New-York tribune., 1870-09-24
TIE ISSUE IN NEK- YORK.

frauds. But for those frauds, Grant and Col
fax would have received the Electoral Vote of
our State by not less than Twenty Thousand
majority, while John IT. Hoffman and his sub
alterns Just renOmnated at Rochester would
have been beaten by not less than Ten Thou
| sand majority.
These frauds were deliberately planned long
beforehand. To facilitate them, not less than
Seventy Thousand fraudulent Naturalization
Certificates were issued to persons not entitled
to claim or receive them. These certificates
were distributed through the River as well as
the Island Counties and thousands of illegal
votes polled thereon. These not suficing,
at least Twenty Thousand illegal votes were
pOlled in this City and Brooklyn. by
"repeaters that is, villains hired to vote the
Democratic ticket from poll to poll till they
had cast from ten to twenty votes each for
Hoffman g. Co.
The authors of these frauds were prepared
to supplement and reinforce them by others,
had more been needed. Hence, the secret cir
cular issued by Tweed in the borrowed name
of Tilden, instructing an active Democrat at
each poll to telegraph to him at the close of
the poll how the vote stood, as compared with
that of '66, without waiting till any vote was
counted. The palpable intent of this order
was to have more cheating done here in the
counting of votes, had more been found
necessary.
OF these frauds, John It. Hoffman was not
content to be the chief direct beneficiary. He
took an active part in facilitating and pro-
tecting them. The Registration of more than
900 persons as voters here in '6S gave no
IN oil hot do
tated and prepared for. The Republicans were
intent on preventing and Furnishing them.
Gov. FentOn came down to this City to give
all possible official aid to our efforts to pre-
serve the Elective Franchise from over
throw John Il. Hoffman, then Mayor
| and candidate for Governor, issued a most
infamous Proclamation, wherein he charged
the Republicans, and especially those
magistrates and officers who were do
ing their best to prevent fraud, with
seeking to protect, extend and profit by it!
Right well he knew the falsity and villainy of
this charge, as was shown by his hesitating,
stammering, stumbling confusion and con-
fessiOn when cited before the Committee OF
Congress which was sent here to investigate
the frauds of 49, so that measures might be taken
to preclude their repetition. No man can read
that testimony and not feel that Hoffman knep
his charges against Republicans to be false
| when he uttered them.
| The frauds of 1868 were repeated in 1862 and
again, upon very slight temptation, at our Ju-
dicial and (extrs) Municipal election last May
In either case, more than Twenty Thousand
votes were cast by repeaters, or else purposely
miscounted for the Democratic candidates.
Congress was at length moved by the prayers
of the defrauded electors of our State to de-
wise and enact two measures for their pro-
lection. One of these makes voting at any
election when Electors of President or Mem
bers of Congress are to be chosen on a
naturalization certificate issued to another than
the voter, or issued to him on the strength of
fraud or false representation, felony, and pun
ishes it accordingly The other declares it a
felony to poll or receive illegal votes at such
election, knowing them to be such, or to mis-
count votes actually cast. To insure honest
elections, each Circuit Judge of the United
States is authorized to appoint two upright
citizens of diverse politics to attend each poll
and see that everything is honestly, fairly
done, from the opening of the election to the
close of the canvass.
These acts are obnoxious only to those who
seek to cheat or to profit by others cheating
If the Democrats really believed, what they
often assert that frauds as often tell against
| as for their candidates. they would hail such
enactments with pleasure But they know the
contrary to be the fact and, while only a
part of them actively cheat, the rest are very
willing to profit by the frauds, content to e1-
exclaim with Macbeth,
"Thou canst not say did it Never shake
| Those CORY locks at meP
No Democrat in regular standing with
his party has ever reprobatcd the frauds
perpetrated as abOve-no Democrat has
called for the enactment of laws which
would render repetition of those frauds i'm
pOssible-nO Democrat has had kind or char
liable word for the authors of such
laws. On the contrary, all treat that
action as a most unwarrantable interference
with the usages of the party" and the
Tweed Hoffman Convention just held at
Rochester unanimously denounced Gen.
Grants Administration for
its efforts to interfere improperly with elections in the
States and to hinder emgrants from other lands from
assuming the obligations Of citizens and use Of mill
tary force in many instances for he purpose OF
aweng voters are evidences Of s willingness 10 disre-
gard the rights Of the people and to violate the sound
| principles Of free government"
The only "emigrants from other lands" whom
Republicans have sought to "hinder from as
Stunning the obligations of citizens" are those
to whom the counterfeit naturalization certif-
Gates were distributed on condition that they
would vote the Democratic ticket, and "the
"sound principles of free government" which
we are charged with violating are those whereby
Mat. Brennan g. Co. roll up from six to seven
hundred majority in an election district which