2 BALLOT POLLUTION. # How ic i iouriuc cuiier Iho liulo ot tho Republican Machine— Philadel phia's Elections the Most Corrupt on Enrtli—Somo of Tholr Lending Infa mous Features--How tho Mnoliluo Downs Attempts at Ballot Reform. Machine Loaders Who Boast of Tholr Shaiuo and Mane Joßt of It. From machine rule to debauchery of the ballot box is a logical evolu tion. No machine ever held sway for any ieiigi.li of time without It. Even the Republican party of Pennsylvania, complacent an are its followers, ready as they are in their prejudices and bigo tries to tolerate almost anything that comes in the name of and labeled Re publicanism, could not have been so long and so completely boßsed but for the aid the bosses have had from un lawful purchase and coercion of the voters, falsification of election returns gnd kindred inquisitles. The writer of this article has himself seen 37 colored men voted in Philadel phia out of a single four-roomed house. It was perfectly manifest that they did not regularly live there, that they were there for election purposes only, yfand would be in perhaps a half dozen other precincts or wards for the same purpose on the same day. Yet, so far as their record showed, they were legal voters, and their right to cast ballots could not be successfully disputed. It la not probable that elections are more corrupt anywhere on earth than in Philadelphia. Fully half the Repub lican majorities returned from there are manufactured. By far the greater number of the election officers are men who have absolutely no respect for an oath, and will hesitate at no crime , provided they are liberally paid for its commission, and the machine leaders are never without ample funds for this purpose. It makes no difference how the votes are cast, they will return whatever majority they are ordered to. Men are regularly paid to pose as Democrats and stand as Demo cratic candidates for Judge or inspec tor, or to become clerks of election, in order that the perpetrators of these shameless frauds may be made secure afealnst detection and conviction. In the rear of nearly every polling place on election day there is an improvised gin mill, where free liquor Is dispensed to those so depraved that they can be lnfluenoed by It. The liquors are paid for out of the party coffers, and dealt out by party heelers. Policemen, who owe their places to the machine, are posted at the entrances of the alleys on which these demoralizing dens are lo cated, to protect them, and to arrest and imprison, on trumped up charges of drunkenness and disorderly con duct, any one who may show a dlspo slton to kick at the business. A few years ago an attempt was made, under the auspices of one of the many evanescent reform movements that are forever bobbing up there, and f&llng to pieces before anything is ac complished, to purge the registry lists in some ot the down town wards of the thousands of names of fictitious voters with which it was known they were padded. The gentlemen composing the committee charged with this work were so annoyed and threatened by the Re publicans of the purlieus under the spur of their respective local leaders, that they were compelled to abandon their undertaking. This did not fol low, however, until they had ascer tained that from 25 to 60 per cent of the names on the lists were illegally there, and that in one Instance a dog had ac tually been registered. That these outrages are not only tol erated, but encouraged, by the Republi can party as a whole is made manifest by the fact that in every election con test that comes before the Pennsylva nia legislature the decision Is Invaria bly with the Republicans, no matter whether he be the contestant or the contestee, and regardless of the evi dence in the case. Some of the testi mony in the Saunders-Roberts case, which was up at the '97 session, show ed a degree of shamefulness In the manner In which the Republicans con duot elections in Philadelphia that almost passes belief. Most of these wrongs are expressly forbidden in the law. Some, however, find condonation In the statutes. This is notoriously the case with reference to the men employed by the party to assist "incompetent" voters In making up their ballots. These helpers are the handlers of the party bribe money. They buy the voter, and then make it a oonditlon that he shall declare to the " election board his inability to mark his own ticket, and call them Into the booth with him, in which way these scoundrels make sure that the goods they have paid for have been delivered as per the contract. This flagrant defect in the law has been pointed out times without number, and demand for its correction has been made by every reputable newspaper In the commonwealth. Yet it has, thus < far, been found Impossible, such is the power of the machine over the senators and members, to make the neoessary confection. Bills have been presented with that object at every session, but all have fallen under the veto of the machine. At the '97 session Represent ative Keator, of Philadelphia, Intro duced a bill, designed, among other things, to prohibit helpers unless In the cases of voters who would deliberately swear that they either could not read or where physically Incompetent to mark their own ballots and to require the helper In such cases to make affl i davit, on a blank to be provided at the polling places, that he would never I divulge how the helped voter had voted. 