New-York tribune., 1870-02-07
:. , R.ci.tration Of Deeds subjects honest men

IL
70 troublo and expense in order to prevent
,oscals enriching themselves by fraud, so the
Registration of Voters (or any legal precaution
looking to the same end subjects honest men
70 trouble in order that Others shall not
Illegally vote. Knaves understand thiS; ou',
being knaves, they choose to misfepieSeh' anu
befog it, with intent to prejudice ana miSieau
the ill-informed and simple.
And now, having set the current running
strongly this way and profited by 1t Tor years
dare the Tammany managers propose ana pass
anv net that will protect the rights OF legal
voters from invasion and overthrow by organ
lied. paid gangs of "repeaters ana oaiiot.
box stuffers9 We apprehend that, even IL
willing, they dare not do it.
Tic World truthfully and forcibly, hence
most astoundingly says:
The reform needed above all others Is recthcaton
OF the abuses which prevail In the city elections ohesS
this reform oan be accomplished, IL matters co'nPara
lively little what tho now charter does or does not con-
tain 50 long as clique Of oice holders can intahoyre
elect Themselves and heir parases using her eon"o'
NE Gin expenditures 10 pupeafe their pocer s"ee'
,diocv and smpletonfsm 10 sud eoniedg Jor more l'e
oe. elections remedy for abuses 1t Is RS aosuro s
TO insist on frequent battles with an enemy 80 inuch
and better organized that he sure to beat you
in every encounter
important in this copiuncture. that the people
and the Legislature should consider where this business
of municipal reform hinges You may construct costly
mill after an approved model every part Oh 'he "'
chinery may be admirable and perfectly aDuS'eu anu
vet IL tho waerwhee is placed that the stream turns
II tie wrong way. all the elaboration Is useless INC
9rsat need Of this cy isa municipal system hdt TH gre
,,s n,,rs elections II matters soshaped and liked
that the elections thwart instead Of executing the VIII
of tho people II the watcrwhee, the great moving
mower of the machinery turns backward. everything
will 20 wrong"
This is the same World, mind you, that has
from month TO month brazenly insisted that our
Elections were pure and the results honestly
dcclarcd-that the Seventy Thousand NaturGn-
zation Certificates issued from the City Hall III
1868 were O. K-that Grant was fairly beaten
by Sixty Thousand majority in this City at thc
election which followed, while Hoffman had
more than Eighty thousand majority here and
in Brooklyn and that Nelson's 52O2 returned
majority over Sigel in the Id Ward, 3,e0o III
the With, 1876 in tie XVIII, and 6,4j6 III the
XXIId Ward last November, were made up OF
votes legally cast and honestly counted. Yet
there was not an osller in any of our stables, q
marker in any billiard room in the City, who
did not guifaw when those returns were re-
ported, knowing that they were the result OF
fraud.
Our conviction is strong that the Democratic
wirc-workers of our City will give lis neither pure
elections nor honest rule, simply because this
would put the State against them; and they
are now playing for high stake-thc control
of the Federal Government through the re-
election of Hoffman as Governor and his conse-
ouent elevation to the Presidency. We are
quite willing to be proved a false prophet; but,
until we have evidence to the contrary, we
must believe that they expect and intend TO
pcrpetuate their power by corruption and fraud.