New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-10-03
HiHD Up.

1t is announced, a. if by authority, that the
Scratching Committee" of three young men
who have undertaken to settle this matter OF
the State election for us, and to pick ont the
candidates whom we may be allowed to vote
for. is in dire pecuniaTy straits. 1t needs
money for printing for correspondence. and
for other details Of organization" People
who desire to "break mp the machine are
requested to send it contributions, however
small" Possibly the smaller the better. The
three young men have been obliged thus far
to pay their own postage and buy their own
envelopes; and since they are engaged in
Great Public Work, they feel that the public
ought to come to their relief at least to the
extent of few nickels.
As the campaign goes on the three young
men seem disposed to enlarge their sphere
of activity. They proposed at first to smash
the machine by solemnly drawing 4 pencil
mark across the name of one candidate on
the Republican ticket. \ few DAYS of reflec-
ton satisfied them that the job could not be
properly done without scratching at least
two. 4 third miserable offender was pres
emily marked out for crasure and by this
time a perfect mania for scratching seems to
have taken possession of the committee, so
that their ballots on election day are likely
To consist entirely of scratches, without any
names at all. They have been instructed, as
we understand. that by voting the Republic
can ticket, and scratching cut the names
on il. they can elect the party but de-
feat the candidates and thus smash
the machine beyond the possibility of repairs.
This work of destruction accomplished, they
ho mi ~
of the metropolis will he spontaneously TO-
cussed on somebody, and that Tilden, Kelly,
Tim Campbell, james O'Brien. David Dudley
Field, Tom Dreamer and all other objection
able persons will be completely and finally
OverpOwered.
If no doubt surprises and disgusts these
Young men to be told that they are working
for the Democratic party, and if they succeed
in teaching the present duty OF scratching to
any considerable number of voters, the sole re-
suit will be the election of Robinson and the es-
adjustment OF the Cipher Democracy in full con-
troll of the City and State. They are apparently
not aware of that property OF the balance
which causes one scale to rise whenever the
other is weighed down. But they are running
about town, chattering over their device and
begging the pennies of the weakminded to
keep il going, under the impression that they
have found out how to circumvent the laws
of nature and the rules of arithmetic. 1t is
nm interesting coincidence that their appeal is
made public in the midst of the scandal of
Governor Robinson's assault upon the Police
Board and the Supreme Court. They purpose
If they can get help enOugh-tO scratch Mr..
Robinson into Office for another term, by way
of rebuking the interference of administrative
and appointing officers with the manage
ment of electoral campaigns. Beautiful
thought For here is Mr.. Robinson over
turning the entire police force, setting
the Mayor in motion to remove and nominate
public functiOnaries by the dozen, calling
special terms of court, pitting judge against
Judge, getting everybody tied up with manda-
muses. and injunctions, involving the Municipal
Government in shameful confusion, to tho in
calculable injury of the taxpayers, In order
that he may use the machinery of the police
for his own reelection. We have no wish to
speak harshly of Mr.. Robinson but his be-
havior and that of his official partisans, in
the present extraordinary crisis, has been
outrageous; and we are much mistaken in
our estimate of his character If. when the
passions of the contest have cooled, he do not
look back at the events of the past few weeks
with bitter self-reproach. Ii is difficult to
speak OF these disgraceful transactions with
out excitement. They constitute one of the
worst complications of "machine politics "
that we have witnessed in this city since
Tweed and the Ring judges ran the natural
ization mill. And yet the Scratching Commit
m ,r.ll what i the UsQ