New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-11-04
THE FRAUDS ON VOTERS.

tleman who represented himself a voter in the Six
teenth Ward called at TIE TRIBUNE Office and stated
that il WAS impossible obtain ballots at the Republican
booths for Thomas W. Cerke who had received the in
dorsement OF Committee OF Conference candidate
for Justice Of the Supreme Court and that only tickets
bearing the name Of John Brady aspran for the same
position were handed IL also rumOred that the
tickets bearing upon judiciary and Taxation issues Of
the New Constitution had been destroyed with those Of
Mr. Clerke and that Charles Spencer had ordered the
destruction for reasons best known to himself The fol
lowing are the facts brought out On the day Of election
there was not ballot bearing the name OF Thomas W.
Cerke to be found in the Sixteenth Ward and only the
tickets Of John r. Brady offered TO the voters In
the extended trip made by our reporter through he SIX
teenth and other uptown Wards 10 was also almost an
iupossihty 10 hld ballots for either the judiciary or
the Taxation articles Of the New Constitution 1t was said
that as the STATE committee leuseu 70 nav 81 ts
70 do with the printing OF ballots for the City and County
OF hew-fork, tho County Committee ad ordered 2o0oO
sets 10 be printed on the CONSTITUTIONS ISSUES. ls
number less than nehalf Of the other ballots, as
o1OOO tickets nad been printed Ior t4e SeI VS. an ~
other county officers Messrs Isaac Onyef ana S0n Oh
No 30 Beekman-s furnished to the Committee the state
ticket the Supervisor and the ballot against Property
QnahhealOn. ana they were regularly delVered 10 tne
various Ward Committees by Alex. II. Keech, esq See
Rotary Of the Republican General Committee As 1t had
been charged against Mr. Charles snencer that he had
beer instrumental In making away with the ballots. the
following narration may throw some hight upon the mat
ter Mr. Keech. the Saturday afternoon preceding the
| election, left at the house of n Mr.. Pulls, In
Eshtecnthst near Eighth-aYe the ballots for the dis
trlct IN which MIR. Pulls a canyasser, and on satur
day evening the bag containing the tickets taken to
were put IN the charge OF man named Nodiue who was
paid s. day 10 watch over the ballots. MI Pulls, IN
response inquiry made by reporter said that
he tickets for Brady In the bag but none for Cerke
and the Taxation and Judiciary articles OF the Const
| rooms OF the Spencer Club until Monday morn
! ing, when they we're distributed to the various
places the district. At 10 o'clock the morning Of
The ,icci tbcv dcred The rendr nassed from lin 10
lip that Charlie Spencer had destroyed the Cerke ballots
and the rumor gained credence when Mr.. VII,
! by Mr. Spencer AS the day advanced the excitement
| grew apace The Tammanv leaders, who were IN full
force al the wigwam directing the battle furnished
splendid example for Republican party leaders who could
not be found after vigorous hunting aud who remained
away from places OF which they supposed to be the
shining lights. At the Republican Headquarters the
door we're locked during the day and the contest
fought city without apparent leader TO direct,
suggest rcOmmand Yet there many equally In earn
esf m the huckserng OF the various failures
attempting TO force results upon the people Mr. Pulls,
who received the ballots from Mr. Keech the Secretary,
said that he went against the new Constitution any way
and believed it was fraud and by doubtful head.
shake seemed 20 think that was nothing worthy OF
especial moment II the ballots were kept from the people
The Brady tickets printed so closely that II was an
lmpossblity To scratch and rewrite ana ~ was ap-
parent that gers determined that voters
should cast their ballots only they saw ht Some sub
mtted passed and tossed their ballots IN the
street. OF thing reporter became convinced
that the chief ambition Of some men seemed TO De more
10 control" "run" and Gown" their districts than to
work for the genera! good OF the party.
THE BETRAYAL OF REPUBLICANs-MR. SPENCER
IN -sELF-DEFENsE.
To shs Editor Of The Tribune.
