Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1890-03-06
FRAUD IN NEW JERSEY.
oemocraso MaJorities swelIed by stufiing
the BaIlot-BOxes.

the Balot-Boxes.
Once more the attention OF the 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 9s legitimate Republican
| ballots which were not counted at all.
II the frauds continue in the same pro-
portion in the other nine precincts they
! will vitiate the claim of Senator Nc
Donald TO his seat.
The scheme by which these frauds
were perpetrated was carefully elao-
GRATED before election. The first move
was to pack the registration lists, and
this was done so thoroughly that on
election day the registry books showed
81, S6S names in the eight precincts OF
Jersey City, as compared with so, 29l at
the Presidential election the year be-
fore. Then came the work of preparing
what are known as ''the little jokers. ="
The Jersey boxes stamp and pertorate
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 ny
haEd, and then stuff as many into the
legitimate box as they desired to make
majority or overcome returns from
| IL. inc n
V always leave some tell-tale evidence
behind them, however, and this was
true of the Jersey ballOt-box-stuthnG
) democrats. They neglected to have the
ballots of the same size, and the worl
was done so bunglingly or hurried!
that the stampings and perforatlngs
the stuffed ballots do not compare witt
those of the legal ballots.
Hudson County and Jersey City hav'
? a.wavs been the nest of the New Jerse
: frauds by which hitherto that State ha
been carried by the Democracy. 1t
rot necessary to resort to fraud I
carry the county, as il undoubtedly ha
e a legitimate Democratic majority, bu
it has been a convenient place to II
ceive reports from any weak spots l
the State and manufacture maJorlt
to suit. How we'll they have done tn
work few figures will show. La
fall in that district Albeit (Dem.), cal
didate for the Governorship, had 27,o'
votes, and Grubb (Rep.) 1896, showl1
a majority Of 1926 for Albeit.
1883 cleveland had 27,6O9 and Harrisc
10. 44O-majority for Cleveland, 7,l0
The falling off of the Republican Vo
in Hudson County as shown by u
Democratic officials as compared WI
the returns of 1855 was oyer 5000 vote
vhiln the Democratic vote was
creased more than 200 over the CleV
land vote. In the whole State {
|, total yote of 1883 was 303, al, that
1889 was 269. 1O3, and yet in total VIC
which fell off "a, 69S Albeit receiv
"A, 253 majority as against Clevelan'
7149 What has occasioned this pa
- doxicsI business the investigation
~ the Senate committee clearly enou
shows.
IF such frauds as these were co
mitted il o district which is legl
IS mately Democratic what may not ha
= been done in weak districts? Unto
- unately the Senate committee can
~ challenge the result so far as the st;
~ or National results are concerned.
20: is due 10 Senator Mcdonald to say Il
=, he comedies the fraud and denounces
Il in unmeasured terms and offers to
sign his seat, but this does not invo
.S any penalty, since even if he resign
On on he would probably be re-elect
What is needed now IS a sample OF
ny much-talked-of Jersey justice for
,ay Democratic officials of Hudson Coun
! :", and after that some method should
devised by the Republican State
National committees to prevent tn
,io frauds In the future, for there is Iii
.ne doubt that Governor Albeit himself
'oi the beneficiary of frauds, and that t.
wore sufficient also to swell very c
10 siderably the vote Of New Jersey
n ",S that eminent reformer, Grover Gle
land.-Chicago Tribune.
-, = - O0Nn