1 This bill passed first and second nead- I Ing in the house, but fojl short of a constitutional majority on third read -1 lng. Its author would have made a i.l further fight for It, but It had become p. I fully manifest that It could not possi bly pass the senate, where the ma w chine's sway is even more absolute V than in the house. * Some of the debates to which the measure gave rise are Interesting as evidence of the utter depravity of the i|- "•Mchlneltes and the Impossibility of II real reform in this or any 1 f ™er matter, until the Republican par- J m ty is voted out of power. I ■ P. M. Lytle, of Huntington, said: "I am In favor of any ballot that will Increase Republican majorities, be cause I believe that under Republican rule we have successful government more successful than any other. • • • We are told that this new ticket will . v ' *' (liable the people to vote Intelligently. I submit It might be bad (or some of ua.lt might, perhaps, endanger the return of I,cine oi ue> to the legislature." "Under Republican rule" there is certainly "successful government" from hla standpoint, for Lytle, in recognition of his unwavering subserviency to the machine, has since been made by Pres ident McKlnley Naval Officer at the Port of Philadelphia. He is a smooth, sleek, plausible fellow, and has about as much respect for public, opinion as a FVtee Islander. E. A. Coray, of Luzerne, Republi can, said the Baker ballot law was a failure, so far as protecting the voters was concerned. In his county, he ad ded, men were paid to act as helpers, and stood around the polls until they had marked 40 or 60 ballots. Foster, Democrat, of Centre, said his constituency were not in favor of the law as It stands, being satisfied, after recent contests, that it was defective, and are ready for any change that will Improve it. Gould, Republican, of Erie, said: "The present ballot law is not an aid to voters, and the machine politicians have got hold of the blanket ballot to day, and can move up their phalanxes to vote just as they ever did." Roger, Republican, of Philadelphia, said: "The system proposed by this bill is in vogue In Massachusetts, and Is a Republican system. • • Within my own experience at the election last November (1896) I observed the most flagrant violations of the law, and yet 1 had to stand mute." Here Focht, of Union, one of the most blatant and unblushing of the machine tools in the body, interrupted and asked Roger if he did not vote for Crow, the Citizens' candidate for sher iff of Philadelphia, the imputation being that no man who would in the least degree protest against Republican ma chine edicts could be honorable and straightforward. Roger replied hotly in the affirmative, and added that Crow would have been the regular Republlacn nominee but for police Interference (under orders from Boss Martin (at the convention. "I stand," continued Roger, "for Re publican prlcipies and not for corrup tion or boodle, and that is why I am standing here. • * * God only knows that every reform that has come to the city of Philadelphia has come from the rural portion of the house." R. J. Baldwin, of Delaware, another of the men who never refuses prompt and joyful compliance with whatever may be the orders of the machine, said that it is "all buncombe to come up here and prate about reform." Mr. Keator showed that the Baker law as it stands is not the Australian system, as it is called, but that his amendment would make It practically that. He showed further that the tick et provided for in his bill would lessen the coßt of printing from 60 to 75 per cent —the bill Is now an enormous one— that It was necessary to Insure a secret ballot, that it would encourage honest voting, and that it was in no sense partisan: but all to no use. Or ders had been promulgated that the bill must not pass, and It did not pass. We can never have a free ballot and a fair count in Pennsylvania so long as the present Republican organization makes and administers the laws for the state and the larger of its cities. The Republican party Is the party of the corporations. It Is managed upon the presumption that the chief purpose of law Is to enable a few to live hand somely by bleeding the many. These few share their gain with the party. Hence comes the corruption funds. And with the funds comes the disposition to make the laws and practices so that they are assured of the full money's worth in the way of votes. But by electing Mr. Jenks governor and elect ing a majority of the members of the legislature—both of which results are easily possible this year—we can check mate their game. We can compel the repeal of the most Iniquitous of exist ing laws and set In motion a force that will be certain ultimately to purify our politics, make our elections less of a farce than they have of recent years come to be, and our state and munici pal governments to serve the needs and interests of the many. UNCONSTITUTIONAL SALARIES. Flagrant Abuse of the Constitution in the Interest of Adjutant General Thomas J. Stewart. Thomas J. Stewart was apointed by Governor Hastings on Jan. 15, 1895, to the office of adjutant general at the then salary of 82,500 per annum. He accepted the appointment, and at once entered upon his duties. Before assum ing the duties of adjutant