The state republican. (Jefferson City, Mo.) 1871-1896, 1890-02-27
FRAUD IN NEW JERSEY.
Democratic Mrlorities swelied by stufHns
the Ballot Boxes.

the Bnllot-Boxesi
Once more the attention OF tho coun-
try is called to Democratic frauds at the
hallot-box by the investigation which
the committee Of the Republican State
Senate Of New Jersey is making Of the
returns from Hudson County. Up to
date the committee has finished exam
lining the boxes in nine precincts OF one
assembly district, and has nine more to
look over. The result thus far has been
the finding of 524 bogus Democratic
ballots and of ps legitimate Republican
ballots which were not counted Mt all,
II the frauds continue In tho same pro-
portion in the other nine precincts they
will eitiatc the claim of Senator Nc.
Donald to his seat.
The scheme by which these frauds
were pcrpetrato'l was carefully clab-
Grated before election. Tho first move
was to pack the registration lists, and
this was done SO thoroughly that on
election day the registry books showed
81, 36s naincs in the eight precincts Of
Jersey City, as compared with 1921 at
the Presidential election the year be-
fore. Then came the work of preparing
what are known as 'thc little jokers."
The Jersey boxes stamp and perforste
the ballots as they are cast, This made
the work OF the suffers very simple, as
all they had to do was to run the ballots
through another box or prepare them by
hand, and then stuff as many into the
Legitimate box as they desired to make
q majority or overcome returns from
other parts of the State. Villains near
ly always leave some tell-tale evidence
behind them, however, and this was
true Of the Jersey Misunderstanding
Democrats. They neglected to have the
ballots Of the same size, and the work
was done so bunglingly or hurriedly
that the staupings and perforatings Of
the stuffed ballots do not compare with
those of the legal ballots,
Hudson County and Jersey City have
always been the nest OF the New Jersey
frauds by which hitherto that State has
been carried by the Democracy. 1t is
not necessary to resort t. fraud to
carry the county, as it undoubtedly has
n legitimate Democratic majority, but
it has been a %convenient place to re-
ceive reports from any weak spots in
the State and manufacture a majority
to suit. How well they have lone this
work a few figures will show. Last
fall in that district Albeit (Dem.). can
didate for the G~ovcrnorship, had 2s,S22
votes, and Grubb tRep) IA 300. showing
n majority OF 1926 for Albeit. In
1SSS Cleveland had 27,609 and Harrison
10. 40 majority for Cleveland, 1850.
The falling of of the Republican vote
in Hudson County as shown by the
Democratic officials as compared with
the returns of 1883 was over 5000 votes,
while tho Democratic vote was in
creased more than 200 over the Cleve-
land vote. In the whole State the
total vote of 1SSS was 3O3. al. that of
1850 was 269, 103, and yet in a total vote
which fell off "a, 63S Albeit received
14,953 majority as against Clevcland's
7.14a. What has occasioncd this para
doxical business the investigation of
the Senate committee clearly enough
shows.
If such frauds as these were com
mittcd in a district which is legiti-
matcly Democratic what may not have
been done in weak districts? Unfort-
u~natcly the Senate committee can not
challenge the result so far as the State
or National results are concerned. 1t
is due to Senator Mcdonald to say that
he comedies the fraud and d%enounces it
in ~unmeasurcd terms and offers to re-
sign his seat, but this does not involve
any penalty, since even il he resigned
he would probably be reelected.
What is needed now Is q sample of tho
much-talked-of Jersey justice for the
Democratic officials of Hudson County,
and after that some method should be
devised by the Republican State and
National committees to prevent these
frauds in the future, for there Is little
doubt that Governor Albeit himself is
the beneficiary OF frauds, and that they
were sufficient also to swell very con-
sidcrably the vote OF New Jersey for
that eminent rcformer, Grover Clcve-
land.-Chicago Tribune.