The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1869-12-11
Election Repeaters-Whnt is the Remedy

Election Repenters-Whnt il the Remedy
The extent to which repeating" was carried
on In the late charter election is bearing its
fruit in quarter hitherto considered inacces-
sible to influences of this sort. Not only was
repeating resorted to, but the "stuflng" and
counting OUT processes were largely INDUCED
in, to the serious detriment, not of republican
adversaries, but of erst democratic friends
and colaborers in the old game. This, in
fact, makes what would be under other cir
cumstances trifing matter and of little con-
sderation one of great consequence. 1t was
game of democratic bluff; and the idea Of
being bluffed and sold, when each party
thought they had the game in their own hands,
was too bad. There was evidently screw
loose somewhere. Either the one side had
miscalculated its opponents resources, or had
not given it credit for being prepared to 60 in
for repeaters to the extent of securing a
victory. The fact is that political strategy was
never more deity or successfully practised
than as between the rival candidates Of the
same organization. Shooting troop of horse
with felt, after King Lears idea, was blum
dering strategy compared with that pursued in
some of the wards on Tuesday last by the rival
democratic opponents.
In one district, the most interesting of all
the fields Of conflict, the repeaters held in
reserve for one candidate were by q ruse
brought up to the polls and recorded their
votes for their employers opponent. Here
was the bitter bitten with vengeance, and
bitter feud is the consequence.
In the uptown districts the confidence game
was very successfully practsed. In one of the
districts defeated candidate asks that his OPP
ponent will be magnanimous enough to inform
him of the number of votes cast for him that
were counted in the interest Of his opponent,
pledging himself to take no action in the mat
ter. In another 0he new districD the defeated
candidate for Police Justice protests against
the action of the inspectors and canvassers,
confident that not only has he suffered de-
feat through fraud, but that his supporters, the
majority of the voters of the district, have
been grossly cheated Of their right of suffrage.
And so it is throughout all the districts and
wards Oi tne Guy. NOW, Wnat ID tue remedy LOT
this most outrageous state of affairs? In what
way can the purity Of the ballot box be re-
stored and the electors of the city assured
that their votes are honestly counted and ap-
propriately recorded for the candidates of their
choice? Only through legislation, not con-
fined merely to measures passed at Albany,
but to legislation in Congress- broad and
comprehensive scheme Of legislation, embrace
ing the national points in the question and the
local ones with regard to the political ma
ohinery in the city and State.
This system Of fraudulent voting is Increasing
il our midst. The result as seen in the late
election, is pregnant with warning to the dom
inant party itself and to it's partisans, and the
remedy, to be effectual, must strike at the very
root of the evil. Legislation is the first thing
necessary, and the citizens, if they value the
franchise-the right and prerogative of free
men-will see to it that when their representa-
tives meet at Albany this question will be
taken up and effectually disposed of.