Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1870-05-28
Reading Matter on Every Page.

According to the best estimates Mr. Emery
ought to carry the city by about $500 ma
jOrity. There is no doubt that he has that
majority in the present registration, and there
Is no doubt that the tally OF the Bowen ring
comedies this estimate. The question rises
then, why, in the face of this immense popular
majority against them, they do not at once
throw up the sponge, and retire from the I'M
equal contest? The only answer Is that they
entertain desperate hope of being able through
holding possession of the registration machinery
and election machinery, to practice frauds epor-
nous enough to cancel the majority against
them and defeat the will OF the people of WASH
fngton. In other words, they propose to vote
AL Virginia, Maryland, Georgetown, and the
county OF Washington against the legal voters
mere. Iney have Hooded the adjoining States
IN every direction, for hundreds Of miles, with
circulars notifying the colored people that Ia
oorers are wanted in Washington on corpora
non work at ~ per day. These circulars have
been read in colored churches and in colored
meetings In Alexandra, Fredericksburg, Rich
mond, Baltimore, Frederick, and even a. far
away as Philadelphia and New York. and
II Is matter Of hourly occurrence 20 meet
squads Of newly arrived colored men in
curing for the Bowen headquarters. One of
these new arrivals, when questioned yester-
cay stated that he had been employed BY a
eir' Jenkins, (who was his former owner } near
TOT. Tobacco, and that he had been urged by
parties ua'ehng through that part Of the State
10 come TO Washington, where he could get
steady work from the corporation at % Der day.
instead OF his farm wages of only SO per month
and found. 1t Is useless to stop here to COM
ment on the heartless scoundrelsm that would
Tor the sake OF buying the illegal votes of these
poor men, induce them to give up good places
and permanent employment in the country. and |
entice them to the city to follow a vagabond.
dependent, idle and vicious life-taking the |
bread out OF the mouths of the already over
abundant laboring population here.
But here they viii como, deluded by these
lying circulars, and the Bowen ring mean if
possible TO register them and vote them. This
is one part OF the game of fraud. Another is in
the manipulation of the registration lists Ii Is
fact almost incredible, and yet it is fact that
the registration books are held in the exclusive
custody OF man whose term OF OH &c under the |
corporation depends entirely upon the re-elec-
uon OF MT. Bowen, and who at the same time is
cOncedediy the most desperate and utterly un-
scrupulous political partizan that the city of l
washington has ever known. There are none /
oil any party, even those who admire his con- /
scieneeless audaeity and profit by IL, but admit 1
that ne Is not the man to lose his opportunities |
with registry list in his exclusive possession.
afforded in the receiving and counting OF votes.
The counting of votes under the Bowen rule is
a secret affair, carried on at each precinct, |
without witnesses, in a room from which all are |
EXCLUDED but the three commissioners At /
nearly every precinct a majority of the COM
mi>siOners are Bowen men, and in several in
stances al are Bowen men. With the same inn |
PrOPTiety, too, that permits corporation en-
IlOyes to sit on the Registration Board, and l
nave exclusive custody of the Registry books. /
corporation employees are permitted to act as I
commissioners, or receivers of votes. In the |
hrst precinct Of the First Ward for instance. \
the notorious Hmber, whose place as a eorpo- /
ration employe IL, like that of VIM. A. Cook de- T,
pendent on the reelection of Sayles j. Bowen.
VIII have possession of the ballot-boxes and
VIII probably be allowed, under the practice !
heretofore permitted, to take them hon. with
him on the night OF the election, Last wear. il !
VIII be remembered, this loose system, afford
ing these opportunities Tor fraud preVano1- 60 ,
such an extent that a ballot-box was taken on I
election night to the Office OF a notorious par
tisan newspaper. Before the Bowen rule was
entered upon il was the custom, in order TO !
ensure fairness, TO have the votes counted in the
presence Of citizens representing each party.
This should be insisted upon now, and il should /
also be insisted upon that the balIot-boxes should
lie placed in the hands OF men OF integrity.
we doubt not Congress, seeing the manifest !
inn ropriety of allowing officers or employees OF
the Corporation to act as judges or commission
ers OF election, viii promptly pass the bill re-
ported by the Senate District Committee pro-
hibitiDg them from acting in those capacities.
This viii DO away with a great opportunity for
fraud; and active vigilance committees wiz 5e
able, doubtless, to keep in ehect mach OF the
raseaiity proposed by tn. Bowen ring in the
way Of fraudulent registration.