The Portland daily press., 1877-09-22
TMeedism at the Polls.

The revelations made by Tweed before the
committee now examining him puts toshame
every Democrat who is shutting against fraud
and charging upon the Republican party the
crime of interfering with the freedom of bal
lot. The Democratic charges are utterly base
less and not an atom OF proof has been
brought forward to sustain them. But the
Democratic orators and journals need no
proof. Themselves guilty of tampering with
the ballot box they easily bring themselves to
believe that other men are as wicked as
they. Confiding in their own ability to
keep their frauds hidden from public obser-
vation they credited their opponents with
possession of the same cunning.
But now they have been put TO
public shame by the exposure of the methods
they practice to retain power in the chief city
of the country. 1t appears that Tweed was
heartily assisted in his work of controlling
elections by all the representative men of his
party. There has long been suspicion of
this, caused by the discovery of the infamous
Tilden circular of 1868 and similar docu-
ments. That suspicion has now become
a certainty, through the confession of the
leader in the crime. 1t has been the system
attic practice for years of New York Demo-
Gratis to falsify the election returns in the city
and thus overcome the honest Republican
majority cast by the rest of the State. And,
though Tweed has fallen, the men who aided
him still retain places of power, and still
manipulate election returns. 1t was only
last fall that the fraudulent vote of New York
came near seating in the Presidential chair
the man who had rrofited by it so often
before.
Tweed's confession is frank and direct, as
will be seen by the subjoined report of his
testimony. The "actiye men" of whom he
speaks are the leaders of reformed Tam
many" to-day. The report says:
@. Now, with regard to the management of
the elections of the city and county officers,
and general elections in the city and county
when you were in Office, did the ring control
the elections in this city at that time? A. Yes,
sir, absolutely.
@. Please tell me what the modus operandi
of that was? A. Each ward had repre-
sentative man who controlled matters in his
OWD Waru, ana 10 WnOm tne various members
of the General Committee of Tammany Hall
were looked up to for advice and instructions
how to carry on the elections
@. What were they to do in case you were to
elect one man over another? A. Count the
ballots in bulk without counting each, announce
the result by bulk without counting, or change
from one TO the other, as the case may have
been.
@. Then the elections were really no elec-
tops at all; the ballots were made to bring
about anyNresult you smay choose to make?
A. The ballots made no result; the counters
made the result daughter
@. That could not have been done without
local aid anywhere, could it? A. That was
generally done in most every ward by the
gentlemen who had charge of the ward.
@. Now, then, state to the committee the
names of all persons so far as you can recollect
to whom you made such requests when the
results indicated to your mind that your request
had been complied with? A. 1t is matter
pretty much Of imposslbility. 1 talked to all
the active men, and all the leaders in every
ward at every election, but 1 cannot tall what
my conversations Awere with individuals nor
what the results were from that conversation
l can give the names of parties who controlled
there