Evening star., 1870-03-02
Meeting Of the " Reform Republican
AssOeiatiOn.'


The Ctmiaa Kunfcfrdi canrdss-Speeches1 1y Alder
man Emery, Leris Clephans, and otaers--
The Reform Republican Association held
a meeting last night at Union League Hall,
which was quite well attended.
Mr.. Philbrook from the committee on perma-
rent organic alton, reported the following, who
were elected President, VIM. Dixon; Vice
President, David Fisher; Recording Secretary,
B. NJ McCoy; Financial Secretary, Morris
Pichen; Treasurer, Jacob II. Crossman.
solicit signatures to the constitution of the assO-
citation First Ward, David Martin; Second
Ward, A. G. Hall; Third Ward, II: b: Philbrook;
III. Brown; Sixth Ward, Frank. d. Gaines; Sew
epth Ward, j. W. Green.
Mr. }. II. Crane offered resolutions, request
ing the Judges OF th Supreme Court OF the Dis
TN. TO remove W. A. Cook from the Board of
eoistr .tiOn, and to I'LL his place by one not An
offee-holder under the Corporation, and who
does not have before his eyes a 50 900 salary as
an inducement to fill up the registry list with
illegal voters in his own behalf; holding it to be
a wise rule, from which it is not safe to depart.
that men wnS are pecuniarly interested in the
result Of an election should not be intrusted in
the guardianship of the polls so long as honest
and competent men, not so Interested, can be
obtained, and therefore respectfully ask that the
commissioners of the coming election may be
selected from well-knOwn private citizens VINO
lave the confidence Of the community ~ ing
lron Congress that 1t so alter the ..g,.tr.ts,,n
laws of this District as to rec, IRE residence OF
siN months in the cit- as we'll a. one year in the
District, as q Qualification for registration, and
| that DO Ian who holds an office under this Cor
| rora'lon shall be competent to st upon the
Y D0ard OF kegistr& alton, or act as oInInisSoner
1 Of election.
| Mr.. Philbrcok said that he fully approved the
| tntiment Of the resolutions, but doubted the
/ eApedlency of adopting the hrst resolution.
| Mr.. Crane said that he had not been aware
| that fraud was used by men in the party during
! the preceding campaigns until within few
A L., m lRl ll.aI
him and asked tor $40 10 bring voters In, and
| he informed that man that if he violated the Law
| he CO. would expose hifl as soon as he would a
| Democrat. and ii the party could not be
| cessfal without fraud he would like to see It de
| feated. The morning after the last anti Bowen
| meeting in the Fourth Ward man came to
him. and speaking in reference to the remarks
psade by Mr.. Watson, said that the party secrets
| should not have been let out; that il was well
known that the Mayor had net been elected. and
| Mr. Bowen and Mr.. Cock beth knew it.
| He referred to the charge of the Reform
ers being diserganizers, and said that this
association vas the only regular organized
| Republican Association in the District.
Among the pretended Republicans were to be
| found now such men as Colonel JAS. X. . Beirne
and Gleason. He also stated, to show the reck-
lessness Of the majority of the Councils that the
Mayor hsd from November I'd to January 2sth
approved of fOrty-nin acts for grading and gra-
Yelling certain streets, whit n work would require
tor grading and graveliaS street, and by a bill
| lately passed some work done only a few months
4 to be done over. since October lat fiity-
| nine bills for footways on three hundred squares
| had been passed. In view of these facts none
| could gainsay the necessity of a reform.
Nr Philbroek said he believed the charges
| made could be sustai ned, but still thought that
it would be impOKtc to adopt the first resOlu-
ton, and moved ftsr reference to the Executive
| Committee.
| Mr. Crosxnan sad as a member of the Board
Of Re gistratiOn that he knew ef no Illegal prac-
! tices by the Board or the members. He could
1 however, see nov the improFriety of an officer
II a holding STlch DnSltiOn M
for that reason he would vote for the resolu-
tions.
that Mayor Bowen had been elected through
fraud, he dia not mean that the whole party
were to blame for it. He had heard it stated
that a certain individual who holds position in
the First Ward had stuffed handful OF Bowen
| tickets in the box.
