New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-11-20
THE PLOT TO STEAL THE LEGISLATURE.


No man of intelligence who follows the news
from day to day can doubt that plot has been
formed, and is being vigorously pushed, having
for its object to render popular government in
this State farce. The TammaE gang, Ed.
Murphy and David B. Hill, are the ringleadcrs in
this atrocious assault upon the ballot-box. And
naturally. They are recognized as the foes OF
fair play at elections. Who swindled John A.
Griswold out of the Governorship to which he
was called by majority of the voters in 1868
Tammany Under whose boss ship has the city
of Troy become notorious for it's election frauds
Under the boss-ship of Ed. Murphy. What is
the name of the man who more than all Others
in this State has been a stumbling block in the
path of ballot reform? His name is David B.
Hill. This is the organization and these are
the Democrats who are hard at work trying to
make the Legislature Democratic in face Of re-
turns showing that an honest count OF honest
votes made it Republican. 1t is precisely what
might be expected of them all. They have all
shown thorough contempt for the will Of the
majority when it did not happen to tally with
their own will.
Of course, the temptation is a great one. These
brazen consprators resent the idea that any
restraint should be placed upon " the tiamboyant
millionaire" to whom they have given the
Executive Chair They cannot brook the thought
that Republican Senate should be allowed to
pass upon Governor Flowers NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
nations to be dictated by themselves Still less
can they brook the thought that by the failure
of their desperate efforts to elect both branches
of the Legislature they will he unable to rush
through the gerrymander of the legislative dis
tricts, upon which they had set their hearts. In
the circumstances it is not at all strange that
they should be wiling to stoop to the meanest
and the most dishonest methods with the hope
of having their own way. They have induced
their plant tools in the Boards of Supervisors
at Poughkeepsie. Hudson, Troy. Syracuse Bath
and other points to delay passing upon the re-
turns. Resort is had to these tactics for no rea-
son which can be justified. The job which has
been put up is to delay final action upon the re-
turns until the State Board OF Canvassers is about
~ndy to meet and then to have the Supervisor
Boards grant certificates to defeated Democratic
candidates before the courts can interfere. This
done, the bosses expect the State Board of Can
vassers to do the rest of ire rascally business by
confirming the action of the Supervisors, thus
enabling the Democrats to organize the Senate,
leaving Republican Senator'S who have been
swindled out of the seats to which they were
fairly elected to make a contest-if they choose.
One of the most disgraceful features of the
conspiracy is the fact that apparently all the
Democratic State officials at Albany are inclined
to condone it. They are going about asserting
with all the confidence of persons having trust
worthy inside information that we''-meaning
the Democracy-are going to control the Legis-
latue. Not a man of them apparently cares
enough for the public veal cares enough for a
pure balot-box. to use his influence to prevent
the contamination of the outrage, while the
spectacle is presented of an Attorney General
chosen to be the legal arm of the Commonwealth
prostituting his great office to the base purposes
of partisan bosses. Once more we cal upon our
Republican friends in the menaced districts to
be firm and vigi'ant They may be sure that in
standing up for their rghts-rights conferred
upon them by the majority of the electors-they
will have the support of every citizen, no matter
what his politics, who desires to conserve the in
tegrity of the ba'lot-box The Senate is Repub-
lican. Nothing but scoundreism can give it to
the Democrats. Let all fair-minded New-York-
ers stand together until the issue is decided.