New-York tribune., 1870-11-02
FOR DEFENDING THE COUNTRY, FEW FQA
.,H stripping BALLOT-BO1ES, MANY.

l
Union army. In 1870 he wishes for large
Democratic vote. 1t suited his purpose in
1864, therefore, to protest that the population
| of New-York was rated too high, just as il
| suits lis purpose now to insist that it is rated
| too low. When soldiers are wanted to defend
the Union, he wishes II understood that
New-York is weak. When votes are
wanted to perpetuate tho system OF
fraud whereof Tweed, and 1sweeny and
Fisk, jr, are The exponents, and Hoffman Is
| mt once the result and the tool, he wishes 1t
understood that New-York is very strong. In
| 1864 he clamored to the last against the en-
| rollment for the draft, because NewYork
| couldn't have so many men; IN loio he
clamOrs against the Census, because New
| York can't have so few. The common sense
of the country saw through his motives in the
| one case and will have as little difficulty In
cOmprehending them in the other.
The exposures of fraudulent voting made by
the recent Census were 80 overwhelming as to
compel some sort of defense. In one not0ri-
Ous district the vote was found to be larger
than the whole population, mon, women, ana
children, native and alien; in others 1t was
nearly ar large in whole wards it was palpa-
bly, greater than, or any theory, the number
of legal voters could be, in the ascertaIned
population. Manifesty there was nothing left
for the men who had pfoGted by this fraudu-
lent yosing. but wholesale attack upon the
accuracy of the Census that exposed It. For
weeks this attack was mere assertion, AT
last Gov. Seymour was engaged to furnish
reason for it; and this is the way he PEP
formed his task
"I ask YOU - notice some starItng facts about the
With Congress DistrCs, by the Census return there
are only PEOPLE ia H. showing falling OFF of mere
than 1000 since 1e60 Now in thsenroilment OF 1853
there were charged againa this District nOro than 5000
mem you tcook at the enrollisent and the Censt
returns as they confront each other Both were made
under oath: both defended as light one implied "a
population Of nearly 3Ooo and tho other OF httie
more than 10000" -. r...q -...
There is much more of the same sort, but we
fhnve quoted enough to make clear his mean
ing Now mark how plain tale shall put him
down. The enrolment, for purposes OF the
draft, in the With District is given by the
provosa Marshal General at precisely 20.75J.
1t is explained that when first made up u was
larger, owing to the eurOllrncnt OF men doIng
lsrsiness. in the District bIt residing else
where, and to other lkserroys which we're cor
rected on discovery 1hevOte in tie District
in 1868 was. about 5000 larger than this ENROLL
mont of transforming citizens. Now tho pop
ulation of thIs, even more than OF many OF
our other city Districts, u compOsea largely
of young people, and dismoportiomdely OF
Young Inen. within the military ages
so that it might fairly be Inferred that The roll
of arms bearing citizens very nearly completed
the roll of voters. But, instead of an enroll
ment caliisg fer population of 3O0,OoSand
Census return OF 100000, ~ Gov. Seymour
charged, We have an enroinent calling tor a
pspulatioa rof something over 100000, % Cen
sus return Of $4,000, and vote calling at the
least for u population of 10000 more. II there
il, discrepancy here, it does Lot, at leass make
against the accuracy of the Census.
But if GOV. Seymour's defense of the fraud
llent vote is thus shown to be weak IA gen
Cral, it utterly breaks down as't0 details. The
chief charge based on the revelations OF the
Census Is not that the aggregate vote is 80
much too great, but that vote in particular
districts where the Democrats made their
heaviest gains is largely and nalpabIy
fraudulCnts BY Jumping together the
votes OF entire Congress Districts, Gov. Sey-
'mour il able 10 mitigate the eAormity Of their
appearance. We invite him to descend from
generaiities and contemplate the vote in the
Xth Election District of the With Ward. The
total vote counted and certified was 934 the
Democratic vote was S84; the total population,
men, womens and children, is so. Instead of
bringing up aggregate enrOllments through
whole. Congress Districts, and instituting
thereupon comparisons which, as we have
above shown, lead to nothing Lee Gov. Sey
mour exdain this phenomenon, ,as elucdated in
Mr.. Mayor Halls practical admission that tho
Census here is correct, by dedging Marshal
Slnrpe's challenge to tost it.
rhe truth about this whole enrolment d..
version which Gov. Seymour has attemsted
is this: In the crisis OF the war, Con-
yress found it necessary TO resort to a
draft. The arms-hearing population was en-
rolled as rapidly and as accurately as pos
sble; but, in Democratic strongholds, amid
much opposition, and many hinderancee to
accuracy. These strOnghOlds were mainly in
tho great cities: and there the number Of men
liable to military duty was dispropOrtiOnately
large,-young men eIowding to the cities. just
as old men tend to retire from them.
1t was thus inevitable that the enroll
ment should seem unduly largo in proportion
to population, and probable that the difficult
ties in the way would impair its complete ac-
curacy. In the particular case which Gov.
Seymour has adrOtly selected, the Govern
ment detected inaccuracies, made the proper
corrections; yielded besides to system of
naval credits suddenly sprung upon it, and
finally got precisely 45i men from the Dis
tnct which casts $4,000 votes. If out of
tins the Governor can make an ar
gument against a Census which shows nearly