New-York tribune., 1870-08-20
SHALL I'VE HAVE A FAIR ELECTTt


We honestly believe a majority of the legal
voters of this State to-day, to be opposed to the
administration of Gov Hoffman, and in favor
of that of Gen. Grant. We ask only
fair election wherein each voter shall
vote once, and no more than once, to
prove it. There is no citizen OF New
York, of average intelligence, who does
not know that for years we ha'' had
no such election. We seek one. The State
refuses an Election law that can be enforced;-
the best law fails, in most cases, because the
men who should enforce it are the men whose
places depend on its violation good Citizens
very generally have recognized the consequent
surrender to total deprayity, and have looked to
Congress for relief. Why should they not getitr
If we are told that Congress cannot inter
fere in a State election, who is there to Cls-
pute that it has the full right to control cleo
tions for membership in its own bodyf II it
can secure honesty there through the aid of
officers not having a direct interest in the re-
suit, what honest man can fail to rejoice at
the RESULT And if, by reason of the occur
renee of State elections at the same time, at
the same polls, these also may be made purer,
who can, on any honorable ground, object to It'll
But The Ne,p- York World, speaking right
fully Gas their organ) for the Democracy OF
the State and Nation, does. To..the desirabllity
of honest elections it has nothing to say. TO
the monstrOus frauds which have disgraced
every recent election in New-YOrk, and to
which its Editor, a year ago, bore personal
witness as being within his own eyeslght, IL
interpOses now merely bald denial, whose only
effect is to give the lie to itself. "Ihe
editor of The World saw at the polls
the shameless and cunning frauds OF
"the cOrruptionists of the Ring" SAID
he then. Now he impudently pronounces
"the pretense of fraudulent voting in this
"city" a mere "pretext for Congressional in
"terference with our elections" Did he bear
false witness when he declared that he saw
these shameless and cunning frauds of the
corruptionists of the Ring; or does he bear
false witness now, when he declares that the
talk of these frauds is mere pretensef In
either case, there is no trouble in seeing on
which side he is now. He wants to encour-
age fraudulent voting by persuading his igno-
rant followers that Congress had no right
to pass the law restraining it. Hear him!
In the place. these sections Of the new act OF Con-
gress passed under the guise OF regulating the manner
OF choosing members of Congress- actually undertake to
punish which be oenses only under State
laws by Congressional legislation and in the Federal
courts There not Federal Judge in this circuit who
would instruct jury. and there could be no Jury
ippanneIed ,oho ,oouid conric for o6ense against
State law under indictment found and
tried IN Federal court In the third place,
there is no occasion for any alarm on the part
OF the Democrats about the City Hail." or else
where The laws Of the state the subject of restrs
ton and voting do not need TO be changed for any pur
pose what the Republicans have undertaken to do
by OF this bugbear Of act OF Congress- under the
guise Of regulating the manner OF choosing mem
bers Congress- may well enough be left to the action
OF the Courts II any fraudulent registration voting
shall The Federal Courts will have TO decline the
Jurisdictions the State Courts will have TO punish, and in
proper cases they will do it, when any ofense against
the laws Of the State is proved
Who is blind enough not to see what is
here meantf "GO on Messrs. Repeaters of
Z" the With Ward go on, shameless cOrrup-
tiOnists of the Ring zoe have made peace
"with you and the Republicans can't touch
"you, because no jury uOuld erer conrict
"Cast 1,022 votes in the With Ward
"again, as you did last Spring! 1t has
"Only 1,T0 inhabitants all told, men, women,
"and children, aliens and all, but never mind =
"nO jury can be impdnneled that wiH cOnpict!
"Cast more votes in the With Ward than it
"has inhabitants; defy the law, and snap your
"fingers at the impertinent United States Off
"cers who are ordered to be present,-no jury
",ciH cOnuictm
Is this the language of patriot seeking for
fair expression Of the will of the people, or
is it that of an ally of "the shameless corrup
"tionists of the RingT Judge ye!