The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1890-02-26
THE CONSPIRACY.
now rnE MACHINERY OF FRAUD WAS CON
TRIvED.


THE HUDSON COUNTY FRAUDS THE NATURAL Al
q PREpEsTiNKD RESULTS OF DEMOCRATIC PAR
TfsAN LEGISLATION LAST YEAR.
Aeic Iogk World, Fe5 i7M.
Election frauds are not rarities in Hue
/ son county. Every man In New Jerse
, who knows anything about politics kno,
that there has not been an honest electio
held Ia the county for many years. Pee
pie have become accustomed TO hearin
of fraud in Hudson and accept 1t as
matter Of course.
Prominent party leaders have frequent
ly admitted that the political machiuer,
in Hudson is corrupt beyond all that la
been charged. These leaders we're ambi
tious. They paid tribute 10 the machine
and secured the coveted nominations. A
Democratic nomination in Jersey City OF
Hudson county that is not confined 10 a
single district is usually equivalent TO an
election.
Politicians outside of the county have
contributed money to aid these frauds,
profited by what they look upon as heroic
measures and made no complaint.
Professional ballot box suffers b,
potent factors about election time. They
are as well-known as any other "profes.
sional " men in the county. They carry
on their trade with impunity. For con.
sideration there arc some OF them who
will take contract to deliver any desired
majority, and they will fulfill their agree,
ment Any well-informed resident oil
Jersey City will name some OF them with
out hesitation IL asked to do so.
Success emboldened some of the work
ers, and from being paid hlrelings they
became direct beneficiaries. They elected
themselves TO office. The frauds became
more and more glazing. The civil and
criminal process appeared to be under the
rrIttcV} ~S.stt Sjcasf'stss- -nausneraiio flnm-
frauds were treated as jokes. No indict-
ments were possible. People despaired of
ever securing an honest count In Hud-
sou election and thousands refrained from
voting. Their absence was not noticeable
on the election returns. There were al.
ways enough ballots.
Last year the frauds apparently culmi-
mated. The machine was worked for all
it was worth. The men who ran the
machine decided TO have new charter
for Jersey City. This wsuld provide
places for great many patriots. 1t
would also increase the number OF touts.
Among the ''outs" there would be a num-
Der OF expert workers and manipulators.
The result of an election with this ele-
mcnt opposing the machine appeared
doubtful, and the way for wholesale fraud
was prepared by special legislation. The
machine operators were afraid that the
people OF Jersey City might object to
what was done for them and that they
might manifest their displeasure st the
| polls. Means were provided to guard
against this possibility. A series of bills
were passed by the Legislature of 1859
| which were designed to prevent honest
elections.
| The Jury Commission bill, which pro-
vlded for non-partisan Grand Jury, was
repealed, The Sunset law was repealed.
pcaled. The Personal Registry law was
repealed. The pay of election officers was
increased.
These were preliminary steps. Their
bearing on subsequent proceedings was
not generally observed.
The Jury Commission was menace to
election frauds. An indictment might
have been found by Grand Jury drawn
by it.
The right Of residents of the several
precincts to elect their own Election
Boards was taken away by the repeal OF
the Election act. Tho power to appoint
the election officers was given to the
Board of Aldermen. Its majority was
| Democratic aud under the control OF the
machine.
The old law provided that the two out
OF the four election officers In each Board
| should be Democrats and the other two
Republicans The new law provided that
they should be appointed by the Board of
Aldermen, without a proviso as 10 their
political faith. The increased pay was to
make the positions more desirable, in or
der that the men who controlled the boxes
would be paid for doing so by the people
who were 10 be defrauded.
The Personal Registry law was intended
to prevent fraudulent registry by affidavit.
The Sunset law was intended 10 prevent
voting in tho dark. They were mainly
laws passed by Republican Legislature,
and that was reason enough for the Legis-
lalure OF 1859 to repeal them without ask
ing questions.
The Jersey City charter was passed by
tho Legislature and apparently adopted
by the people at q special election. II is
generally believed that the result OF that
special election was obtained by fraud.
The Democratic bolt took place as was
expected. 1t petered out because OF an
unwise fusion with wing of the Repub-
acter OF protest. II scared the Demo-
cratic maahine men 10 adopt more than
ordinarily heroic measures.
Those measures are now known rs the
| Hudson county election frauds.
Very few outside OF the men in the bust
ness know what the fraud was or how II
was perpetrated. The Aldermen discov-
cred when they attempted 10 operate I'M
der their election law that something had
gone wrong, but they were equal TO the
emergency. Nearly every judge OF cleo
| tion in the eighty-four precincts In Jersey
City was a city or county employee
beneficiary 10 some degree OF the Demo-
cratic machine. Every clerk OF polling
place was Democratic worker. One OF
the two inspectors at each polling place
was Democratic worker. The other was
a Republican, selected by the Democratic
| Aldermen. In many cases this alleged
Republican was sorebead or badly
veneered Democrat. In almost every ip-
stance the Republicans selected were not
those who would have been selected II
Republicans had made the selection.
The election officers also constituted
the Registry Boards.
Thus the ground was prepared for
fraud. Everybody expected II; nobody
was disappointed.
There was no secret about The matter
among tho workers. The order had gon-
forth from the County Committee that the
"kickers" who had dared to leave the
party machine and 10 organize an opposite
lion Democratic County Committee were
to be "downed" at all hazards.
The repeal Of the Personal Registry act
allowed the manipulators to falsify the
registry. Lists OF names were supplied to
the election officers to be entered on the
registry books. They were entered on the
affidavit OF u worker. He sworc that he