New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-11-15
ELECuONFRAUD PREVENTTES.

FLECTIONFRAUD PREVENTITES
The mower to make, amend and abolish, laws
intended to shield the rights of legal voters
from violation by "repeaters" and all manner
of illegal voters, has passed completely INTO the
hands of our Democratic politicians hitherto
they have simply stood off and found fault
with the efforts of Republicans to achieve the
desired end. Now they must act. We shall
be most agreeably disappointed If they shall
honestly and earnestly try to suppress lie
gal voting For every act that tends
to this result necessarily implies inquiry
suspicion precaution, scrutinyj and these
involve delay and loss of time to the
voter Take every ballot that is offered
without hesitation or question, and you can
receive one thousand votes at poll without
difficulty, and no one need be delayed fifteen
minutes; but if you undertake to conine the
voting to legal voters, you must afford time
for sitting pIetensiOns and establishing nights
either at the poll or previously. We believe
10 other device can be substituted for Regis
tration of Voters, with reasonable time for
scrutiny between the close of the Registry and
the opening of the polls, that will prove equally
efficient without being far more incOnvenient
and troublesome.
But we have no plan to suggest no expert
ment that we want to see tried. The respon-
sjbilitv is now with our political anniversaries
and we shall rejoice to find them meeting 1t
honestly and manfully. Frankly, however we
do not believe they viii do anything OF the
sort. They know that the thieves, swlndlers,
and grog shop loafers, who take to illegal voting
as a duck takes to water are naturally
Democrats; and they know that when
ever twenty-five thousand illegal votes are
cast at an election, these cannot fail
TO add at least twenty thousand to
the Democratic majority; and they are not
inclined to folego the advantage thus proiiered'
Some of them will, while others will not, in-
stigate and pay for illegal voting but the
mass of those who will not are npt to chuckle
over the net result rs heartily as the rest. 30
what we expect is that they will repeal the
Registry law and enact in its stead something
that will in practice amount exactly to nothing
Mr. A. J. II. Duganne is more hopeful OF
more spooney He thinks the Democrats only
want to be shown how, and they will proceed
at once to throw all requisite safeguards around
the ballot box. SO he proceeds to instruct them
as follows:
i.
districts in our City, making them zoo instead
of 1884, so as TO reduce the voters in each district
to about 200.
@ He would provide in each district "a suit
liable poling-place in the form OF Dooth'
shed, or other shelter, either portable or per-
"manent, constructed purpOsely for the accom-
"modation of 200 voters. and located as nearly
"as might be in the center of the voting pop
"ulation of the district said polling-plaee to
he an iron structure, located on square or
street-crossing, to resemble a palace or other
passenger-car, and to be taken to pieces aud
carted OFF TO some corporation yard or other
depository after the counting Of the votes shall
have been completed.
B. He would have the vote taken in these
polling-boo,hs within two specified and adyer-
tised hours OF each election day, as follows:
Iet il be undcrstoodFI rsi That before fixed hour
SAY 10 o. M the Of each district must have pre-
entered giving their names ana residences 10 clh AZ
the Sccond let 10 be ordered mat al the minute
of the clock striking 10 f that hour be agreed upoh)
the entrance doors Of all the pongpces pa an the eee
ton districts OF the cry 5hat DC e,y'' any, oo
oU5o' ~ y"tnTs from the polllst in the manner that
YeIs and NaS taken In legislative bodies each voter
answering his name, rendering Ms baIIot ah u u-
challenged depostnS IT. 4nu ,aTn dor Tho name and
residence every voter being thus called IN the presence
Of All the voters Of the election district he may be chal
cpged for cause under suitable regulations PROVIDED by
law or his vote being gwen II - checked AZ once az
received, against his name upon the pOlllst having
voted and passed out OF the oxdoor no voier can re-
turn until the ballOng shall be competed Mheh the
doors will be opened for public witness OF the canvass oil
ballots"
This plan would certainly bother RE-
"peaters;' wherefore it will never be adopted
by legislature whereof VIM. NJ. Tweed is
master-spirit. Yet it has merits, and possibly
may receive consideration at some future day
For the present we are at the mercy OF poll
ticiaus who believe in voting early and voting
often, and will legisate accordingly.