The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-04-18
THE SUFFRAGE IN CoHOES.
INCIDENTS OF THE RECENT LOCiL
ELECTION IN THAT CTTY.

~. Politicians Saw that Zach Man ReCfs
tered Voted Even ir They Had to Get
Another Fellow to Vote for niu-A Man
Might be CInbbed for Voting Frnuduientiy
hut he Escaped Arrest-The Habit Of
Voting Early and Often Encourngcd-A
Prohibitionist's Vote Cast by . Mnu with
.Jsg-Hordes Of Trojan Invaders Done
Up In . style that AchiIle. Might Envy
Civilians and Policemen Have y Diver.
,,on with C1ubs-Resuit OF tho EIectiou
10 he Decided By the Comwon Council
ALBANY. April lit would my New York
ootIcIan who thinks no knows everything
about elections and political machinery to
como up hore in the spring and attend tho
local spring elections. Within radius Of ten
miles there is q population OF ovor quarter
~ million. in Albany. Troy. Cohoes.
Iansinburgh. Waterford. Grccnbush. West
Troy West Albany and other separate
towns. Instead OF being consolidated In one
city, or oven In ono county. this population is
broken up into several cities and dozen
towns. The elections arc held on different
DAYS and the Inherent desire q! American
eitizcns to take part 10 politics AMI vote has u
wide scope.
II has become q spring industry. MS well
recognized ut the approach OF May rs carpet
beating or furniture moving. for men OF
leisure rcsidin. in this vicinity to make the
rounds OF tho different elections. The Troy
election one day tho West Troy election
another day. tho Albany election the day after
Tint, and tho Cohons election In tho afternoon.
Afford opportunities to employ what spare
time they may have 10y voting II fow times
at the various town elections. 1t is n recog
nizcd thing and every one considers II II gross
breach Of political etiquette to send any man
so employed to the renitentDrv. OK even to
lock him up in n station house over night for
his efforts to bring about n full vote and
complete expression OF tho popular
will. Not Tint there is no remedy Mt
hand. for NIL sides provide themselves
with an effcctual preventive in tho shape CT
billios and clubs. which aro freely used T.
deter men from voting too Often or for forget
ting that tho names they give to the inspectors
GRO not tho names by which they are generally
known.
A practical Now York politician would shed
tears Of envy Mt tho sight OF a Cohoes polling
place while the election is going on. This is
particularly true ut the spring elections when
only local candidates aro TO DO voted for and q
general agreement between all the candidates
to bring out full vote aud give Il poor man u
show results in an interesting. and. to q New
York mnn. a novel spectacle.
In the Fifth ward OF Albany. for instance.
two Of the polling places arc across the street
from each other. The voting was not dsne in
n house or shop ora room. as In New York.
but on tho street. At one polling place the
election officers sat inside small frame house
and the voter stayed out on the street. At one
Of the windows there were the ballot
clerks. who handed out the tickets Then
the voter walked across tho sidewalk
and went into polling booth out on the curb
stone. He and his friends fixed up ticket for
him there. and then he and his friends went to
the other window. where his friends again OK
amined his ticket to make sure that he made
no mistake about tho one he handed to the in
spectors.
In this ward there was contest for Alder
man like one OF the old-time election fights In
New York whom the Alderman amounted to
something besides tho power to change tho
names Of streets and the right to wear a silk
hat very black moustache. and q diamond
stud. There were three candidates-two DEM
ocrats and ono Republican. Tho candidates
and all thoir friends from all over town stood
around tho polls. There was no fight over any
one else. as thore was no doubt about tho cleo
ton OF tho Democratic city ticket in Albany.
or the other Democratic candidates in tho
ward.
The whole ward has not as many votes as a
half dozen lodging houses in de Alto or tho
Mattress district. but there was n campaign
fund big enough to pay each voter in the ward
SIS One Of tho candidates for Alderman ia
reported to have had n campaign fund OF
$4,000. and the other two candidates were not
very far behind. Anyhow. the price of votes
for Alderman was run W to SIP and $50.
te ward below whers there Was NO @ and
dull at iifty cents and dollar, Many Ecntis-
frNF yyuV. llf RI rnfit t,fn
their fortunate friends who were able to do so
well by themselves.
about. and many men early appeared to try
to get tho money. Thcy would take n name
from the registry LIST and try tG vote on it. II
detected the policemen would catch them ' by
the collar and throw them in the street or some
the intruders with thor lists or clubs. but that
was all. No one would think OF penetrating
gentleman who WAS irving to insure fu!I Vote
and lay away something for the sunshine OF
The, Ballot law was observed as far as hav.
policemen and election officials insisted on
friends could 60 with him. or he might lcavc
@s 9G fn nd s
~, Sut the sw says that syory voter must 60 in
sisted on the observance OF the law.
Outside OF two or three wards there WAS not
much doing in Albany. but Cohoes was n poll
tcian's paradise. There wore three candidates
for Mayor. three candidates for Police Com
missioner. and everybody who felt like 1t |
S yas rurpn ng Tor Alderman. supervisor; or
town, built at tho falls in the Mohawk Rivcr.
little way from, where the Mohawk Joins tho |
Albany across the river from the northern end
n2sh Ct So %ss It'd s0y The T day Ssaf
the election in Troy was over. So nll tho IN
IN Troy or West Troy. which is In Albany
county. across thn Hudson from Troy, went to
useful
C9hoes has q population Of $1,000 or $4,000.
ana AZ pinch 1t can poll G.UOO votes that is
neo can pTT!hI ono vote t2 three and u hall
v where 100000 people poll about 250.0o6
TS is docs Sr ono not vq,er to seven inhabitants
a5st n sight to social siatstlcnn that
chiefly q adult male citizens. on ' In" co %p
ssary: Cpnho ;,s has many large families. thou
work In tho factories. Tho large pr"norti"n