The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1870-05-20
A Good Man Excused.

Judge BOswoRTH, the President Of the
Board of Police Commissioner has ever
borne high character in this city, and has
deserved 1t. No blot ever approached his
honorable reputation until last falls cleo
ton. Then the inspectors and canvossers
were many Of them thieves, receivers of
stolen goods, State Prison convicts-men, in
short, who would commit for money any
crime that was not followed by an inevitable
punishment. These men were appointed TO
this most responsible and important Office by
the Police Commissioners. The result Of
their appointment was that frauds never be-
fore equalled were committed in the election
of November, and that in the municipal cleo
ton of December very large proportion of
our citizens abstained from voting alto
gether, considering IL useless ceremony.
Their places, however, were more than filed
by the reporters who drove their trade
through the day, and, in collision with the
inspectors, filed the ballot boxes quite as
full as II the whole city had gone to the
polls. The work was finally completed by
the canvassers, likewise appointed by the
Police Commissioners, who made up by falso
counting for what had not been done by the
repeaters and thus the will of the people
was wholly nullifed and set aside.
That Judge BoswoRTu was q party TO
these crimes-for crimes they were-and
that he knowingly consented 20 them or
took any part in organizing the machinery
for their preparation, we do not believe.
He is an honest, upright, worthy man and
would as soon burn off his right hand as
himself select thieves, pickpockets, and
burglars to receive the votes of his fellow
citizens, and to count them falsely and make
a false return Of the counting. But the mis-.
fortune is that he was In position TO be
used as mask for the villains by whom this
nefarious business was planned and carried
out Indeed, we suppose that the great pur-
pose for which he was put in that place was
to afford the cover Of q respectable namo
and blameless character to such atrocious
acts The wickedness was committed by
his colleagues the disguise behind which
they worked was afforded by his honored
reputation and his transparent life.
hc cicSioh vi ihSt utcuhy WIS WOfet IN
all its features, holder In its repeating, more
audacious in its false counting, more defiant
of law, public opinion, decency, than any
that was ever witnessed before. II was not
an election; 1t was q farce, or rather ira
gedy, for IL struck n blow at our republican
institutions from which they cannot recover
except by some great and resistlcss uprising
of the people. In this proceeding the in
spectors appointed by Judge BoswoRTn's
Commission were again the principal agents.
The Commissioners chose their men for this
work; they must have given them their in
structions; and they are responsible for what
their tools have done. But now, MS before,
we are convinced that the President of the
Commission was not in any way consciously
q party 10 the frauds. He was put FORTH
now as before to conceal them; but we are
sure he did not know that they were 10 be
consummatcd and he ought to be held guilt
less of their crminality. We have hitherto
called upon him 10 prevent them, but 1t is
now apparent that he could not believe they
were intended When the people come to
allot tho proper punishment to the authors
and actors Of this great conspiracy, JOSEPH
s. BOswORTu will he held excused