The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-11-10

strained to affirm that the long delay in re-
turning the vote for State officers looks sus-
| picious and ought to be investigated. We
are aware of the excuses that may be offered
for the delay, but they seem insufficient.
The number of split tickets is, no doubt,
unusually large; but they are probably not
larger in the rural districts than in the
cities, and in most of the cities the count
on the State tickets was completed and the
result announced within less than two
days after the close OF the polls. Nearly
week has elapsed and large proportion OF
the country towns still remain to be heard
from. 1t is difficult to imagine any honest
excuse for so unexampled delay, and still
more difficult to believe that the delay
would have happened if the vote for sub
ordinate State officers had not been very
close.
When it was found by the returns from
the cities that the two tickets for minor State
offices were running neck and neck there
was a strong temptation for dishonest poll
ticians to tamper with the canvass in the
remainder of the State. We do not assert
that this temptation was yielded to, but the
circumstances are SO suspicious rs to de-
mand thorough investigation. What
took place under the Tweed regime
in 1868 shows the possibility and the
method of changing the result of
o close election by false counting. 1t
will be recollected that in that year cir
cular signed Tor purporting to have been
signed, for Mr.. Tiiden promptly denied
that his name was used with his consent or
even his knowledge by the chairman of
the Democratic State Committee was
sent through the rural districts requesting
that the count of votes be telegraphed at
once to New York on the night of the cleo
ton. The purpose of that request was
obvious. 1t was the intention OF its
authors to make up by false count
ing in the city the deficiencies in
the rural vote and secure a majority at all
hazards Tweed's inspectors of election
were found equal to the occasion. Gov
ernor Hoffman was elected by dishonest
majority created by false counting, and it
was that disgraceful feat which caused Con-
gress to pass the federal Election lava
| tons in which Presidential electors or
members of Congress are chosen.
Such dishonest tactics can be employed
with success only in close elections, when
| the earliest returns suffice to show that the
result depends on a small number of votes.
| In such state of circumstances there is
always reasonable ground of suspicion if
| <ha mi 4 ctr otC
kept back for On unusual and unexplained
length of time. Citizens have right to
demand that such unwonted delays be
fully accounted for in every instance where
they occur. Unless they can be proved
| to have been unavoidable it is a
fair inference that they were dishonest
and were artfully contrived for the pur-
pose Of manipulating the returns and Gre
ating false majority. The burden OF
proof lies upon those election officers who
have failed to declare the result within o
reasonable time.
The law is very strict in requiring a
prompt canvass OF the votes in each cleo
ton district and an immediate declaration
| of the result. The law prescribes the or
|
| box shall be counted. As soon as the
box which comes first in order has
been gone through with the result must be
declared before the contents Of the next
box are examined. In Presidential year
the box containing thevote for Presidential
electors is first taken in hand, but this year
there was no vote for Presidential electors.
| mn :ob II = L.
pens to be the first, is that containing the
votes for State officers. The contents of
this box must be counted and de-
clared before the next succeeding one is
touched, and it seems preposterous to
suppose that Ave or six days can be hon.
estly consumed in counting the few hun
dred votes in the one ballot box which
comes first in order. and which must be fully
completed before one of the others is
opened. The law whose substance we have
stated is as follows =
As soon the poll Of election shall havo been
finally closed the inspectors Of the said election in
their several Districts shall proceed to canvass the
votes. Such shall be public, and shall not
be adjourned or postponed until 1t shall have been
| finally completed.
This evidently assumes that the contents
ished at one sitting. The law further
| directs -
! At the completion OF the canvass Of each box the
chairman of the inspectors of election shall make
| public oral proclamation OF the whole number OF
votes in such box and Of the whole number given to
each person. with the namc of the Office TO which
| such person named in the ballots.
The law contemplates the completion OF
the whole canvass Of all the boxes in each
| l;,tr 81 81 bav,
there is box for Presidential electors and
one for members of Congress. The task
should easily be gone through with ut one
| sitting in mere State election when these
two boxes are wanting So far as the
vote for State officers is concerned
| it is the same as If there were
only one box to be counted, since that par
| 10 I'd nd "A