SIR: 1t is untrue that by me, or my order,
or In any manner by my agency, any ballots for or
against tho Judiciary Article" have been suppressed
or destroyed After consultation with leading Bepub-
cau friends the country part Of the State at the late
Republican State Convention became satisfied that the
Republican sentiment OF the country was against ms
article. The Committee upon Resolutions IN the state
Convention declined 10 ndorse the article nor Wac
are satisfied with their Judges and think that the people
arc comncient 10 elect them was and am therefore
fn
But every ticket 10 the Sixteenth Ward was sent TO
tbe rooms where the folding was 20 be DONE aud no
alteration made except by the almost unanimous desire
OF the Republicans OF the Ward. In the ease OF MT.
Clerie Mr.. Ccrkes judicial record during the war did
not satisfy u.s. aud. choosing between two Democrats
nnscnncpcrs In he matter OF the Judiciary article and
tie Taxation article, the State Committee refused to
furnish tickets. Some were printed and sent by the
County Committee am Informed that very few were
folded or distributed II was party question ]
would have been willing TO have seen votes for and
against these articles at every poll. Respectfully,
TsIr.Y ork. Nov }. 1909 CHARLES 5. sPESCER
A STATEMENT BY MIR. SPENCER.
One of our reporters called last evening on
Mr. Spencer at his residence in Twentythrdst aud on
nterrogahng him with reference to the alleged destruc
ton OF Republican tickets bearing the name OF Thomas
W Cerke for Judge OF the supreme Court received the
following statement
Reporter-Mr Spencer Is It true that you cogni-
znnt or or directed or party to the destruc-
tou Of the Republican Judiciary ballots bearing the
name Of Thomas W. Clerke for Judge Of the Supreme
Mr. speucer-I certainly and there is no music
am not willing face, viii give you all the partcu
lars After Mr. Benedict had withdrawn from the can
yass l. with others of the Union Republican General
Committee surprised aud indignant on hearing that
certain members OF the Committee, against the known
ishes OF the Committee Conference, had destroyed
tbe tickets bearing the OF Erasus d. Benedict for
Judge OF the Supreme Court and substituted others on
Sbicb were the name OF Thomas W. Clerke. We
formed that these tickets had already been distributed
| among the various Republican ward ASSOCIATIONS.
| Rop0 tcrWas any attempt made, that you are aware
Of 10 prevent the issuing OF these tickets from the Yar
| Gus Association Headquartersf go
| MIR spencer VERY emphaticallyl.-Yes Sir. We, as
LOYAL Republicans believed that we had the right TO
! Choose between two Democratic candidates. Judge
BRADY. we believed TO he loyal man and an upright
ndgeone who had voted Tor Lincoln IN 1854 ana whose
brother had given his time and services 10 the Govern
meut Judge Cerke mad shown that lie was disOya and
we aid not think him entitled 20 the votes OF Republicans
therefore had Republican Judiciary tickets printed AT
our own expense bearing the name OF John Brady for
Judge OF the Supreme Court and they were distributed
! a. freely AZ the brief opportunity would permit
IL true that you burned, ordered % be
burned the Republican ballots IN FAVOR OF tue JUDICIARY
| articlei ... A.. ,..,,... 49,.
the man i'm the moon. In the matter Of the Judiciary
article and the taxation article the state Committee re-
fused TO furnish tickets Some were printed ana sent by
tbe County Committee. am informed that about 5000
were sent to the sixteenth Ward Republican Association
eadauarers where they folded IL was not party
nnestion and took no interest in the matter would
have spent 10 cents 20 nave prevented to crculo
OF 100000 OF them, aud would nave Deeh Wiling 10 nave
seen them distributed In every poll In the city did not
vote for or against the judiciary article IL was not
un 10 O'clock that aware that they had not been
distributed the Sixteenth Ward Several kepuDcans
came no mo and complained that they could not procure
tickets OF the Judiciary article IN tho republican
bootbs went myself 70 the Democratic boxes and got
them Tickets AGAINST the Judiciary article when they
erased the word against and substituted III favor OF
Informed that the Jpdeay article Sst 81
soeny assert that took no interest IN tho matter Tor
or against,
DEMOCRATIC voTERs-How THE VICTORY WAS