The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-10-14
MEETING OFTHE RETURN ES.

-HEEII IN " Of IHE hhI UhN UDG ES.
The disgraceful and dangerous scenes con-
nected with the meeting of the return
Judges yesterday are we'll calculated to arouse
the indignation of every well-disposed citizen
of Philadelphia, and to impress the Legisla-
ture with the necessity of making better pro-
vision than that now existing for orderly elec-
tions and for fair official statement of the
results The perpetuity of republican insti-
tutions and the peace of the community are
endangered by attempts to substitute
verdicts won by fraud or by force
for the will of a majority of legal voters, and
yesterdays proceedings embraced a hideous
exhibition of the employment of both these
agencies against the majesty of the people.
Year after year rascality and rowdyism at
elections or in connection with the returns
are becoming more and more hagrant and
defiant, and the necessity of additional safe
guards against these dangerous annual occur
rences is fearfuly apparent. 1t is high time
that the good men of both parties should use
their best efforts to correct such gigantic
evil. Among the remedies that deserve at
tention the following are worthy of special
nsideration:--
l. The system of establishing numerous
polling places which is so commonly adopted,
and which works well in many portions of
the city, should be rigidly and universally en-
forced The disturbance in one of the divi-
sions of the Fifth ward may be traced directly
to a neglect of this wholesome rule. No
division should embrace more than five hun
dred voters; and ample time should be
Al - iixan x,Ia Co. af,l
examination of the qualifications of those
who seek to exercise the right of suffrage
The collection of crowds at the polling places
is avoided, and the speedy counting of ballots
is facilitated by these minute divisions The
rule should be absolute that whenever more
than four or five hundred votes are cast at
one poll new election place should be
established
9. Men who become notorious for rowdy-
ism at the polls, or who are clearly guilty of
fraud at the elections, or in manipulating re-
turns, should be severely punished. Crimi-
nails of this class enjoy immunity from pun
-ishment. Their supposed political infu-
ence" saves them from conviction or SEN
tence, and they are scarcely ever even ar
rested no matter how notorious their offenses
may be- If we really wish to put stop to
fraud and yioe ence, we must impose heavy
penalties on the men who cheat aud create
riots.
3. The evils of the present police system
are at no time more strikingly displayed than
on election days and the days when return
Judges meet. No comment can add force te
the statements in our local columns of the
conduct of the present force on Tuesday
last and yesterday. We had better abolish
the police system altogether, and go back tc
first principles, than burden tax payers will
an annual charge of million Of dollars fo
the purpose of supporting reckless partisan
in municipal uniform, who, in times of politi
cal excitement, help to foment disturbance
instead of endeavoring TO maintain order.
4, The present mode of counting up th'
returns has ceased to be, safe in large cities
Yesterday there were gross carelessness, gros
fraud, and terrible violence Year after yea
helruaaors that returns have been manipa
lated increase in frequency, and increasing au
dacity is displayed in counting out this aspi
rant or counting in that one, in defiance o
Justice and law. Return judges lose thei
nroperlyl ,u'henticated state ments: th
dupl;oated returns which shoul
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