Morning herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1837-1840, 1840-04-02
The New Registry Law--Its probable Ope-
ration and Effects.

"The long agony is over" Governor Seward,
after three days and three nights reflection, expec-
toration, consultation, discussion digestion, hesita
ton and multiplication, has at length ahxed ms
respectable signature to this BILL and accordingly II
has now become law of the land. HIS message,
which we gave exclusively in the third edition OF
this paper ,yesterday--and republish today-ls
brief and curious He approves the bill, but recon-
mends amend ments before the adjournment OF the
present legislature. He swallows the cup OF hem
LOCKOUT hopes il will be the last What those
amendments are, he does not say, but rumor repre-
sents them to be either dsapprovai OF the registry
of votes dislike to the partial act OF the legis
lature general privilege for the city alone. IL
is evident, however, that Governor Seward mas had
great msgivings about the policy and propriety of
approving this act-and if he had exhibited his moral
courage little more and taken the responsibility
of vetoing the b think it would have been'to
his advantage But m'importe for the present-the
hill is n law, and under this law the election to be
held on Tuesday, the 14th inst will be conducted
Let us first enquire what the practical operation
will be.
The first operation under the new law, is the divi-
sion of the CITY into seventy eighty election dis
tricts of about five hundred voters each The re-
oistr,tion of voters does not into effect TINS
sprne for want of time-but it will be brought INTO
play before the next November election, II, IN the
meantime, the day of judgment does not come MIST
For the division Of the city into districts the &c
vernon and Senate have already appointed 'hree
commits soners, ]. Prescott Hall, VIM "A. Lawrence
and Stephen Allen; and we suppose these 'hree
wise men of Gotham" will proceed to perform
their duty as soon as possible, and take the salary
tbereunto annexed as soon as practicable. For in
spectors of election the common council is autho-
rised to appoint three for each district, also WIN
salaries making army of inspectors, equal TO TWO
hundred and fifty able bodied men, nearly, costing
over 81, 900 to the city The election is to occupy
only one day-but such day the devil has nevery YET
seen.
These comprise, we believe, the leading clauses
of this new law, applicable to the ensuing eiec-
ton. Now, what is to be their operations Can the
Rev Mr.. Knapp tell!
During the last three or four years, the aggregate
voters Of this city have amounted to nearly 4oooV
men, including loafers and ltterateurs. But 1t has
been alleged that this vast number OF votes-thiS
great array of talentwas swelled up not by yeast
but by illegal voting. Both parties have IKE
couple of rogues trying to cheat each other' hDe'
rally charged each other with these frauds-and as
is customary in such cases, we have no doubt but
both parties are guilty to nearly equal extent
IL,
the wards well defined, fraudulent votes could be
smuppled into the ballot box equal to 1000, more or
less, how many, according to Cocker, will be
Struggled when the opportunities are iour-fold!-
The division Of the city into eighty districts, en-
powcrs the fraudulent voter TO vote as often. The
MULTIPLICATION of ballot boxes, within small space,
multipIies the opportunity and convenience OF fraud
II will be recolleced also that there is no registra-
ton at this election, to scan and scrutinize the
voters.
Taking into view, therefore, the opportunities fur-
bed ~, the practical operation of the new law, we
are persuaded that the aggregate number oil votes 10
no tlr On the 18th inst will exceed all former pre-
c.dents and that il NAV rise to $4,000 votes, per-
chance go 600 votes, of which l0,OO0 or io,V~ may
he considered illegal What check is there to pre-
vent this result The rowdes and loaiers may, ana
no doubt WILL at half the election districts and
instead of the rogue multiplying his vote twice or
thrice he will vote twenty times, and then swear ne
has only done half his duty to his party, including
brandy.
In this very natural view Of the matter, we are not
sururiscd that Governor Seward should suggest
nts before the adjournment OF the Legisia-
ture and one of the first of these amendments ought
to be a complete change Of the title to tAe act The
title ought TO run thus: IN act TO encourage We-
gal roting in the City of Ne'c York, and TO pro-
mote the convenience Of illegal roters thereof" This
title would then be consistent with the practice, as
il will be developed next Tuesday week
This, then, is the situation in which the iegisia-
ture has placed the city, by listening to the BASE
corrupt ignorant, sneaking mean, dastardly dirty,
avaricious, damnablc Wall street influence. IL the
locoiocos do not carry the next election by maJo-
rity Of 5000, or 10000, or just as many as they
please they arc the desperate, reckless daring
breecheslcss set Of rascals we take them to
be- Our only hope is that they will refuse to obey
the new law-that they will carry out their threats
Of notification. II they do this, the wings may
have some hope Of mastering force enough among
the decent and sensible portion Of society to obey
the layys-evcn when the law is foolish and indis-
creet-and in order to bring about such result we
shall hold the locofocos to their own doctrines and
shall insist that they refuse to obey the law, and to
give ms a glorious example of small beer nullihca-
ton If the Iocoocos refuse to nullfy the new law,
we warn them seriously, that they will lose all their
natural character-their breeches and beer are al
ready gone. They must, therefore, 60 to work at
once and nullify, Just to obligc us, otherwise we
shall consider them poor set Of devils
With respect to the whigs-with respect to Har-
r;son-with respect to Governor Seward, and to
other matters, we have only a word or two to say
The whig committee Of old and young blockhcads,
who meet at Broadway House, now see what posi-
ton they have placed the prospects Of General Har-
ri.on in this city, by listening to the corrupt infu'
e,cc of Wall street and being merely the registry