New-York tribune., 1868-07-06
MULTIPLICATION or THE PENNSYLVANIA
REGISTRY ACT

Democracy, in the partisan sense, has under
gone many transmutations. 1t has been by
turns anti and -Slavery-for and against
Protection, Internal Improvement-for War and
anti-War; but no man ever heard OF Demo-
crat--at least, zoe never did--who was earnestly
hostile to Fraudulent Voting and anxious that
measures be devised and adopted for Its sup
preston On that point, Democracy has ever
been consistent and straightforward. A Regis
try Law it loathes and abhors for Registry
Law makes the polling of Illegal Votes diff
cult-at all events, till its manipulators have
become familiar with its machinery. BY fraud
ulent voting in this City and Plaquemines,
Louisiana, Democracy cheated Henry Clay out
of the Presidency in 1874; it cheated before,
and has been cheating ever since. The black
legs who organize and direct the machinery
whereby illegal votes are polled with impunity
are all Democrats; the alien roughs and out
laws through whose fingers they stuff ballot
boxes are generally inclined to that party, and
readily lend themselves to It's service for con-
sideration. The former had the wires so ad-
iusted in San Francisco twelve years ago that
they would contract to elect to municipal ofhce
any man who would pay them their price, no
matter whether he did or did not receive one
single legal vote. The villainy became at last
so barefaced that the defrauded citizens could
stand it no longer: so they organized Vigil
ance Committee, which smashed the machine,
hung some of the most notorious operators, and
drove away the rest so that, for quite num-
Der of subsequent years, honesty was the rule,
rascality the exception, in the elections of that
city.
The late Legislature of Pennsylvania-in
view of the glaring frauds perpetrated at her
polls last Fall by means of forged and coffee
colored Naturalization Papers and kindred de-
vices-Dassed an act requiring Registration OF
the Legal Voters of that State. Her Supreme
Court by a vote of 3 to 2, has just nullited
that act, pronouncing it unconstitutional. The
only two Judges ever elected to its bench by
the Republicans upheld the law; Judge Shars-
wood-elected last Fall by the very frauds which
this act is intended henceforth to preclude-gave
the casting vote for notification. The coffee
colored Naturalization Papers having given him
his office, he evidently holds himself bound to
do his utmost in their behalf. Judge Henry X.
Strong-who has been regarded as a sort of War
Democrat, and who sided with the Republicans
in upholding the validity of ConscriDtion in the
War for the Union-went with the party OF
fraud, and helped them through. So Luzerne
County Naturalization Certificates, sbillfully
coffee stained, will be at a premium this Fall,
with no obstacles to their general currency.
The Republicans of Pennsylvania are thus
abundantly notified that they are to be swim
died by wholesale next October. Those dis
tricts of Philadelphia where Vice celebrates
her most loathsome orgies will be out in double
strength. Luzeme will roll up her bogus ma
jorites beyond all precedent; while the dark
holes of Berks, Columbia, Northampton, and
Monroe, will be made to redOuble the worst
frauds of the past But the notice is season
able; and we trust the preparations to meet
and defeat the ballOt-box- suffers will be ample
and effective.