general Thomas J. Stewart did solemnly swear or affirm that he would "support, obey and defend the constitution of thlß com monwealth." When he thus pledged his support and obedience Thomas J. Stewart must have known that Sec tion 13 of Article 3 of the constitu tion reads as follows: "No law Bhall extend the term of any public officer, or increase or di minish his salary or emoluments after hlB election or appointment." Four months and fifteen days after he had accepted his appointment Thom as J. Stewart had his salary raised, In defiance of the mandate of the con stitution by "an act" of the legisla ture, approved by Governor Daniel Hastings, said act reading as follows: "Section 1. Be it enacted, etc., that the salary of the adjutant general of the commonwealth shall be four thou sand dolfkrs per annum." See P. L., 1895. parffe 128. In thekgeneral appropriation act for the years 1895 and 1896 the sum of SB,OOO was specifically appropriated for the payment of the salary of the adjutant general. See P. L., 1895, page 554. In the general appropriation act for the years 1897-8 a like sum was spe ctflclally appropriated for a like object. See P. L„ 1897, page 477. The detailed reports of the auditor general and the state treasurer show that Adjutant General Thomas J. Stew art has drawn the full $4,000 per an num unconstitutionally voted to him by members of the legislature, who were also sworn to "support, obey and defend the constitution of this common wealth." The report of the auditor general for 1895, page 257, shows that the salary of the adjutant general be gan the date of his appointment, Jan. 15. 1895. What think you, citizen taxpayers, of this flagrant violation of the consti tution and of oath of office T COLUMBIAN. BLOOMSBURG. PA | NO FEAR IN THE NAVY. ADMIRAL SAMPSON TALKS OF THE COURAGE OF CREWS. • After the Knemy't First tthot Thulr Dar lug 1* ltecklHH. All thn Officers Feur I Ruuiilqz the Sl*i Aground. Men B**m to Court Hunger. "No," snici Rear Admliul Sampson, with decided emphasis. "the clement of fear Is an imperceptible quantity uuioiig our naval crews when In ac tion." "Indeed," he went on to say, In slow, carefully weighed words, "I can't tell whether It Is braggadocio, or fool liard I ness, or a plain passion to be al ways In the thick of it, but the men of our crews, all that I have ever seen In action, display an amazing pro pensity to hunt for danger unless It comes naturally their way. For In stance, when only the starboard gun ners are engaged the port men will deliberately seek the exposed decks, right In the line of shot and shell, in stead of keeping below behind ar mored protection. All sense of dan ger seems to be paralyzed while the excitement of action Is on. It per vades the entire crew as well as those engaged at the guns. And this ac counts for the fact that. In most cases, the casualties reported were among those who had no business to be where they were at the time; but it is al most impossible, in moments of such great excitement, to restrain them." "Possibly they might learn some discretion," suggested the reporter, "if they mn across gunners who could bit things better than the Spaniards." "Yes," said the Admiral, with a smile, "perhaps they might; but I wouldn't like to be too sure of it, either. They lose their Identity, and with it all sense of personal danger, In the wild stimulus of battle. But, let me say rigbt hero that 'a striking difference can be seen In the conduct of all crews between the first time they are under fire and all subsequent ones. It may not be fair to call It fear exactly, for we don't see that sort of thing in our men; caution, natural caution, would be a better word. In their first action they show a decided tendency to enjoy the benefits of all the protection afforded, but these prin ciples of self-defense seem to evapo rate with the smoke of the enemy's first fire, and,' from that on, the most reckless daring takes their place. The only crews that came personally under my observation in this recent cam paign were those of the lowa and New York, but this sudden change in them from common sense caution un der fire to the most reckless exposure, could very plainly be noticed, and I'm sure other officers have the same ex perience to give 011 this point. The ,ce of battle once broken, so to speak, che men are total strangers to any thing resembling fear." Here the reporter instanced the case where one of the compartments of the Texas was-bit by a Spanish shell which killed one sailor and wounded a number more, and asked the Ad miral whether such a calamity on a warship would cause any temporary stampede In a crew. "Oh, no," he replied. "It wouldn't be human nature for a man to see one of his comrades torn to tatters by a shell and others badly wounded around him, without a shudder, but no American sailor would think of leav ing his gun at such a sight. It Is as tonishing how cool and callous they become to such spectacles during the heat of action. We don't have stam pedes In the navy." "And now that you have disposed of the American crews, Admiral," the reporter said, "what about the officers on the bridge In action? Have they any acquaintance with fear?" "Yes, they have, every man of them," he answered, as the care-worn furrows in his brow grew deeper, and his eyea rested on the questioner with unusual force, "hut It isn't the