New-York daily tribune., 1858-03-04


what everybody says must have some truth in it,
then it cannot be questioned that there is good
deal of fraudulent voting at our popular elections.
ALI the political parties in the State freely charge
each other with the guilt of this procedure There
even seems to be growing feeling among warm
politicians of all parties that the resort by their Op
pouents to this rregslsr method of carrying cleo
tOns ustifes them also in adopting it in fact al
most compes them TO adopt it, by way, as they al
lege, Of self-defense.
At the same time that the moral tone of the COM
munity has thus been lowered on this subject, and
especially the moral tone of those who are most
active in political affairs, the temptations and the
facilities for the employment Of this fraudulent
means of obtaining political power have of late
years greatly increased. In spite of the extreme,
and, as many are disposed to think, excessive ex-
tension which has been given to the right of suf-
frsge in this State, STILL by reason of the constant
influx Of immigrants both from other countries and
from other States, we have, especially in this city
and the is true to greater less extent, of
every other city and town in the State-a larger
class than ever before of residents among US who
are not entitled to exercise the elective franchise
Surely, so long as distnctien is made by law be-
tween those who possess the right to vote and those
who do not, the law ought also to provide means
whereby that distinction may be efectuay main-
ed and carried into practical effect The opera
ton ofthe existing system is simply this: that while
the respectable and conscientious and aw-abding
portion of the inhabitants to whom the laws have
refused the privilege of voting exhibit their re-
spect for the institutions of the country i'll which
they live by Loyalty submitting to this exclusion,
the worst, the most reckless, the most ignorant
part of those whom the laws seek to exclude are
enabled. BY the help and under the guidance, and TO
s,ye the purposes, of unscrupuous political trek
sters TO leap over or creep under the bar erected
sosip,t them by the law, and to succeed IN placing
Themselves on the same level with the qualified
voters. Rather than to have things continue in
this way, it would be vastly better TO admit the en-
fire body of the excluded inhabitants to the prvi-
lege Of voting. In that case the votes of the
more intelligent, the more respectable, and the more
Sirtuous portion of them would go far to counter
balance perhaps would more ancOunterbslence -
the votes of the ignorant and the worthless whereas
the present system, while it operates to exclude
from the polls a great many persons very well
qualified in most esPects to exercise the elective
Gapchiie, and to whom i might perhaps be III
trusted without any serious objection, operates at
the same time to let in the votes of that very vasa
bond, ignorant, vicious rabble, to keep whom from
participating in, and perhaps controlling, our cleo
tons, is TIE very object for which the limitation of
,;aht &c stahlishad and fnr "a hich
it professes to BE- maintained. The consequence is
that, while the public and the really mcritorous
portion of the excluded individuals are thus made
to suffer all the Objectionable consequences of the
limitation of the right of suffrage, We at the same
time bring upon ourselves, and that in an ag-
erayated shape, all the evs, to guard against which
limitation OF suffrage was introduced and is still
kept up.
TIE experience Of every election shows that with
the growing population of our towns and cite
nothing short of an official registration can efiectu
ally secure the legal voters in that exclusive prvi
! lege which the Constitution and the laws confer
| upon them And what are the objections urged to
such registration We have heard of but two
which, even with the greatest stretch of char
ushic consideration, can be set down rs made IN
gooo ial'h' Ohe is thst as the Constitution gives
'h' privilege Ct voting to those who possess certain
qualilca'lons, TO 90 further. and TO require the
voter to register himself before he can be allowed
to Vote, would be to add another TO the qualfca.
tlohs which the Constitution has prescribed. But
'eoush The Constitution establishes the quatica-
'icn OF voters 1t i' left to the Legislature to de-
'ermioe the ioIm mai.c' which shall be gone through
with III the exercise Of that right Precisely the
same authority w.ich tie Legislature has to re-
qu''r he voter OF the polls 10 swear in his vote.
- ~ m'y 1ow BE- calod upon 20 do t ais,