| Mr. DORSEY said, this provision was in con-formity
with the act of Assembly, which punished such offences. The object was
to strike at the root of the evil. The amendment by ayes 41, noes 19, was
agreed to. The second of the series of amendments offered by Mr. DORSEY,
simply corrected a verbal error; and was agreed to. The next was as follows:
Strike out in the fifth line, the words "of profit or trust," and insert
in lieu thereof, "or appointment." This amendment, by ayes 33, noes 19,
was rejected. The next amendment of Mr. DORSEY, was to insert after the
word "giving," in the 7th line of said section, the words "or offering
to give." The amendment by ayes 38, noes 35, was rejected. The next amendment
was agreed to as follows: Insert after the word "State," in the 7th line,
the words, "or by the ordinances or authority of the mayor and city council
of Baltimore."' Mr. DORSEY offered the following as an additional section:
"That no person who is a candidate or has been nominated and is to be voted
for to fill any office or appointment under the constitution or laws of
this State, or the ordinances or authority of the mayor and city council
of Baltimore, shall contribute, give or subscribe, or promise so to do,
any money, or other thing of value, to be used or employed in any way,
in aiding or promoting the success of his election; except some reasonable
sum to be applied to the payment of the expense of printing ballots or
tickets to be cast at the election. And any person herein offending shall
bedeemed guilty of a misdemeanor and on conviction thereof, ill a court
of law, shall be punished by fine and imprisonment, and forever thereafter
be deprived of his elective franchise in this State and the city of Baltimore,
and be incompetent to hold the office to which he may have been elected;
or any other office or appointment under the constitution or laws of this
State, or ordinances or authority of the mayor and city council of Baltimore,
or to vote thereafter at any election therein." Some jocular conversation
followed. Mr. DORSEY stated that in offering this amendment, his object
was two-fold. First, to prevent the raising or large sums of money to be
used in bribery and corruption at elections; and secondly, to make public
offices the reward of merit, not of wealth. That for their attainment,
the poor man and the rich man might enter into competition upon equal terms.
That he belonged to that school of olden democracy which held, that "worth
makes the man, and want of it the fellow." "That honor and shame from no
condition rise; Act well your part, there all the honor lies." That in
selecting public servants or officers, wealth formed no element of preference.
That |
superior integrity and capacity, not wealth,
were the grounds upon which such selections were to be made. Suffer such
enormous subscriptions to be exacted from candidates, for purposes of bribery
and corruption, as they are now subjected to, to ensure a party triumph,
and every poor man, no matter how pre-eminent his qualifications for office
may be, is driven from the field of competition by his more wealthy competitor,
with not half his merit, solely on the ground that more money will be given
to secure a party triumph by bribery and corruption. The result will be,
Mr. President, if no check is imposed upon this system of bribery of voters
and pollution of the ballot-box, that the elective franchise will cease
to be of any value in the eyes of the virtuous, patriotic portion of the
community, and your public offices will virtually become a saleable commodity
to be struck off to the highest bidder. Reports which defy contradiction
are rife amongst us, that a candidate for office has been known to subscribe
$5000, nay $7000, to be expended upon a single election, and from information,
the truth of which I do not doubt, the sum of $20,000 if not $30,000, has
been offered as a contribution if successful in procuring a party nomination.
The question was then taken and by yeas 33, noes 41; the amendment was
rejected. Mr. DORSEY offered the following as an additional section Art.
5th. No person in this State not a candidate or nominated as aforesaid,
shall give, contribute or subscribe any sum or sums of money, or thing
of value to be used in any electioneering canvass, or to be expended in
any way in relation to any election to be held under the constitution or
laws of this State, or under any ordinance or authority derived from the
mayor and city council of Baltimore, unless such gift, contribution or
subscription be directed by its author to be exclusively applied to the
giving of barbacues or treats, at which candidates for office and others
may have an opportunity of addressing their fellow citizens , or to the
printing of public documents or political essays, addresses or hand-bills
designed for circulation among the people; or the providing vehicles for
the transportation of voters to the polls or to the printing of tickets
designed for the ballot box; and any person herein offending, or any person
applying such gift, contribution or subscription to any electioneering
purpose contrary to such direction, upon conviction thereof in a court
of law, shall be fined and imprisoned as shall hereafter be provided for
by the Legislature, and be thereafter incapable of voting at any election,
or of holding any office or appointment of any nature or description, under
the constitution or laws of this State, or under any ordinance or authority
of the mayor and city council of Baltimore. Mr. BRENT of Baltimore city,
moved the following amendment to the amendment : "Or for platforms for
political speakers to stand on, music, transparencies and other incidental
expenses necessary and proper." Mr. MITCHELL desired to move further to
amend by adding "and that no spirituous liquors shall be used." |
