The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1876-10-26
Tilden and Reform,
The New York Election Frauds-Co,on,..
of Illegal Voters-Convicts veiiax by
Proxy-TiIden Lodging Honses.

The New York papers are full of details Of
the manner in which election frauds are per.
| petrated blythe reform Democrats Of that CITY,
| investigation shows that preparations have
been made for Illegal registration and natural
ization on large scale. Colonies of tramps
ana dlsreputable persons have been found hail
ing from improvised lodging houses, or from
uancing nails, saloons, cahal-boats, or private
'esidehces. Men have registered under the
names OF convctS, minors have sworn falsely
as TO their age, and the names of Centennial
visitors, stopping perhaps ouly day at hotel
of low class, have been used by unscru pulous
repeaters. The work of the courts shows that
the number of naturalization papers granted in
increasing every week.
The Tribune give an account of the manner
in which the raseals are working. One fraudu-
lent practice which has grown in favor with
the repeaters is that of registering in the names
OF convicts. Very few of the criminals who
are sent to New York to the penitentiary or to
the state prison at Sing Sing are really dis
franchised, as is popularity supposed to be the
case, as they are represented at the polls by
faithful friends of the same political faith.
Where such cases are detected in revising the
~
Offering to vote in the convcts name is arrested
on election day If he comes to the polls. In
some OF the lower wards the claimants to these
prison names are registered in large numbers.
Giving the place of residence at an empty
mouse or vacant lot is less practiced in the
city than in former years. This method, under
the present system of registration, involves
risk of detection greater than the repeater or
imported voter cares to take. The favorite plan
this year is that of registering at cheap iodg-
ing houses in the lower wards and from the
more pretentiOus "boarding houses in the up
town districts. These SO called boarding
houses have been started in great numbers in
some localities, and are put under surveillance
OF officers as soon as their character is sus-
pected One OF these houses, with handsome
stone front, is not very far from the Fifth Az
enne Hotel: Eight voters have already regis
tered as living at this number. None of the
men can be found at home when called for
and one man appears to be the sole occupant
OF the house. In some instances the fact that
the house is not the place of residence of the
men claiming to live there is sscertained by
addressing letter to the number given, but IN
a majority of cases the letter is received by
some person in the house to be delivered when
the "boarder" returns. The frst-class hotels
furnish their quota of illegal voters as well as
men sojourning in the city, whose homes are in
south carolina, Louisiana, and other Southern
states, have registered as permanent residents
at some of the leading hotels. In some cases
IHCy hdNo uOI Oeeu III ln6 City tnr6o weeks.
How extensively the colonization of voters
has been carried on between New York, Brook
lyn and Jersey City has not been ascertained.
Nearly all the down town wards have received
accessions to their registries from Brooklyn and
Jersey City, and large number of naturalza-
tion papers have been issued in jersey City to
persons who have already obtained them in
New York.
The 1st Assembly District comprises the
First, Second, Third and Fifth Wards, and
COVerg all the lower DOrfiOn nf the pitu hnupdad
by the North and East Rivers and extending
north as far as Canal street on the west and
Ferry street on the east, and is one of the dis
trlcts in which active preparations are being
made for fraudulent voting. From the locali-
ties which it contaius it is admirably adapted
for the purpose. 1t lies along the river fronts
and contains many cheap boarding and lodg-
ing houses, which are being used for the pur-
poses OF false registration. Several well-con-
ceived methods have been detected by which IL
Is intended to try and swell the vote of the
district beyond its proper limits. In West and
w Washington streets there are q large number
of Centennial boarding and lodging houses
which have had runners about the ferries so
Letting custom, and which have entertained
large number OF transient people during the
summer and fall, most of them visitors going
to or coming from the Centennial. A list of
names selected from their registers has been
kept at these places, equal in point Of num-
bers TO the capacity of each house, and per-
petuated upon lhe books until the present time
and now repeaters are registering in these
names, claiming to have been residents of
these places for from 80 to 60 days. Large
sums OF money are necessary to carry on these
operations, which are exceedingly well planned
and emnently calculated to deceive. Sailor
boardng-houses are turning out their full
capacity of voters, and where necessary, it is
asserted lists of names are furnished them of
the men they are to claim as residents, and
men are imported from New Jersey to register
in those names. 1t is known that men have
registered in two and in some cases in as many
as four election districts in this part OF the city.
From the "Home Dormitory"-a lodging
house at No. 207 Bowery-14 men have regis
tered. This place, which is on the first floor of
a building of respectable appearance, was
visited by Tribune reporter. He found the
proprietor in large room in which we're about
30 cots; and after little conversation, from
which the landlord inferred that if his house
was of the fright sort" he might have q num-
Der of applicants for accommodations, the fol-
lowing information was gathered: "Any num-
ber' of men could be accommodated. At
present there were only about 80 beds, and all
were occupied, except five or six; but arrange
ments could be made for ''any number" 1t
would not be necessary for the dodgers to stay
in the house every night. "Ob, no; staying
here once in while makes them residents
Any letters directed to the house would of
course be received, and no information would
be given about the residents" except in the
most guarded manner. OF course the beds
would only be paid for when they were occu-
landlord closed by reassuriug the reporter that
everything would be kept quiet, and that it
would certainly be ''all right" And he
winked knowinolv