The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1890-05-23
ELOQUENT ADRAIN.

Silence greeted the report ana tnen
Senator Adrain arose and read his minor
ity report. He opens by pointing out
that if Stuhr had any real belief that he
had been elected and defrauded of his
seat, he would doubtless have brought
his contest under the statute concerning
elections. The course he pursued leads
to the conclusion that he did not believe
in his own case. The leaders of the Re-
publican party openly stated that they
had no intention Of unseating Mr.. Nc
Donald, but merely wanted to work cap
itaI out of their power of in nvestigation.
Senator Adrain says
IF the majority of Edward F. Mcdonald had
been small: Il there had been o fuctuation In the
political character of the county, there might
have been something IN the argamsns .naS b,e sne
to insist for one moment that the stronghold OF
Democracy had suddenly gone over to the fusion
ticket was beyond the temerity OF the greatest
ing that he had an existence In Atlantic county.
The Senator adds;-
It must be remembered and it will be seen upon
the examination of all the evidence introduced
in this case, that after deducting all Of the
alleged fraudulent votes from the majority OF
Edward F. Mcdonald he viii still have majority
in excess of all the eleven Republicans put to-
gether.
THE MOTIVE EXPOSED.
Senator Adrain goes on to expose the
motives for unseating Senator Mcdonald.
He describes State Treasurer John j.
Toffey and State Comptroller Anderson
sitting on either side of Senator Gardner
plotting for the unseating of Mcdonald
in order that they might retain their
offices.
He says the Gardner Committee never
rose to the dignity of tribunal All its
machinery OF counsel and Sergeants-at-
arms was organized without consultation
with the Democratic member, at enOr-
nous expense to the State, contracted de-
spite the fact that before the investiga-
tion was half through it was well known
to every member of the committee that
the examination was an absolute failure
in that the tremendous majority OF fic-
Donald could not be reduced enough to
give Stuhr the seat.
EVERY RULE VIOLATED.
OF the way the examination was con-
Quoted, Mr. Adrain says
During the progress of the examination every
rule Of evidence known to the law, that was in
any way involved, was fiagrantiy violated; even
the counsel for the committee so far forgot him
self as a lawyer in his partisan desire TO be sue
cessful insisted upon one occasion upon the
argument of the admissibillty of testimony
that fraud could be presumed, without any proof
Upon the discoveryof what is alleged to be
fraud in the county of Hudson, instead of
looking toward the END, 10 see WQeLner InGS6
frauds were sufficient to dernolish the majority
OF Edward f. Mcdonald which was the only
matter for the committee to consider, the major
ity of the committee became imbued with the
idea that they were avengers bent upon the pur-
suit and conviction of each and every man that
was shown to have had anything to do with
these alleged frauds; they became the judiciary,
the grand jury, the petit jury, and assumed that
this was their province, and numbers OF wit
nesses in this particular were introduced who
may have shown some incidental fraud, but
threw no light upon the desired result. The
committee apparently had the idea that at the
I'm sh they had the power of conviction and pun
ishment.
a FITTING TRIBUTE.
The majority Of the committee found them
selves in this position that they must either un-
seat Edward +. Mcdonald as an apology for their
action or admit that the investigation was
failure, and this the committee had not the
manhood to do.
humiliate man whose reputation is untar-
nished whose name Is tasman to every la
boring man in the State of New jersey and a
man, If l may be permitted to predict, who
some day will sit in halls where the majority Of
this committee will not be permitted to enter.
There is one fact admitted by all parties, that
during all this long investigation and the many
inquiries that have been made, not single act
or word connects Edward T. Mcdonald directly
or indirectly with the slightest fraud in connec-
ton with the November election, amidst the
allegations of fraud and the evidence of the
want Of integrity of many men in political
power in Hudson county he stands out as a
Drlyul anu Dtdutlt III StstI.
THE EVIDENCE DISSECTED.
Then Senator Adrain handles the alb
surd allegation of conspiracy in Hudson
county Where was the motive? he
asks. Was not Hudson the stronghold
of the Democratic partys Then he passes
on to a dissection of the evidents Forty
two thousand tickets, he says, were in.
spected. OF those cast for Mcdonald
I,760 were denominated ''jokers,"
foreigners" or strangers" on the
ground that they were not properly
stamped.
these tickets from the residue of the tickets. All
others bore the indelible stamp, either of the
stamp of the box (the milling process or the
puncturing process,, and were at the time OF in
spection denominated true and honest ballots,
bearing the stamp OF truth upon its face, as did
the others OF falsity.
if fraudulent, have been inserted in the boxes by
the Judges and inspectors of election, for 1t is
admitted that they did not pass the slot in the
box.
This is an omnipotent argument to the effect
that the others are true. because If the others
are false. the judges. instead Of using 'jokers.
would have passed the straight tickets as readily
What is more, the dial upon the boxes which
regulates the number of votes which pass
through, corresponded with the number Of votes
counted less the 'jokers," foreigners and
This does away with the argument that the
taken out OF the box
Senator Adrain hext claims that the
committee had no right to assume any
fraud other than was shown in evidence.
If there was anything in the argument SO
far that there have been fraudulent votes
cast to tho amount of l, ,760 this reduces
the majority from 1859 to 6,092. For the
sake Of argument, admit that ], ,760 fraud
ulent votes represent 1,760 taken from
Stuhr by the false votes being substituted
for the honest vote of Stuhr, that would
necessitate the deduction of l.760 from
6,092. which leaves a majority still to
Mcdonald of 1882.
FALSE REGISTRATION
Passing on to the matter of false regis
tration and false polling, Senator Adrain
says the committee found that in thirty
three out of 129 precincts men had voted
from stables ana empty lots, and the
names of non-residents and dead men
had been voted on. AS respects the reg
istration, he says there is noevidence of
fraudulent design. The evidence showed
that the people moved from time TO time
very extensively; they moved their board