New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-03-03
THE ELECTIONS AND THE THIEVES.

SO far as the spring eleCtlOnS cal wv ~ ~
have avenged the shameful crime by whlch 'he
Democratic managers stole the STATE oehaV"
From one end of the State to the other the hc
oubicans are triumphant. Their usual ma
iorities have been immensely increased and VIC
tories won in cities, townships anu couii'cs
hitherto solidly Democratic. ordinarily Small
importance attaches in political sense 10 the
sprinC elections. Their immense significance
this wear arises from the methods pursued ny
Hi and his knavish crew in their theft OF the
Senate. Last wear many of the Boards of Super
viso,s even in safely Republican countess con-
tanned a majority Of Democrats. Fon''cal issues
had been ignored in the town contests anu 'la'
indifference and neglect when 50 constantly
operates to Republican disadvantage hdu per-
mtttd many Democratic supervisors To clu'p
into office here and there all over the STATE lhiS
cavo Hill his opportunity. The Supervisors are
constrained nv our election laws BOARDS OF
County Canvassers. As such it is their DUTY
,, count the election district returns handed IN
IN the night of Election Day by the district IN
snectors. They have no judicial function what-
ever Their duty, as the courts nave menu agar"
and again, is purely arithmeucal ana Ministerial
They NAV not 50 much As question the reVuriS'
An functions of that kind devolve on the courts
The Supervisors. accepting the returns as 'hey
got Thorn must ascertain the results ny correct
nroc,sscs Of arithmetic, issuing to sue essful couh
~ candidates a certificate of election, and for
~ordno n the Board of State CanvasseiS at AL
hanv a return of the total votes cast Tor can
didates for State offices, including inc ocha'e.
The State Canvasscrs, who are the oecretar! Oh
State. the Treasurer, the Controller, the o'a'e
Engineer and the Attorney General, thereupoh
perform with the county returns thus suppheu
\ function precisely similar to that already per-
formed bv the County Canvassers. Ihey ascer-
lain the results and declare them.
Hill stole the Senate by inducing iouf Demo-
cratic Boards of County CanvasSels to scnd GER
ti6cates TO the state CanvasserS drawn up III
violation of law The rlscaity OF the DuttheSs
Roard WAS audacoEs in the extreme IL 'iaiS-
nosod votes added votes and threw ont votes
in the most reckless disregard, not merely oil
the law. but of the peremptoly decisions oil no
lpSs than five Democratic Judges, ana IL lor-
varded 70 the state CanvasScls return when
every Smevsor knew to be lie and an ACT
e downright robbery Later in obedience to
the courf il did make out and forward true
return but this was stolen from each "a 'hc
three Offices to which it had been sent, ana inc
thieves we're David b. Hill, Isaac IL. Maynard
Frank Rice and peson named LmaliS. V'hcr
comics of the true return, however, were STNeu
On each member OF the State Board personally,
70 that they had it in their possession Whch 'hey
met 70 count and canvass. In the other caun-
tics Steuben. Onondaga and Rensselaer,, nothing
was done quite so abomnable as in Duchess.
The S,euben and Rensselaer, Boards simply
passed resolutions prepared Tor them al Albany
attacking their own statement or the reVurhs'
They made the resolutions Il part OF the return
slmm3ning the State Board to have regard Tor
them. thus paving the way FOR fiaidEeht GER
tifcaie. The Onondaga Board had got we'll
along in career of devitry which promised 10
he unite as shameless az that Of the DutcheSs
BOARD when Hit came to their aid with DEM
ocratic Judge imported from New York, who
lent legality t. their proceedings and threw out
12lS Republican votes the good faith OF which
neither he nor they questioned. In the Dutch-
ess and Onondaga cases the state Canvassct'',
wi kelly ignoring the decisions of the Court OF
Appeals, sustained the frauds and WRONGS COM
m;ted by the Supervisors.
The spri,. elections have done much to an
dcate the States honor and the laws majesty.
They have swept the fraud stained Supervisors
out Of sight. Scarcely man OF them remains
in Office to-day. Complete possession OF the
town and city governments has been handed
over to the Republicans, not only IN Dutchc's,
Steuben and OnOndaga, but III nearly every
county in the State. This is a victory Oi honest
men. net OF parry only, or partisan cause
II means that this State cannot be stolen b.! "A
gang Of vile politicians without important con-
seolcnccs. IL means that the honest voters will
have the heads OF the men and the party or
paniZatiOn which committed that atr0cl0us
wrong. The score with the SupervlsoIs-the
petty little tools Of the gang-has been settled (;
but all the bigger scores remain. Every rascal
among this motley company-llill. who cOntrivcd
il all: Maynard, his meancst agent the man
who told the Supervisors that they were dong
all right, that he, the Deputy Attorney, General
of the cta.e-he knew the law-the man who
robbed the Controllers Office of public docu-
ment which he had no more right to put his
hands on than a burglar has 10 snatch the con-
tents Of a safe Rice, guiltier even than May
nard. since his oath was taken to guard and hold
the very document he permitted TO be carried
off. and guilticst Of all among the State Can
yassers. in whom he inspired audacity and
ouenched scrupes-Tabor, Wempe, Danforth,
Bogart. Walker, Nichols and Osborne-cveiy man
Of them is branded and condemned. Their crime
will follow their party until it is fully atoned
for and them to the end OF their lives.