A Voice.-Name him.
Mr.. Watson replied that Henry Himber was
the party spoken Of, and he also had heard of a
| similar case in the Seventh Ward. The party
| should not, howeve2 be blamed, for 1t could not
| afford 20 be dishonest He thought the Coun-
| ellis would do well to fellow the example OF Com
gress IN removing those who were dishonest.
MI. F. ID. Gaines, OF the Sixth Ward, said that
| the resolutions were similar to resolutions he
Ibadsntroduced in the Councils, which had been
| referred, and he hoped these resolutions would
| not take the same course.
| Wr Jerry Robinson. of the Fourth Ward.
| urged that it was net proper to talk about their
own faults it was not principle, and these things
Mr.. Gaines asker if 1t was Republicanism to
| cover the party with dirt.
Mr.. Robinson urged that Mayor Bowen was
! elected and il wes not policy now to deny it,
| Mr.. Kelsey said he was one Of those who can
| yassed the votes, and they had found that Mr.
Bowen was elected by some ~ or 80 votes, aud
| when certain soldiers votes were counted Ou'
1 the majority was increased to over 10. 1t was
out of their province to go farther than they did
hut he would say he was satisfied that Mayor
| Bowen did not receive "a majority OF the legal
| votes cast He had since learned how men had
been brougb: from Maryland and from down
the river, and that sloO was given by the Vice
gerent in the City Hall, the disposition OF which
was not ever made known to the committee.
| Alderman Emery was called for and was
greeted with applause He said that it wa>
| rather embarrassing to him to be received III
such a manner; that he was not speaker but
aworker and had come to show that he intend
in bringing about here a better state of thing.
| than now exist They to be successful mlis
work vigorously and take up good men wheT
success would reward them. He did not want
| to see them succeed unless tthey worked fairly
and would rather see them defeated honestly
than win through fraud. He would aid them in
every henest movement and he, thought they
would not work in any other way. (App!ause.
| Mr.. l.. Clephane was called on and addressed
the meeting. He said that whatever frauds had
| been perpetrated through the registry was
| owing 70 the imperfectiOn of the law, which re-
| quires twelve months residence in the District
and fifteen days in the ward. Under the first
| registration men who lived outside the city
limits in the District could not vote, and the
law was altered a. to Washington 50 as to re.
L qulfe ulteeh days In the ward, but In GeOr ge-
| town three months is required.
| Mr.. Crane.-"Who got the law altered
/ MIR. Clephane.-Mr. w. A. Cook, who also
| had some other amendments made-one OF
| which was, that the books were to be placed IN
| the custody Of the first appointed member and
his successOr-Sayles j. Bowen was the first
l appointed member, and Mr.. Cook his successor
| Ia voice" That's Cook all Over."l In the
| First Ward the question arose to the registra-
| ton OF soldiers, and the Board was divided on
| ii; but when it was understood that there were
| a number of cOlOred volunteers ON duty AT
| the Freedmen's Bureau, Mr.. Bowen favored
| their registration, and consequently the sol
| diers III the ''White Lot" were also registered:
| and when they reached the Fifth and Sixth
| WARDS they were compelled to register the
| soldiers who presented themselves. There
| We're q number of fraudulent voters regis
| tered, put such was not owing to the members
| OF the Board, but rather to those outside and
| because of the imperfectness of the law which
| should be amended In several particulars He
| wanted, as Republican, to see honesty i'm ali
| things, and did not wish to see them successful
| through fraud. His course on the Board OF n p
glstration had been condemned because he did
| not act as partisan; but when a man so acted
he was unfit for the place. He belle we'd that the
| Democrats would not make any nomination.
l anu the feeling was such that III John F. Cook
was nominated against the present incumbent
/ tne ioiMer would receive almost the entire white
so's. ne had not supported Mr.. Bowen because
| nc heM nm 70 be a man who thinks too much
l vi h.lhs1u. la voice.-''And has a poor MEM
4 oiy- ne would say, however that he knew
4 Mr. bowen came here as a Demncraf was on