Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1879-10-04
AUDACIOus TAmmANY MOVE.

ers of Elections in New York are
appointed by the Police Commits
sioners, and il is the law there that
they shall be appointed from both
parties. Now bearing in mind the
facts that the Tammany organiza-
ton has bolted the nomination OF
the Democratic State Convention,
that Kelly has nominated himself
the Tammany candidate for Gov
ernOr for the avOwed purpose Of
beating the Democratic nominee,
the only possible effect of which
must be, if successful, the election
of the Republican candidate Cor
nell flor Kelly admits that he can
not be elected himselD. Bearing in
mind all these things, which are
epitomized by saying that Tam
many and the Republicans are both
working for Cornell and desire his
election. What are we to think of
the effrontery of Kelly, who in the
name of the Tammany organization
has demanded that instead of APP
pointing as Democratic Inspectors
men who work for the regular nom
inee of the party, two Tammany
men shall be appointed the effect OF
which will be that the Inspectors on
both sides will be men working for
Cornell? But then what is their
impudence compared with the
shamelessness of a Judge of the
Supreme Court of New York who
serves an injunction on the Police
Commissioners embodying all the
demands of the Tammany club?
Such a judge has been found in the
person of the Hon. Justice West
brook, of the New York Supreme
! Court.
As Democrats we will not trust
ourselves to designate such con-
duct, but will print the commentary
of the New York Evening Post, a
respectable and heightened Repub-
lican paper:
Justice Westbrook cannot be surprised at
| the outSpOken criticism of his judicial inter-
| ference in the quarrel of the Democrats of
/ this city which comes from almost all quar-
/ tiers, Not since the days OF Tweed and Fisk
/ has any one Justice given such an example
/ of his readiness to use his authority in ques-
/ tionable ways at the demand of any indi-
/ viduals. 1t Is one of the anomalies of the
| judicial system of this State that supreme
! Court Justice of any district can be called ON
/ to interfere in matters pertaining TO any
/ other district. But when one Justice living
in the Third Judicial District is persistentiy
/ applied to to decide questions arising in the
| First Judicial district, which has i've Su-
preme Court Justices of its own, the infer
! ence is natural that the Interested persons
| have some reason to expect more consldera-
| ton from the country Justice than they can
obtain from tie ones at home; ana the Iof-
mer has only himself to blame If some
such motive as that which the World i'm
puteS to Justice WestDrOOk is found to
account for his course. The surprising fea-
/ ture of Judge WestbroOk's order to the
Police Commissioners Is that 1t commands
those officers to show cause why they should
not appoint as election inspectors, not two
Democrats and two Republicans as the law
directs, but two Democrats and two Repuo-
leans The law, which has been frequently
quoted, knows no such thing as Tammany
or anti-Tammany. All that it requires is
that two of the four inspectors in each dis
trct ''shall be of different political faith and
opinions from their associates This is
plain and specific. Any lawyer can under
be puzzled over it. If we look at the intent
Of the law the position of this justice Is not
improved. The inspectors are intended to
rsee that each ballot is put into the box as
presented, and that there shall be a fair
count of the votes. The two Republican In
spectOrs and the two Democratic inspectors
are expected to watch their opponents, and
thus to prevent any fraudulent practices
The Democratic Police Commissioners hold
that the Democratic inspectors should be
Democrats who favor Gov. Robinson and
the ticket which he heads Mr.. Kelly has
said that he mas no thought of his own cleo
ton, but that he is running only TO defeat
Mr.. Robinson and to elect Mr.. Cornell by
I Will not, therefore, every purpose of the
law be obtained III the inspectors in each
district consist OF two Republicans and two
Robinson Democrats? The Republican in
spectors, knowing that every vote for Kelly
will be an assistance to Cornell, will have
every inducement to see that the Tammany
votes, well as the votes of their own
party, are honestly deposited and honestly
counted, while the Democratic inspectors
will have to look after the Robinson tickets.
But If the courts in the end shall decide that
the Democratic inspectors must be Tam
many men, then the whole supervision OF
the election in this city will be In tile hands
of Gov. Robinson's opponents just as practi-
cally as If each board of inspectors was COM
posed of four Republicans. In other words,
the whole intent Of the law will be ignored.
Since the above was written, we
learn that Judge W estbrook's man.
damus has been reversed in the
United States Supreme Court, Judge
Davis taking occasion to administer
a scathing implied rebuke to Judge
Westbrook.