New-York tribune., 1874-10-23
ENORMOUS RING FRA UDS IN PHIL
ADELPHIA.

ENORMOUS RING FRAUDS IN PHIL
ADELPHIA.
FRAUDULENT REGISTRATION OF PERHAPS
10000 NAMES.
THE COURTS PURGING THE LISrs-FOUR THOUSAND
NAMES so FAR STRUCK OFF AT THE INSTANCE
OF THE DEMOCRATs-ONE-THIRD OF THE NAMES
FICTITIOUS IN SOME OF THE DIsTRICrs-A WORK
THAT HAS BEEN IN PROGRESS FOR MONTHS.
[rRoM THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE rRIBUNEl
PHILADELPHIA, Oct 2l.-For more than q week
past the Court of Common Pleas of this city has
been at work every day purifying the registry lists
by striking off bogus names placed upon them by
the assessors. system of fraud has been exposed
80 extensive and 80 cunniDgy devised that there is
no question that it was planned by the Ring man
ayers, and was designed to make the approaching
election as much of farce elections used to be un
der the old law. when returns were regularly fals-
fed and fictitious maorities fabricated for the Ring
candidates. Suffrage has long ceased to be right
of any value to an honest citizen in Philadelphia.
1t was hoped, however, that the new Constitution
would restore pure elections by making fraud diff
fcult and dangerous but the Ring were not long in
finding way to get around its carefully planned
restraints They determined to abandon the old
system of false counting as no longer SAFE and to
substitute a scheme of wholesale "personation by
men employed to 60 from precinct to precinct and
vote upon mystical names placed by the assessors
upon the registry lists. Instructions were accord
ingy issued to the Republican assessors last June.
and the work of fraud went on 80 systematically
that now that it is partially discovered. it is OBJ
vious that it was planned by authority In the
party whose orders law to these petty officials.
Under their manipulation the registry lists swelled
to amazing proportions. Vacant lots were credited
with dense population. Quiet citizens who had
the curiosity to scrutnize the lists astonshed
to discover that several abe-boded voters of whose
existence they had no knowledge. boarded at their
houses. Othsrs learned that two or three "mer-
chants" clerks" or mechanics" lived In their side
yards or stables. Builders who had just laid the
foundations of new of dwellings found that the
assessors had kindly assigned them tenants in ad-
vance, and that every prospective house was the
residence of half dozen voters. The Common Pleas
Court has power to strike from the list any names
which it is shown have been wrongfulIy placed
there, and two Judges, Ludlow and FInletter are
giving their time to this work. AT first the Repub-
can Committee in attendance at the sttings OF the
Court resisted the efforts of the Democrats to have
the lists purged and contested every but finding
their persistent and the Judges determined
to aid in securing fair election, they gave it up and
now appear 10 hope that tho matter will be allowed
to drop when the mythical names are stricken of.
and that no efforts will be made to punish the per-
petratOrs of these gigantic crimes against the fran
chise Every days proceedings of the Court furnish
new evidence of the magnitude of the registration
frauds. Up to last night 1900 bogus names had
been stricken off at the instance of the Democrats
To offset these the Republicans could count but 147
stricken from lists prepared by Democratic asses
sors The Democrats claim that these names were
put on by pretended Democrats in the pay Of the
Ring. In one sitting of the Court last week 573
names were erased, the Republicans admitting that
they were all fraudulent Yesterdays work of pur-
CATION cleared off COS. Up to noon to-day Judge
Finietters court struck Oft 6O4.
In some divisions as the precincts are now called.
where there are but 200 legal voters from 90 to 80
bogus names have been discovered. In "a division
lists examined yesterday the average of bogus
to each was e. II this average holds good
throughout the 40 DIVISIONS in the city, fraudulent
registration reaches the enormous total Of 10000
names in voting population of about 10000. 1t
is noteworthy fact that the friends of VIM. B.
Manu. the chief Of the Ring, and their candidate for
reelection to the District-AttOrneyshp. named this
figure of 10000. few days ago. as the majority be
of getting and that since the Court has been
saughtering mythical Ring voters the pretensions
Of these friends have been coming down in proper
ton to the number of fraudulent names that have
been stricken from the lists.
Now as to the proof that the Ring Ia responsible
for these frauds In the first place, all Of the ct,-
tious names except an inconsiderable number, are
acknowledged to be the work of Republican asses
sors and to have been put upon the lists for the sole
purpose of being voted upon by Republican repeat
ers Then it is plain that the Democrats didAot try
to initiate this scheme of fraud in divisions where
they had the assessors or the Republicans would
have found more than III fictitious names in those
divisions to show against the total Of nearly 5000
already discovered by their opponents. Finally,
the fact that the Republican frauds not confined
| to any one ward but are discovered oil over the
city, and are everywhere of the same character,
shows that there must have been concert of action.
1t is incredible that these assessors continued this
enormous scheme Of fraud and voluntarily made
themselves liable to term in the penitentiary for
the purpose of helping to elect their friend VIM. b.
Mann and the other candidates on the Ring ticket,
without the direction or knowledge of the Leading
Ring politicians If there is any pluck left in the
Citizens Reform Association or in the Democratic
leaders, some of these rascslly assessors will be put
In the dock of criminal court, and the thinly.
hidden tracks Of the chief Ring politicians which
lead all throu Oh this swinding registration business
will be uncovered.
An IysoLEyT CONDUCTOR REBUKED.
70 the Rditor Of Tke Trtbsne.