Governship of Mary
land or the United States Senate and
he has excited the suspicion or ami
mostly of important business elements;
he is condemned in advance to defeat,
for these elements will not hesitate to
use their pecuniary power to the last
degree and find sufficient servility on
the part of the electorate to win them
success.
All this is not to say that the majority
of the voters ale corrupt. 1t is not
sssary that they should be to enable
money to prevail. The great parties
in a general way are nearly equally
balanced The majority of their usual
followers do so from self interest, force
of habit or conviction and will follow
their accustomed leadership irrespec-
tive of money or any unusual consider.
alton. The determination of elections,
therefore, is left to the Independent
and to the corrupt elements, often very
different, although in men of the baser
sort, the word ''Independent" is used
when it is meant simply thet the man
using it is for sale.
We will not have elections free from
the effects of money until the public
wakes up to the fact that it is as wrong
to use money to control them as it is to
employ it to control the verdict of
juror. When the public conscience
reaches the point of approaching that
the rights of the public are as much
the property of the whole public as are
the rights of a contending party in
court, the property of an Individual,
then corruption in elections will be as
rare and as startling as corruption in
the jury box.
In electoral corruption, Maryland is
probably not materially different on
the average from the majority of the
States of the Union although there are
a few states which are better, usually
to be found in the far West or on the
Pacific Coast.
Maryland, in this respect, is unfortu
nate in its negro problem. Without
any training to real politics, the negro
vote was at 4 stroke added to the cleo
torate and its political education since
the addition has been unfortunate.
Actuated by certain feeling of graf
itude commendable in itself, this vote
has been cast with scant exceptions for
the Republican party and Republican
leaders of small capacity and low poll
teal ideals have traded with it to their
own personal benefit and do SO today.
In the recent Congressional election SO
far was this true that Numbers of the
Republican State Central Committee
of two counties offered to sell out the
negro vote, as far as they were able to
deliver it, to the Democratic Candidate
The negro himself is not so much to
blame for his present benighted politi-
cal condition as are the whites. Men
of education, feeling the prejudices of
their surrounding, have hesltated to
address the negro and try to educate
him. They have not pointed out to
him the practices of political morality.
He has been lett to acquire the tone Of
the baser white element and to regard
his vote as an asset little more valu
a Die than a chicken, little less valu-'
able than hog
1t is said about the negro that he
may not be bought to vote the Demo
cratic ticket, but only bought to stay at
home. An Illustration of the standard
of morality prevailing with the negro
a nd the teachings given him IS shown
bV this instance actually occurring IN
Maryland at recent election. Twenty
three negroes had been promised three
dol 'ars apiece by the Republican leader
If they would vote the regular RepublI-
can ticket. They wanted to deal with
the Democratic leader and be offered
them two dollars apiece to stay away
from the polls. This they would n
do because such action would have
forfeited the three dollars promised
them. He, therefore, promised them
two dollars apiece To keep their feet
facing outward when b china the curtain
of the election booth, so that he could
see that they were not ma, XII Y the bal
lots, and hand in their uumalk ID ballots
to the ballot clerk THIS they did and
when the votes were counted, there
were twenty-three ballots with no
MARKS on them and the negroes receiv
ed the sum OF five dollars for exercising
tb"ir rights as voters.
Our election laws inc uding the So
Cal, corrupt practices act, facilitate
he use of lalg5 sums of money, viii
limiting the amounG of money candl- /
late may contribute to his own cause.
This limitation may be well 80 far as it !
goes, but we do not limit the amount !
If money which may be paid by others