New-York tribune., 1876-12-29

evil and cOrrupting tendency. upon this
noint there must of necessity be constant and
unceasing war. That is the natural condition,
and we cannot hope ever TO be freed from it
| by any policy of compromise or treaty OF
peace. The present danger is-and it is always
present-that we shall sit down in WEAKNESS
of the struggle, and be content under rascally
management and dishonest practices without
a murmur of honest Indignation.
II is not good sign that a committee of in
vestigation in the City of New-York unearths
such n customer as Mr.. Thomas Duffy, who
testified before Mr. COx's committee on We'd
nesday, and it is taken as amatteI OF course,
neither Mr.. Thomas Duffy exhibiting any
sense of shame or anybody else the slightest
indignation. This man Duffy, it appears from
his own testimony, delivered without blush,
was appointed Chairman of the Board OF
Canvassep, of the, Fourth Election District OF
the Fifteenth Assembly District upon the
recommendation of Henry G.. Leask, Clerk
of Judge Gedney's Court, on the corner OF
"Twenty- -seventh-st. and Seventb-ave." And
this is the story he tells. 1t will not bear con-
densing:
I1scd to meet Ieask Mike Costello and other Repnb-
can friends of mine nearly every night at political CLUB
campaign meetings. Leask told me that must try to be
elected Chairman OF the Board OF CanvasSers one OF the
two Tammany men the board was friend OF mine'
and when We met together the first day OF regsy re
voted for me aud was elected Charmnn after the last
day OF registry some 2s or 900 were registered
met Mike Costello one night the corner OF Thry-
ffthst and EghtEave. be asked me II would shahse
the returns at my pollngpace, so that the nJor ior
Tildcn would show for Hayes; asked him how much u
would be worth, and he said 1t would be worth Sloo III
my pocket told him thought 1t could be DONE and
men who than did at the head OF the matter
that there was peuty OF money TO be spent aud the State
would certainly go for Hayes the system Costello pro-
posed was be carried in effect through the whole state
acqucsced Mr.. Leask helped to get me my appoint
ment as Chairman Of the Board of Canyassers; bhy
Fowler the Democratic inspector who voted ior me
as Chairman told friend named Frank Duffy aoout
the matter and he advised me not to do was out OF
work however and thought II could do the business
and make some money would have done 1t believed
that the game 10 he played everywhere Ill the stare
little suspicious OF Cosellos offer To pay me Sloo'
for he didn't have that much soap himself to spare
don't think the Tanmany inspectors, vino were friends
OF minc would have sent TO prison II had been
caught in tine Job expected to do the job uhs the
night Of the election Costello then came to me an said
he thought was too we'll watched tO do the JOB sau
Thought IL could be DONE but he didn't have the money
and decided TO leave the matter alone
Now, that is an interesting bit OF testimony,
isn't it? The man reels it off as complacent-
" as though IT was rather crcditabe per-
formance instead of confession OF con-
spiracy to cheat whole community, which
was defeated only by lack of funds and not
by any scruples on his part. He seems not to
have the slightest idea that the thing he pro-
posed to do was infamous. And for that mat
ter the committee receiving the testimony and
the community reading it do not appear to
have been struck with the remarkable candor
of this confessed scamp. or to have discovered
anything unusual or startling in his PROPOSE
ton to change majority for 1ilden to ma
| iority for Hayes. II occurs 10 lis that it would
be n very proper thing for honest Republicans
to do, to consider precisely what this man
Duffy's offensc, or contemplated oliense, would
have been if it had succeeded. He talks very
much in a mattcr-of-fact way about COM
| plete system of fraud and cheating through
out the State, as though that was
| trihing matter and the details OF 1t
| the merest buSincss transactions. And
| if he is 10 be belevcd-Of which there Is per-
haps more than Z reasonable dOubt-he got his
appoip tInont from Mr. Leask, who is clerk of
Judge Gcdney'5 court, and it was with the un-
derstanding that he should cheat tho people
of his district out of their votes and their
choice. 1t strikes us that the Republican judge
who appointed Mr.. Leask, as well as Mr. Leask
himself, might proftably explain to the Repub-
| licans who elected them their connection with
this business. TIE TRIBUNE has heretofore
repeatedly called the attention of honest Re
publican5 in this city to the questionable prac-
! tees which it was only too apparent some of
the Republican managers were engaged in. 1t
now asks that the case of this fellow Duffy be
taken up, and if his story be false that the
party be relieved from the imputatiOn he has
put upon 1t; if true, that steps be taken to
cleanse the party by kicking out the scoun-
drcls who were engaged in or who gave cOun-
tenance to the scheme of robbery described.