Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1876-11-01
"REFORM" In NEW YORK.

Arrangements of the Democratic Leader.
to Poll n Large Fraudulent Vote-A Start
ling Exposure.
From the New York Evening Mail.
Weeks ago we showed that the Demo
cratic leaders of Tammany had under
taken, by gigantic fraud, to sieze the
political power of the State, and so tc
entrench themselves in this and other
cities, that there would be no proba.
bIl1ty OF danger from the heavy Repub-
llcan majorities usually cast in the
rural districts. We showed that the
cornerstone of the plan was laid
when the census was taken in
June of last year. The plan was
to have returned, in that census,
as voters, every white male resident
who was old enough to pass muster as
OF age when the time for registration
came around, no matter whether he
was naturalized or not. But they were
to remain quiet in 1875, as the election
in that year was comparatively unim-
portant, and 1t would not do to rush
upon the registries this horde of I'M
known men until false naturalization
papers had been prepared, and the ig-
norant aliens had been thoroughly
drilled in the work they were to per
form. Therefore the registration last
year was even less than 1874 and 1872.
and not until the census returns were
called for by the Legislature did the
contemplated swindle become generally
known.
But when the census Office reported
232, 900 voters in New York city alone,
where we had never registered LAT, 900.
and never cast 1874. 900, the people saw
the fraud at once. To show these names
on the census would be prSaua fucie
evidence that they were really voters;
to get them registered was the next
point. The failure of the re-apportion-
ment last winter was hindrance. Had
the city been redistricted, the familiar
boundaries of Senate, Assembly and
election districts would have been
changed, and the addition of fifty votes
here and hundred there would not
have been detected. But they did some
thing toward the swindle, in spite of
these drawbacks. On the first day this
year almost $1,000 names were regis
tered; on the corresponding day last
year only 81, 900 were recorded. An in
crease of 81 per cent. shows rather more
interest in the coming election than
most people would be likely to admit.
1t is an enormous and suspicious in
crease, which, if carried out through
three days yet to come, would largely
overrun even the census aggregates.
In Brooklyn more definite evidence
of ballot box stufing has already come
to light. There the rascally work is
done by the Tilden Reform Democrats,
and exposed by the Republicans, the
Independents, and the Slooum Demo
Gratis. The unusual number of names
registered on Tuesday last, and the
particular sections where the increase
over previous years was greatest, led to
the appointment of a competent COM
nn1ttee OF gentlemen, who have under
taken to investigate the business thor
oughly. They have already gone
through eight wards, and, Judging from
the number illegally registered in these
sections, there must be at least
5000 names illegally registered in the
whole city. In the Seventeenth ward
there were over 200 fraudulently re-
corded; in the Nineteenth, $50; in the
Seventh, $50; Twenty 265;
Twenty fifth, $50; Eleventh, 200;
Twenty-third, 400; Sixteenth, 200. It
was found that from many houses
where only three OR four voters lived a
much larger number was registered, in
some cases as high as fourteen or fif-
teen. In other cases the names of indi-
viduals in any residence were ascer-
tanned, and these names were registered
IN each Of the districts of the ward. It
was alleged that a large number of the
steret gangs of New York had been
brought over to do this work on regis
tration day, and would be used again at
the election.