fear of the shells or any of the accidents of battle. It's that awful, unspeakable fear of runulng his ship aground or getting her otherwise In bad position. This Is the only dread that bothers the commanding officers. In an open sea-way there is none of this danger to keep their nerves in a tension, but It comes with consuming force when they begin an engagement with shore batteries, approaching nearer and nearer to get a more effective range, and mennnced more and more, each moment, by the oppressive feur of striking a shoal or bar"—and the Ad miral's face wore an expression of positive pain, ns If the recollection of tills great fear had come back to him vividly like a nightmare, and he was seeing shoal ripples in the rustling of the trees. "In the matter of courage among the crews," the Admiral was asked, "Is there any marked difference between our native-born sailors of American pedigree and those of foreign parent age?" "I have Dot been able to detect any," he replied very heartily, "for they are all equally brave."—New York Mail and Express. All Ha l Seduced Bates to Pittsburg- Via Pennsylvania Railroad. Account Knights Templar Triennial Conclave, On account of the Knights Tem plar Triennial Conclave, to be held at Pittsburg, Pa., October 10 to 14, the Pennsylvania Railroad Com pany will sell "excursion tickets from stations on its line to Pitts burg and return at rate of single fare for the round trip, with mini mum of 25 cents. Tickets will be sold October 8 to 13, good to return until October 17, inclusive. The return limit of tickets from Harrisburg and points east thereof can be extended to Oc tober 31 upon depositing same on October 13 to 17 with the Joint Agent at Pittsburg and the pay ment of fifty cents. FOR YOUR AILMENT CATAERH ? "I had Catarrh for 1 year" "I had Catarrh for 2 years." "I hud Catarrh for s years." "I had Catarrh for 20 years." "I had Catarrh for 30 years," and Dr. Agnew's Catarrhal Powder cured me. These are sentences from the volumes and volumes of testimony for this great catarrh cure—not mythi cal patients, but words from men and women all over the continent who have been cured. It relieves in 10 minutes.— 27 Sold by C. A. Kleim. Coffee is to be cheaper. This is to be one of the results of the war. Near ly half of the world's coffee crop comes to the United States. We consume almost twelve pounds per annum for every one of our population and spend on an average nearly $90,000,000 a year for coffee. Two-thirds of the world's supply of coffee comes from Brazil, which places an export duty of 11 per cent, upon the fragrant berry. The finest coffee in the world is grown in Porto Rico, Cuba, and the Philip pines and under the stimulation of American enterprise these countries will, within a few years, be able to supply the world with coffee. What this means to the coffee consumer he can clearly understand. COSTS 10 CENTS.— But worth a dol lar a vial.—This is the testimony of hundreds who use Dr. Agnew's Liver Pills—They are so sure, so pure, so pleasant and easy acting. The de mand for this popular Liver Regulator is so great it is taxing the makers to keep up with it.—29/ Sold by C. A. Kleim. OAMTOXIZA. Bnntht A Tl Kind You Haw Always Bought Fine PHOTO GRAPHS and CRAYONS at R. B. GROTZ, Bloomsburg. The best are the cheapest. TID-BITS FOR MA' HONEY I and tender little juicelets for the chil dren, ate all right, but papa and "the boys" want a good, big, juicy steak, roast or chop when business or school duties are over, and we can cater to them all. Our stock of prime meats is unexcelled for quality, and we send them home in fine shape. J. E. KEIFER. THE MARKETS. BLOOMSBURG MARKETS. CORRSCTID WRRKLY. BSTAIL rBICH. Butter per lb $ , aa Eggs per dozen .16 Lard per lb .08 Ham per pound .10 Pork, whole, per pound ,06 Beef, quarter, per pound .o7 Wheat per bushel. .80 Oats " " 35 Rye " " 50 Wheat flour per bbl 4.80 Hay per ton 9 to $lO Potatoes per bushel, ~... .80 Turnips " " . a j Onions " " 1 00 Sweet potatoes per peck .as Tallow per lb .05 Shoulder " " .09 Side meat " " .08 Vinegar, per qt ,05 Dried apples per lb .05 Dried cherries, pitted .ia Raspberries ,ia Cow Hides per lb .jJ Steer " " " . 0 j CalfSkin .80 Sheep pe1t5......... .75 Shelled corn per bus .60 Corn meal, cwt i.as Bran, " 4, .05 Chop * " .05 Middlings " ,95 Chickens per lb new ,ia old 10 Turkeys " " la l Geese " " .14 Ducks " " 08 COAL. No. 6, delivered a. 60 " 4 and s '< 3 .8J " 6 at yard v 2.35 " 4 and s at yard 3.6 a ThaLeadiigCouenatoniofAaiMloa CARL FARLTBN, Director. Founded in 1889 b, * information. FRANK W. HALE. General Manager. ! CURED ! | touching/^ iiua P Uabtcr ; PATENTS Caveats and Trade Marks obtained, and *1 Patent business conducted tor MOUBKATE FEES. OUK OFFICE IS OPPOSITE THE U. 8. PAT ENT OFFICE. Wo have no sub-agencies, al business direct, hence can transact patent busl" ness In loss time and at Less Cost than those re mote from Washington. Send model, drawing or photo, with desortp MOD. We advise It patentable or not, rrae or charge. Our tee not due till patent Is secured A book, "How to Obtain Patents," with refer ences to aotual clients In your State, County, o town sent tree. Address C. A. SNO W & CO,, Washington, D. C (Opposite U. 8. Patent OOlce.) ■PF" PARKER* AFLGKSS HAIR BALSAII ud. b—mifUi tht lm*. B hnrarUm growth. Vftllf to IlMtore Oraaf SUBSCRIBE FOR THE COLUMBIAN