The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1859-10-15

nation the conduct of this grasping monopoly,
II might be brought to concede many of the
points OF issue between them.
STAe Fraudulent System Of Primary Elcc-
tions I'm Now York.
The problem is frequently presented for so
tuition, by individuals unsophisticated in the
mannuvrings Of Tammany Hall politicians,
now 1t Is that they manage to hoodwink the
respectable portion Of the democracy into
abetting the perpetuaton in power of row
dies and leaders of rowdies, to whom they
would not conAde, In private business, the most
ordinary trust. The way this fraud upon the
democratic party is managed is in the i'm
proved method of conducting elections, and
more especially the primaries, by which the
number of votes cast for Q candidate has never
anything whatever to do with his chances of
being elected. The old fashioned, one horse
machinery of personal violence has become
obsolete, and plan has been invented, equally
effective and more scientific. 1t consists in
simply securing the services of the inspectors
whose duty it is to prepare and sign certificates
of election, and to take care that these latter
are made out with sole view to the interests
Of those who have bribed the inspectors, ire
spectively of the number of votes which rival
aspirants may have received. A primary meet
ing is, therefore, hoax and sham, and the
real struggle is that which takes place between
the cliques into which the rufian monopolists
are usually divided who shall secure the APP
p0intment of the inspectors. The particular
gang of rowdies which gets these enters into
that kind of power which is called the ''repre-
sentative" of the party, so long as their term
may last.
Thus when the present General Committee
of Tammany Hall was appointed, the commit
tee preceding it, had its customary series of
squabbles and intrigues until one division of
bullies had ousted the other, in the fight which
Of them should name the inspectors of the ward
primaries, at which, in purer times, the demo-
cracy elected their local representatives. The
victorious clique-a foul nest of plundering
corruptionists that the new committee
should consist Of themselves, and, where they
had doubt of the faithfulness of the inspec-
tors to the principle of "honor among thieves"
they actually caused their Certificates Of cleo
ton" to be made out before the election itself
came off, and thus made sub-cheat, fraud
within fraud, dodge by which they might
be outswindled, impossible
If, by some miracle, unheard of in Tammany
annals, some honorable, high-minded democra-
tic merchant, like Mr.. Royal Phelps, had been
q candidate for membership of the General
Committee, and John McAlpine, who was sent,
month ago, to the Penitentiary, had opposed
him, the character and influence of the latter,
would, beyond doubt, have secured his right
to appoint the inspectors of the primary, which
was to decide between them. If after that, Mr..
Royal Phelps had received fifteen hundred
votes and McAlpine had obtained but five, the
majority of fourteen hundred and ninety-fve
would not have availed the former gentleman
one whit. The inspectors, appointed for no
other reason than that they were McAlpine's
creatures, would, thereupon, have certified, on
oath If required, that, it was he who had
got the larger number of sufrages, and
that Mr.. Phelps name had scarcely been per-
ceivable in the ballot box. This unre-
publican, rascally process, utterly subver-
siye of the very meaning Of the word democra-
cy, of course keeps away from the polls all high
minded men. Of the respectable men who
were at the Fifth Avenue Hotel the other even
ing, not five, probably, were ever at primary
meeting in their lives. They know that they
would have no chance there. They have voted
the tickets nominated by the democratic party
because it's principles and platform meet their
approval, but they will hold no association
with the very persons for whom they deposit
their suffrages.
The Tammany Hall General Committee hav-
ing secured their seats at the fountain head Of
authority, had no great difficulty in retaining
the power they had lerigged themselves
into, until it became necessary, six weeks ago,
to appoint delegates to the State nominating
Convention at Syracuse. 1t had been pre-or-
dained by the Albany Regency to make up,
there, the list of delegates to the National Con-
yenton at Charleston, and row sprang up in
the Wigwam, because there are one hundred
and twenty odd members of the Committee, and
to Charleston but seventeen of them could pos
sibly be chosen. The tug of war was described
in the HERALD on the following day, when it
was remarked by us, that, while the democra-
tic voters in the respective districts were
quietly sleeping in their beds at home,
their kind hearted amiable, self-consti-
4uted representatives, had not only named
the inspectors who should preside over their
election of delegates to Syracuse, but had done
it so efectually that it was resolved upon, then
and there, who should 60 to the State Conven-
ton; and that the list thus made up would
inevitably and infallibly obtain certificates Of
election, even though not man on 1t should
get solitary vote"
Our representations were correct, and the
result proved, also, that what we had insisted