Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1871-09-20
BALLOT BOX FRAUDS IN NEW YORK.
ADemocrat Describes the Tricks.


zens some days ago, to protest against the
Tammany frauds, the Hon. Robert B.
Roosevelt was one of the speakers. His
political faith we give in his own words
do not know whether it is exactly pos
sible for man to be born a Democrat, but
I claim to come as near it as any one can.
The earliest recollection that L have of
public questions, when my arms had at
tanned little more than seven years pith,
was my upholding stanchly and unswerv-
ingly the great doctrine of Democracy.
Since that time / have been a Democrat
for Democracy is like vaccination, when it
once takes well, it lasts a lifetime. But
asI did not believe disloyalty to mean Dem
cracy during the war, do not believe dis
honesty to mean Democracy now.
Part of his speech was devoted to ex-
planning how Tammany managed the
ballot box in New York city, and this
honest confession we feel bound to give.
He explains the whole process as follows:
To begin with, gangs of repeaters were
organized whose first duty was to have
their names recorded in as many districts
as possible, usually from a dozen to fifty;
and it was curious with what childlike in
nOcence the Republican register would re-
ceive the names of 100 men who assumed
to reside at the private dwelling of some
Tammany Ward politician, and who pre-
tended to camp out on some vacant lot.
The repeaters are enrolled, and [ have had
lists of them offered to me for sale at so
much vote when Tammany did not need
them.
On election day these men went to the
polls in gangs, with their captains, and
marched from district to district like COM
panies of soldiers. If one of them was
challenged, the result depended upon the
locality in disreputabIe neighborhood,
the challenger, was knocked into the gut
ter, and probably locked up by the police
for disturbing the polls. In a district
where this would not answer, the accused
was taken before the police magistrate, who
sat all day to hear Just such cases, and who
let him out at once on bail, the necessary
bail being also on hand for the purpose
and the repeater was usually back at the
polls, and hard at work, before the chal-
lenger, and no one ever heard of such a
case being brought to trial afterward.
In another way We're these repeaters
used. Many people, especially wealthy
Republicans, do not vote. 1t is the duty
of every man to vote; this is one of the OBJ
legations he assumes in demanding liber-
ty, and, rather than have the duty neg
lected, Tammany sees that it is performed.
Toward the latter part of the day it will be
found that certain persons who are regis
tered have not voted and it then belongs
to the polling officers to copy such names
on slips and pass them to the proper par
ties outside; and it would hOrrify if not
amuse some of our wealthy millionaries
to see what ragged-clothed, bloated-faced,
and disreputable individuals represented
them at the polls, and performed for them
public duty which they had neglected.
This is repeating. l have given you but a
hurried sketch of it =; the votes pOlled by
it count up by tens of thousands. But,
successful as it was, it had its defects. The
repeaters began to imagine they were the
masters; they thought they held the pow
er because they were the instruments of
power To use political slang term, they
undertook to set up shop for themselves.
Still repeating, when kept in its place, is
not disapproved by our Ring rulers.
THE RINGING" DODGE.
The manipulation of the ballots-"Ring-
ing" the ballots, as it is appropriately
called-is very beautiful operation, and
is said by those who have tried it, to be
perfect. 1t is now the favorite plan it is
simple, inexpensive and effective. When
one of you good, innocent Republicans,
we will suppose, is going to the polls to
vote the wrong ticket or support the wrong
man, as you are so fond of doing, your
unwise intentions are quietly frustrated.
The inspector holds in his hand the ballot
you ought to deposit, and when he receives
yours, quietly substitutes one for the other,
and drops yours on the floor before he puts
his in the box. This is simple sleight-of-
hand trick, easily learned and readily APP
piled. If, however, you are suspicious and
watch the official if the latter is awkward
and inexperienced, a man near by pushes
against you or policeman selzes you and
accuses you of having voted before. Of
course apologies are Immediately rendered
for the rudeness, the inspectors are indig-
nant that so respectable gentleman should
be insulted, they abuse the rough or the
policeman, you are shown out with great
respect but your ballot went down OH the
floor and the substitute got into the box.
Repeating is expensive, false counting is
troublesome, our Tammany men are not
experts at arithmetic, and figures are often
troublesome, as our amiable Controller will
admit at this moment; but Ringing
ballots is complete success. 1t is only
necessary to buy Republican inspector,
and a small place or few hundred dollars
will usually do that.
FALSE COUNTING.
The third plan is false counting. This
is done generally by transferring the fig
ures bodily, For instance, if Jones, the
Tammany candidate, receives 20O the 200
of Smith are transferred to Jones, who
gives his 100 to Smith This is an eXquis-
ftely simple process, but in practice it is
said to work badly, and great complaint is
made of it by those who have tried it, In
the first place, the candidates are often too
nearly equal to give Tammany its just pre-
pOnderance or to overcome some persistent
0pposition in district where this plan
cannot be worked, for it is found utterly
impracticable in some districts. Its de-
fects can sometimes be cured by false
count. That is to say, the votes are count
ed by tens, one canvasser taking them up
and counting ten, when he calls tally"
and slips a piece of elastic around the
bundle. Of courre he has only to take
five votes instead OF ten, and call tally"
to augment greatly the chances of his ia
yorite In one instance this was done so
enthusiastically that the Tammany can
didate had received fifty Italics" or 500