By Berry Craig
NKyTribune columnist
A century or so ago, vote buying was said to be as common as grocery buying in the Bluegrass State.
“One 1909 estimate indicated that up to one-fourth of all votes in the average Kentucky county could be bought,” according to A New History of Kentucky by Lowell H. Harrison and James C. Klotter. “Two years later a gubernatorial candidate suggested that seventy thousand ballots were bought each year.”
But the history book failed to address an important ethical question: Was a bought voter obliged to stay bought?
Such a conundrum tortured the soul of a young voter in Symsonia in Graves County, almost as far west as Kentucky goes.
First, some background: Traditionally, ballots were bartered for booze and bucks – usually a half-pint of whiskey and a few dollars. “Don’t sell your vote cheap!” was a common admonition statewide.
An eastern Kentuckian recalled marketing his vote for four dollars and getting chewed out by his daddy—but not for such dishonesty, Harrison and Klotter wrote.
“I was thoroughly rebuked by my father…for not holding out for the going rate of seven dollars and a half pint of Heaven Hill bourbon,” the book quoted the wayward son.
Now for the story, which took place in the secret ballot era when vote buying and selling was based on the honor system. There was no way for bribers to tell if the bribed held up their end of the bargain.
Anyway, a candidate bought off the Symsonia swain fair and square. He paid the lad five bucks and a half pint of hooch.
The youth had planned to vote for somebody else. He didn’t even like the candidate whose lucre and liquor he accepted.
The youngster knew he could go behind the curtain and vote for somebody else. But his conscience panged him. Agonizing over what to do, he went to his wise uncle for advice.
“You don’t even like that feller,” the uncle said. The youth nodded, shamefacedly.
The uncle pondered his nephew’s predicament for a few minutes, then declared, “Here’s what you should do.”
The young man’s mug brightened into a smile.
“Spend his money. Drink his whiskey, go behind that curtain and vote for whoever you please. But, pray like heck that son-of-a-gun gets at least one vote in your precinct.”