New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1870-03-11
Election Frauds.

felons do wrong to individuals; he strikes at
tbe vitals of the Republic Who does not value
his vote more than his coat 7 The ballot-Dox-
suffer robs tie honest voter OF his most pre-
cious right-that of expressing his deliberate
Judgment on tho policy of the Governmen'
and ON the conduct of those who administer it'
The miscreants who, in 1874, by fraudulent
votes robbed Henry Clay Of the Electoral votes
of New-York and Louisiana, changed thencc-
forth tho whole current of our Ma
tional history; those who, by Ike means
stole the vote of our State III % HUN
Grant and Colfax, intended to perpetra'e u
crime equally gigantic. They did their wicheu
worst the result in other States prevented
the contamination of their evil purpose. AS
II was. they swindlcd our State out or the
Governor and other State Officers OF her choice'
fosting upon her rulers who were no mort
elected than Judas Iscariot was chosen cniel
of the Apostles. But the active CRIMINALS were
in close league with the dispensers OF justice
in this City, and were thus screened from legal
exnosure and punishment. Yet 1T cannot DO
that their iniomty will fail of its due reward.
The World sees fit to ask us the following
questions with regard TO the glarins fralus
penetrated lHSG I'LL III
81 What Republicans were to profit by these frauds
. md Archibald Bliss member OF the Republican state
Central Committee know in advance OF the fraudulent
conspiracy D. Was it not part OF the arrangement
that Republican candidate for the Assembly was TO De
counted in "a Mr. Bliss representative at Albany
T. Did Daniel L. Northrup twho Is member OF tho water
Board with Mr Bliss profit by these frauds WAS not
Z r Maddox elected to the Assembly as Mr. N0rthrups
commemorative, a Democratic employee OF the Water
Roara beng run "A a dummy against Maddox G. Did
A. T. Campbell, Republican member OF the Board OF iTo
Commissioners. have any part IN the combination
Z Was not L. kaufman run as dummy Candidate ior
Senator in the lid District. with tue appreciation OF Mr.
Bliss and his associates In plunderins the taxpayers OF
Brooklyn the consideration being the counting done IN
tvor ~ their candidates for the Assembly g. Has Mr.
Bliss member OF the Republican State Central Commit
tee and the leader OF his party in Kings County done
ANYTHING to aid DisrctAUoncy Morris IN ierfeng out
these frauds aud bringing their perpetrators TO Justice
Apsrsrs by The Tiibune.-We do not know,
and do not believe, that Archibald Nj. Bliss, or
any other Republican, had any part in or fore
knowledge of the frauds in question:; but If
he had, We are even more anxious Tor his CON
yiction and punishment than for that OF his
Democratic cOnfedcrates. We took part in com
batting Mr.. Kaufman's repugnance to running
for the Senate; aud we did it with full intent
to elect him il possible. In short, we regard
all the charges insinuated above against Re
publicans as libels, and trust Tie World will
be required to justify them.
But were they all as true as we believe them
false our course would be the same. We de-
mand the exposure, conviction and punishment
of ere,y conspirator against the purity Of the
ballot box, no matter of what politics. If Re
publican and a Democrat have conspircd to
cheat the legal electors out of their choice,
and we could convict but one of them, we
should convict the Republican, because he has
snned against greater light, and against q
more intense dctestatiOn of his crime among
his associates than has ever been evinced by
the opposite party. But we should much pre-
fer to punish both.
The entire machinery of justice in Kings
County is in Democratic hands. The District
Attorney is a Democrat, and seems intent on
doing his whole duty; yet his efforts are re-
sisted and baficd by Democratic Judges in a
manner which seems to us infamous. We speak
freely; for. having voted and urged Others to
vote, for both Judges Gilbert and Pratt, on
the assumption that, if supported by both par
ties, they would on the bench know no party,
we feel personally wronged by the action Of
d
therein OF Judge Gilbert If this action be
designed to screen Republicans as well as DEM
ocrats from tho just penalty OF their crimes,
we tell Judge Pratt that he libels the Repub
licans who voted for him if he imagines that
they would have any ballOt-bOx stuffer or
miscounter of votes screened from punishment,
no matter though he were twenty times Re-
publican.
We believe every one of the villains now
under Indictment in Brooklyn for fraud in our
late election is a Democrat but, if there be a
pretended Republican among them, we bespeak
for him Il sterner trial and harsher judgment
than we invoke for his Democratic associates.
And it seems to us that not one of them all
has done more to promote fraud at elections,
and incite rOgues to commit it by prospect
of impunity, than has Judge Pratt.
And now will The World do its best to
impel the passage of law OF laws which will
render illegal voting or intentional miscount;
Ing of votes henceforth too dangerous to be
attempted This is the vital point. We
ask that every one who offers to reg
lister or to vote when and where he
has no right to do so, with every one who
miscounts votes actually cast, be declared by
law a felon and punished as for perjury and
robbery combined We ask that every one
who hires, induces, or in any manner inctes,
the commission of the aforesaid crimes. be
likewise punished as a felon. We ask that q
careful list of the legal voters in each election
district be completed at least one month be-
fore each State Election, arranged by street
numbers from lowest to highest in due order.
m
scrutinize it. We ask that Judges and District