The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1865-09-20

ISDAY, SEPTEMBER 20,
Of the negro suffrage agitation, BY stating that
negro suffrage "will be worth In ten years SIX
hundred thousand votes to the party that
adopts it." Finally, this insolent, ultra-radical
organ stigmatizes its brethren in the East a.
cunning, dishonest "court puppets," and -
ostriches sticking their heads in the sand and
unduly elevating their posteriors The Chicago
Tribune has some reason for this outbreak Of
indecency and Ill temper; but II 1t were sit
uated like its Eastern contemporaries, and
could see as far into the future, 1t would be a.
mildly radical as they. The radical papers
here are surrounded by masses Of people who
ardently sustain President johnson, and they
cannot but feel the effect Of the popular
electricity generated by the independent
press, which outwits and overthrows the poll
ticians by appealing directly to the voters.
They appreciate the full force Of the fact ap-
parently overlooked by the Western radicals,
that the war has ended, and that peace has sent
six hundred thousand soldier voters to their
homes These returned soldiers are, to man,
devoted to Andy johnson, as they were to Lin
coin, and are ready to go through fire and
water to serve him. Their SURFACES win
change the political complexion OF every State
if there be any issue forced upon the public IN
regard to which our soldiers can vote ~ .
unit. The quarrel with President johnson,
which the drunken Senators and border-rufaan
journals Of the West are trying to raise, will
be just such an Issue, and the Eastern radicals
are shrewd enough to see this and to beware of
it. But as the radicals of the West cannot
injure President johnson any more than they
could injure Lincoln, unless they can induce
the Eastern republicans to act with them; and
as the Eastern republicans dare not throw
down the glove to johnson any more than they
dared sustain Fremont against Lincoln, for
fear Of the inevitable consequences at the
ballot box, we arrive at the conclusion that
the President will be perfectly safe and his
policy completely triumphant They may call
him Tennessee democrat" as they called
Lincoln "an Illinois slavedriver !" but such
language will only make him more firm in his
purposes. He relies upon the independent
press, and the press, through it's ideas and argu-
mcnts, leads and acts with the people. Thus
sustained, he can afford to laugh at the impo-
tent fury of few agitators on the stump, in
the papers and in Congress.
The Right Of SuHra ordinary
Powers or the Police Board.
An act Of the last Legislature vests in the
Commissioners of Police the entire conduct
and canvass of the elections in this city. There
is practically no qualification Of this statement
except 50 far a. public opinion and the
vigilance Of citizens themselves, as well as their
willingness to supervise the registry and the
polls, may qualify the fact The law provides
that the police shall have charge OF the polls,
keep order and arrest for illegal voting. or any
obstruction Of the polling places; II gives 'the
Police Commissioners the appointment Of four
registrars to register voters, and it makes these
registrars the inspectors Of election at the
ballot boxes. When the polls are closed two
canvassers, also appointed by the Police Board,
count the votes. ta'M
II is evident that this sweeping conoentra-
ton Of power over the SURFACES of the city
must challenge the keenest scrutiny, and rem
der the discharge Of their duties by the Police
Commissioners subject of the most dangerous
character to triae with. However 1t may work
there will be one point certain in the result
the public will know exactly whom TO hold re-
sponsible. Under the old system Of electing
inspectors and canvassers there was no such
thing as responsibility Of this nature. The
more recent plan Of having the Board of Su-
pervisors name the officers of election has been
upon the complaints Of their par
tial and partisan action. We have now to see
how far the new plan Of giving the whole thing
10 The Police Board will remedy these com
plains.
Butt is evident that no plan can be made to
work il the reliable and honest men Of the
community should to any great extent decline
to serve as officers Of election, in the same man.
ner as they too frequently stay away altogether
from the polls. The duty to be required Of the
registrars will be one or two days at the work
of registry, three weeks before the day Of cleo
ton; one day for corrections, three days.before
election, and the duty Of inspectors for one day
at The polls, making three or four days in all,
for which five dollars day will be allowed,
the two canvassers being also paid for making
up the returns. No clerks are provided for,
and the whole of the duties must be discharged
by the election officers personally.
The Police Commissioners are now making
up their list Of appointments, fifteen hundred
in number. There are upwards of two hun
dred election districts or polling places in the
city, and il would be surprising II the list
of registrars and canvassers, e which will
probably be published next week, did not con-
tain names which should be closely challenged
and scrutinized. On these the Commissioners
propose to hear all objections. But possibly
the principal difficulty will be found in induc-
ing many who may be named from the respon-
sible and business classes TO give up the time
necessary to discharge the duty. These should
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