The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1891-10-29
4 Big CONSPIRACY.
How Republicans Seek to
Promote " Honest
Elections.
M'DERM0eT SQUELCHESIT.
The Scheme Was 10 Frighten Voters
by Threats of Legal Proceed
ings-Judgo Lippincott's
Decision.
M'DERMOeT SQUELCHESIT.

today in the Court of Common Pleas.
For several days these men heve received
notices like this one which was today
submitted in COURT
10 Michael Bennett, No. 14S Sen5en Street.
Take notice that at ten o'clock in tho forenoon
of the third day after service of this notice upon
aaa Psas s. the bs COUNTY % n Of
New Jersey, provided by law to be held
at the Cour. House ill., said county on Thursday
next preceding the election for members OF the
General Assembly, and from day 10 day there
after as may be neces airy for the purpose OF re-
vsing and correcting the registers of voters, re-
qured by law TO be fled with the County Clark.
Application will be- made to said Court TO nave
your name stricken from the register OF the
First Precinct of the Fifth Assembly District OF
Hudson county.
Said application will be based on the groun
that you are not legal voter in said precinct,
because You do not reside in said precinct"
THE FIRST STEP.
About six weeks ago Collector of Rev
enue Fink went to No. ia Steuben street
and hired room. In which he located
John +. Murray, postal clerk, of No. 267
Third street. Murray was supposed to
have made No. ia Steuben street his
home, and he registered in the
First precinct of the Fifth district.
AS soon as the registry was
close d Murray made complete list of
the names that had been recorded and
took them to the headquarters of the
Republican Campaign Committe, where
black marks were made against the
names of nearly two hundred voters
Those selected were nearly all hard
working men who could Dot afford TO
lose days work to prove to the Court
that they were legal voters.
The Republican COnspirators calculated
~ L.
franchisement rascality would prove sue
cessful. Some OF the men who received
the anonymous notices took them
to the Democratic headquarters and
submitted them to the leaders OF the
party. These men were honest and legal
voters, and they demanded to know what
the scheme was. Shrew leaders in the
Democratic ranks at once mistrusted that
Gigantic pot to defeat George A.
Heaney as Member of Assembly and
to lessen the majority for the county
ticket was in progress and they made a
careful investigation with the result of
learning that nearly two hundred
men in this one precinct bad
received the nottces. Astounded
at such unheard Of rascality they sought
ex- Judge Allan l.. McDernott for ADVICE
who said he would appear in Court for
| the poor men who could not AFFORD to eta-
ploy counsel and would look after their
L {s.tn zrfa
EXPOSED IN COURT.
Today, as soon as Court opened, the
| front room was we'll filled by the victims
of the wholesale DISTINGUISHING and their
friends. Inside the bar were ex-Judge
McDermott, George A. HeaEey, County
Clerk Mclaughlin, Commissioners Feeney,
Freeholder C0yle, ex-Judge Seymour,
District Attorney Winfield and ex-Judge
Garretson.
Ex-Judge Seymour appeared for the
Republican Campaign COMMITTEES. On
the bench were Judges Lippincott. Hef-
man aud Paxton.
Ex-Judge McDermotr made an aggres-
sive fight. He opened the proceedings by
saying:-
IF your Honor please, appear here
for one Michael Bennett. legal voter
and resident at No. 14S Stenben street,
who has received a notice. as provided
for in the supplement- to the election law,
to appear here to show cause why his
name should not be stricken from the
registry"
Mr.. McDermott then recited the law
and asked to have the case dismissed be-
cause the notice was not sigped. He
claimed that 1t was Question as To
whether his client should appear In court
all in obedience to notice that was not
signed
"This alleges crime, said the speaker,
Indignantly; 'and If it Is untrue. someone
is liable TO Indictment. 1t is but right
and lust that the name OF the person
sending the notice should be signed to
..My learned friend, )" retorted ex-Judge
Seymour, .knows that this is a notorious
precincts as well as do
.What right have you to couple my
name with knowledge OF notorious pre-
cinctss" exclaimed ex-Judge McDermott,
with fire in his eye.
ave have large number OF names
OF men alleged to have been illegally reg
istered in this precinct. We have inves-
tigated the charges and find them to be
true.
"The law demands that any man sus-
pected of being illegally registered shall
have notice to appear before the Court,
and this notice accomplished the object.
The notice is not signed, but claim this
Is not necessary.
II don't say positively that the notice
should be signed, but 1t seems to me tnat
it ought to be; hat itshould have the name
OF legal voter attached" commented
Judge Lppincott. "The Court re-
ceived one of these notices few
days ago. It was handed TO as by the
man who received 1t, who asked our ad-
vice. The court has made very
careful examination OF the law.
and we came TO concIu-
sion which is chat the notices
must be signed by some one who has
an interest in the election as voter or
otherwise. The Cou t. volunteers this
Information so that you may have ample
time to correct errors In the notice.
JUDGE sEYMOUR's PLEA.
Ex-JuGge Seymour pleaded that the
notices we e sent FOR the sole purpose of
securing an honest election, aud the want
OF The name OF the complainant made no
difference Ii the man served was
a legal voter well and good, IL not, then
his name should be stricken from the
register. He claimed to have names req
istered from vacant lots ana uninhabited
buildings.
II am as anxious to have an honest
election as that Republican army is, all
the way from it's Archangel QuaY 70 the
Immaculate Dickinson" ietortcd ex-
Judge McDermott, 'sbut we may as well
talk plain. This is simply y scheme
10 deprive Democrats of the right to vots.
Mr. Seymour says Colonel Dickinson Is
willing to sign these notices.
'sNo, l didn't" INTERCEPTED ex-Judge
Seymour.
cone OF the men, continued ex-Judge
McDermott, ignoring The Interruption.
''wbo has been served with a notice has
lived in Colonel Dicki sons house thir-
teen years II the Colonel is willing to
sign his notice, al right; he may +"
After more argument on the legal
nnfrfe na To Whethar fha u0fina Ghnfsld ha