New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-05-26
. THE BUREAU OF ELECTIONS BILL.
SOME PITHY SUGGESTIONS FROM Mr.. GEORGE
BLISS.
TO the razor Of me Tribune.

SOME PITHY SUGGESTIONS FROM MR.. GEORGE
BLISS.
To the razor Of me Tribune.
SIR: Whatever of sins, political or otherwise,
can pausiby accused Of blind devotion to John !.
OBren or his cause can hardly be laid door by the
most unrcasoning rcfOrmer venture therefore 10 sus
gest that great deal Of snseess and abuse u
being INDUCED i'm in consequence OF the defeat OF the
Elections Bureau bill. Such men ~ Clinton. OF Ere
BoynOn of Essex and others are denounced as wearing
johnny OBrcns collar" merely because they did hot
vote that calow product of earnest but impracuc
reform Had il reached the Governor hazard nothhs
in saying that he woud have treated 1t as he did the
Registers and County Clerks bill aud sent ii back or
pockcted IT, Let me call your attention to few oil It's
defects which know Influenced votes against IT,
l. The Constitution expressly provides by its amend
ment OF 1875 that private or local bill snail DC pasu
with reference tho opening and conducting OF elec
tons or designating places voting" This local bill ex-
pressy provided that the election commissioners
were to designate polling places" since the constltu-
tonal amendment OF SO its provisions have always
believe. been respectcd-though perhaps avo"ed In
every amen anent of election law by putting IL III
general bill applicable 10 all large cities Inc craftsman
OF the bill which failed fell into error by seeking TO
amend a section OF the Consolidation Act not Oh
serving that that section taken from the election
passed before the constitutional amendment ana that
IT was includcd In the Consolidation Act solely 10
make It complete as a compilation, while the original
election law was expressly left unrcpeaed to avoid the
constitutional difficulty.
2 Again. the proposed bill transferred the powers anu
duties of the present election bureau from the Police De
partmcnt to an independent organization. hut made no
adequate provision for the performance OF the dutics
Thus in October every year about 1000 election officers
are 10 he appointed. Each party organization presents
names for half Of these positions. Under the present
system the names are referred back TO the police captain
Of the precinct who make inquiry ana reports as {" each
one of them showing his business capacity habits etc
The result is always good many reflections Inc ne"
bill made no provision for the performance OF THIS uiV
examination II gave the election commissioners Il"
machinery for making these Inquiries themselves nor did
IL reJuire the police TO cooperate To create an IN
dependent machinery would have required much time
and much expense In like manner $50 polling places
have TO selected ard contracts made with the owners
These be in proper places In each election district
and not in liquor shop No machinery was PROVIDED ny
which the new commissioners could do this 80 III Gays
Of registration books Of registry and on days OF
voting the ballot boxes, must De got ut a. m to the
polling places The craftsman Of the bill made no ade-
Guate provision for this. once more inspectors con-
stany fail 10 appear days OF registration ana eec-
ton This fact IS now instantly reported by the police
telegraph and the vacancies are hled HOW was ti7 10
be done under tie new bill Probably the Information
was 10 be conveyed BY some citizen by postal card
do not say that under some general provisions OF the
proposed law the commissioners Of election could not
have provided matters In time but do say That
they could not have provided for them this year at all
and that at no time could they have provided for them
except at an expense for officers Inspectors
ETC. unless they hal been authorized to require the
malice 70 continue 10 perform these duties But if the
poce we're to do duties why transfer the bureau
from tho Police Department What other duties remain
to be performed Nothing but the designation Of the in
spccors and poll clerks and these officers are under the
law as it now stands selected By each political party aId
appointed BY the Police Department Inc bureau Oh
Elections has nothing to do with it,
2 There seems to be q vague idea abroad in tho com
muuty that the head Of the Bureau of Elections can III
some way cheat in the returns Any who reads the
law knows that this is impossible. Duplicate returns arc
filed with the County Clerk. and TIA ese ARE the ones used a.
their guides by the county cauydo~ers save III special
."sri till wanted Besides this there is the public
nounccncn made by c canvN,ers a. soon ~ caGh box
il counted and the Informal returns Itt W ~" I""
Department and read ont to the public election hlsht !
These latter must ray IN p",ShS alf ireTGI,R opn
to which referred Another check against fraud
knoWirIge OF o 1 eIeti15 law a sIiccos,fu fraud
c,nuot bc committed by any changes after he returns
are made out. Canyasscrs may occasionally che IN NC
count make mistake IN correct returns though
believe that is rare.
A. Tnc Juggling ~ 10 the appointing power under the
ro,,ord Inn wa, enough 10 cOulcmn It, Al lrst the /
G,r Justice of The supreme Court TO be one OF the
apI ointing power. That was aDahdohci hef'n,e we
CONSTITUTION was in the way Then the Recorder tlt|
Judge and Clef-Iu,ticcS OF the superior and Common
Pleas courts substituted 3ut on me mrrlhs lhat
and another Judge of the Common Pleas ub,i'u"d
This was because the Recorder va supposed 10 DE
Tamfun,y Hal; man aud the demand % an eN-MayOr,
W mo promised certain number OF votes ~ the Assem-
bly, the Common Pleas judge Wa substituted 10 repre-
sent the County DcuOcIa'l' JUS lV,S i"'','r, ~
Cling WAS done in The name OF reform by thc very men
who denOdnce as mere poh'i"h every one WHO "o"Iu
not vote 20 enact 10 into a law.
Somebody made Suggestive exclamation about
tbe crime, committed ia the name OF liberty. Were he
alive now would he not say something about the shaun,
ATTEMPTED under the name OF reform
D. while there general hOwliuc going on Tor
commissions the bill proposed create
cnniinIS ion four. instead OF TIC four Police Com
Ui and they to organic double headed
elective in place OF the present single headed
tins hin IVA, one which homes, sincerely DESTROYS
OF correcting abuse and OF far elections could not OPP
Dos. without bong himself exposed 10 me mputItlOn OF
low and corrupt motives
Your Obcdlcuf servant, GEORGE BLISS.
IosF sfsffsO