National Republican., 1880-07-19
THE GREAT FRAUDS OF 1868
Johnny Davenport Gives More Light on
the Democratic Plans.
What They Mean by free Ballot-Ths
Inside History OF How Seymour
Carried New York

New YORK, July 17.--Senators Wallace,
Mcdonald Hoar ana Blair continued their
labors to-day as members Of tho Wallace in
vestigating committee, commissioner John l..
Davenports examination being continued.
Postmaster James aud the assistant postmaster
were interested spectators of the proceedings.
Considerable timc was spent by the committee
in an ondeayor to put question satisfactory
TO all to the witness In regard to tho law.
Under the law the witness said If Is was n
single case in which voter voted OH papers,
be would not arrest, but if IL were in / 900
cases ne would take ID as evidence Of fraud by
tho court, and would interfere; and il n com.
plant was made of tho single case ho would
Of course hold tho vote. Continuing, he said:
I'm 1867 one voter was indicted in this stare
for PERJURY in swearing 90 an affidavit of
naturalization aud tho forms used then were
the same ms used by tho court in 1868 A
writ of cortorari was sued out TO review the
proceedings.
"The clerk of tho superior court testified be-
| fore tho senate committee that the admit
| tance of cti2ons was cntorcd in the minntes of
| the court. Tho supreme court of the United
States holds that record should be kent by
the court which was not done in the 1868
papers, and tho clerk could issue u certified
copy of tho certificate by which IN alien was
naturaized.
"From 1874 to 1853 tho clerhskept records,
and then failed to do so again until 1872. Wit
mass directed the supervisors to pay no atten-
tiOn to Judge Frcedman's opinion, as the de.
cision WAS based on an application nunc pro
1 tmc to have record made, the aihdayits having
been filed ten years previous. The Coleman
case was n case of certiorari, in which the tes-
| timony showed that tho plaintiff had never
appeared in court but had obtained his Ger.
tificate. Coleman was one of the parties ar
rested in 1878, and he sued out a writ OF
habeas corpus and certiorari and the case was
submitted to Judge Batchford as made.up
case. 1t was conceded that there was moth.
ing in the court save tho indices and the ap'
plication on file and though there were nc
othor minutes, Judge BlachlOrd held that the
| afHdavits with Judge AItCunn's initials were
sufficient, the record in that case not being be-
fore the judge under impeachment. In the
supreme court to-day they arc throwing aside
their old indices and making new ones, for q
matter of convenience.
"When issued warrants for arrest In 1S7;
on 1868 papers for persons who registered,
firmly believed that tho papers were fraulu
lent and void, and l still boliovo so. There
are still somo Of those papers outstanding, and
If in the coming campaign complaints ara
made l will consider it my duty to arrcs
them. do not think there Is mau holdiul
questioned. They arc hearing IL every day
They have received notices, they know of IL
by challenges, by tho different investigation,
and the proceedings Of the courts"
Mr.. Davenport read statistics OF the mum
bor Of immigrants and the number of natural
i2ation papers Issued. 81 have read the testi
mony of mir. Boese, the clerk Of tho superior
court, and his testimony in regard to the cen
sus of 1875 was incorrect. ] went over tn,
roturns with tho committee at Albany, and
found that they were generally true; thai
through the stupidity of eDumerators womcr
were put down as voters, and tho aliens nnt
voters wero mixed. In 1873 there were 10
odd thousand voters aud the census enumcra
tors had some 100000. In that year 1s3,0o
voters registered"
Senator Blair asked Mr.. Davenport TO OK
plain his method of operation. The witnes
said that on. of Ill 900 population $4,000 wer
registered by him, and almost that numbe
voted. Witness said that he testified bolor
the Cox and Caulheld committees. Ho ha'
enlarged very much on the testimony whicl
he had just given, more so than he had testi
fed to before tho land committee. In 1877
about 10000 persons endeayored to vote oil
fraudulent naturalization papers obtained il
ltOn