New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-11-30


provided by David b. Hill is known only to those
who are on the inside of this Infamous plot to
steal the seat to which Gilbert A. Deane was
elected Nevertheless, between the time when
this Supervisor put his returns into the hands OF
the Democratic inspector Of election to be " liked
up" thirty-one ballots marked by printers quad
were recorded on the returns as having
been found. The Supervisor himself adj
mitted during the canvass of the vote by the
Supervisors that the inspector to whom he gave
the returns for fixing up" did not call meet
ing of the full Board Of Inspectors, but attended
to it himself The law further and expressly
declares that all marked ballots over which any
question is raisei must he returned with the
papers, and be preserved for at least one year
after the election in case they are needed as evil
dence in court. In this case only one ballot on
which were the quad marks was returned. ms
was pasted to one Of the sheets on the super
visors returns with the Endorsement OF only one
of the inspectors-Ale one to whom Sturges hao
given his papers for fixing up"-to the enect thst
thirty-one ballots like this had been voted. In
regard 70 such Endorsements all Of the inspectors
must unite in making them, and they must DC
made upon the back of each OF the ballots thae
are considered TO be marked or defective ballots.
Again il is not for the members OF Board OF
Supervisors to determine whether or not Ballots
the inspectors, but the ballots themselves, must
be there as evidence As has been said, only one
of the alleged thirty-one marked ballots was sent
TO the Board Of Supervisors. At no time during
the entire canvass of the vote by the Board OF
Supervisors did Supervisor Sturges declare it to
he positive fact that that number of ballots
marked as he said were voted. All along he has
answered all questions in only one way, and that
has been, Il understood So" Against his
equivocal 50 understood so" come the direct and
positive statements made in the form Of afiidavts
by one of the Republican and one of the Demo-
cratic inspectors of election in this district that
they did not see a ballot marked as Sturges and
his one inspector described the thrty-one. To
men having within them any idea of right and
decency, as well as any regard for their charac-
tiers, the word of two men taken under oath ought
TO have been considered before that of one who
had only hearsay the basis of his testimony.
If David b. Hill had left the Supervisors them
velveS to have settled this case there is much
doubt but that enough of the Democratic mem
bers of the board would have risen superior to
partisanship and voted as they ought to have done
and as the law required them to do. But through
his representatives Hill was constantly behind
them, constantly squirting them on to the compile
tion of the crime of which he was the instigator.
They could not shake off their fear of Hill and
if they disobeyed his bidding.
But if every Republican ballot that was cast in
the entire State at the last election had been
marked, and it was known beyond question that
they had zen marked purposely, under the pro-
Visions of the law they ought to have been counted,
leaving it for the courts alone TO determine posi-
lively that they had been marked for the purpose
of Identification. The majority of the Board of
Supervisors of Duchess County took Gne word
l~oJ1 -
thirty-one ballots that he understood" were
marked. Even by. doing this the seat-stealers
found that they did not have enough votes TO
overcome Senator Deane's plurality. Other schemes
must be resorted before the desired end could be
reached and the crime proposed successfully car
ried out. Then the Supervisors decided that
eighteen ballots which had been voted in the town
of East Fishkil must he thrown out, because those
who had voted them had seen fit TO vote split
in place of a straigh2 ticket. This the only
ground aud the only excuse that they could pre-
sent for doing this. They made themselves judge,
jury and court in determining that these split
ballots had been voted with the intention OF allow
ing the Republican watchers to know who had
voted Republican ticket Although this is the
prerogative of the Supreme Court in the first in
stance and the Court of Appeals finally, the Demo
cratic members of this board, who admitted on
Wednesday last that they did not know what the
law on this point was, decided TO throw out these
eighteen votes.
This still did not make enough TO overcome
Senator Deane's plurality, and yet another crime
was committed. In the town of Dover
seven ballots had been voted illegally. That
is the pastors were fastened to the outside of the
official ballot, instead of upon the inside, where
it could not be seen, the law directs. As the
inspectors of election came across these votes in
counting the returns election night they put
these seven ballots under lamp for safe keeping
After their returns had been made up the ques-
lion arose as to what should he done with the
seven votes The two Democratic inspectors, who
were the majority, thought that they were re
publican ballots for enc of them had caught a
Glimpse Of ballot having upon II the name OF
the Republican candidate for Governor, and they
decided to have the ballots destroyed. ms was
done by Ambrose Bressctte, VINO was enlpioyeu
biz the Democrats watcher. lie threw the
votes into stove and saw that they were burned:
David b. Hill did not like the idea oil seven gOod
votes going TO waste In this way, so ne Oruet 1
The Democratic Supervisors TO count them Tor
the entire Democratic ticket. IL is poSluVely
known that at least four of the burned ballots
were Republican GaioIs 90 ta etinr t az a I in
regard TO them it ought 10 have credited me
ballots as they cast. In place OF doing 1ilat
the majority followed Hills orders and counted
the seven ballots for the entire Democratic ticket
Even now there were not enough votes stolen
from Senator Deanc To overcome his plurallty.
-Four split Republican votes had been cast IN the
Second Election District Of Red Hook They fol-
lowed the course Of the other split tickets -,
But by this illegal act Mr. Deanes plurality
was not entirely obliterated, another and an
entirely new scheme tried and accomplished
This was nothing more nor less than gong Denihd
The returns and counting for Osborne votes that
had been cast for Deane. In the Second Election
District Of the town Of Fishkill the inspectors
of election found that Senator Deane had poied
I31 votes and Osborne had polled III
votes This was something extremely strange
in tic minds Of the Democratic Supervisors, for
here Mr.. Deane apparently had run as many as
ten or eleven votes ahead of his ticket. This
could not be possible they argued, at least, Hill
ard IIincxley argued for them so they decided
that they would put stop 10 this idea or one
candidate doing better than some of the other