New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-04-17
WHAT NP. WILL1CE T4NTS.

Senator Wallace proposes to maintain the
American system of free elections" When
a Democrat talks in that way we know ex-
actly what he means. He resentS the pres
ence of Federal authority at the polls as an
invasion Of the rights of all Democrats t. do
Just what they please; and what it would
please Nj. Wallace to do, if Federal re-
straint upon cheating were taken away, we
can perhaps guess from the celebrated
offee-campaignn which made so much talk
in Pennsylvania about eleven years ago. Mr..
Wallace at that time was the chairman of
the Democratic State Committee. just be-
fore the election of 1867 lie issued conf
Dental circular to the county committees,
iastlucting them how to "get out voters"
"In very slow districts" said he, " would
"suggest special contract with active men,
thus: In 1865 the district pOlle1 100 Demo
"cratic votes III 1866, 100 Democratic votes; ;
"now for every Democratic vote over 10
"polled we Will pay fixed sum the day after
election. See that your agents have all Dem
" ocrats assessed, naturalized and their taxes
"pald.n The plan worked beautifully. A
large number OF railroad labOrers were
brought into contested district end supplied
with forged naturalization papers, newly
manufactured and stained with coffee to give
them the appearance OF age, the Committee
probably paying the contract price per head:
The frauds in the XXIst Senate District
were so glaring that the Democratic candi
date to whom the certificate had been
awarded was unseatcd after a Legislative
investigation, in the course of which Mr..
Wallace's theories of free (and oasy) cleo
lions were thoroughly exposed, and Wal
"lace's coAee-pot" became the joke of the
nation.
1t was because the country was resolved to
have no more such burlesque ballOting as
that practised in accordance with the Wallace
circular in Pennsylvania, or that conducted
by Tweeds agents and McCunn's contract
aliens in New-York, and no more swlndlng
in the count such as that perpetrated after
the famous Tilden circular Of 1868, that
the Federal statutes were enacted of which
the Democracy are now demanding the repeal.
The purpose of those statutes is well under
stood by everybody There is not "a moder-
ately intelligent Democrat in the United States
who does not knoU that the Federal Executive
does not, never did, and never can make use
of the election laws TO "Overawe' voters, or
interfere in any way whatever with The free
dom Of the ballot. No intelligent Democrat
believes in this pretence OF the party orators,
or believes that they believe In 1t themselves,
or believes that anybody else believes III it, The
laws have but one object, and can have no other /;
and that is to insure " that every legal voter
shall have full and fair opportunity to
"yote once at each election that no one
d" shall be allowed TO vote more than once !;
" and that mono but legal voters shall be al
lowed and empowered to vote at ALL"
There is the issue, plain and unmistakable, and
all the Democratic rhetoric cannot obscure it.
Do We mean to say, then, that Senator Wal
lace and the rest of his party are deliberately
attempting to remove laws from the statute
books IN order that they may have better
opportunity to commit fraudsf No, we do
not accuse these men of an intention to take
part personally i'll stuning ballot boxes, or
dipping forged papers in coffee. What we do
say is this. that every relaxation OF the safe
guards against fraud rebounds to the profit Of
the Democratic party, and that therefore the
Democratic leaders are resolved that these
safeguards shall be relaxed. Individually, they
do not intend to commit any wrong but as
politicians they mean to capture votes wher-
ever they can, and TO ask no questions. In
the largo cities like -New-York every law
which interferes with false registration, re-
peating, ard fraudulent naturalization reduces
the Demotl JIG majority, and therefore these
honorable gentlemen. who would not play
false and yet would wrongly win, demand that
such laws shall be repealed. In the Solid