New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-02-15
Y | H..
THE MEANEST CHEAT OF ALL.

In this same way they threw out thrty-onc
Republican votes east in the town Of Red Hook
II would. indeed be impossible 10 imagine an
action on the part Of canVasSers more shameful
and OutrJ geous than this Red Hook proceeding
\ number of ballots were cast there, not thirty
one bur many more. on which mari; appeared i1
the shape of squaT ink-spot. accidentally pui
there by the printers press when the b'llo;s were
being printed. II was What printers know as -
quad mark" resultant from piece Of unlctt"rcd
type which had worked mp in the form wien II
was on the pres, and had touched the paper No
one with a thinner Of honesty in his COMPOSITION
would pfctcuI that these ballots had been marked
for Identification by the voter: and il thcy were
these canvaSs"rs had uo,hIng to do with the mat
Ger. and If they hld they dill not have thc ballots
BEFORE item Ia ascertain how many they were, nor
tie voter, who cast them 70 ascertain under what
circumstances they east their -ot,s. They bad alb
solujc,y nothing except jhc statement OF edward
Sturcis, the Red Hook supervisor that he had been
told there were thrty-ohc Of these ballots Siur9Is
is q NAN with history. lie Was one of Tweed
choice Legislators. At tie time when the people
Of New-YOIll City were being robbed Of hundreds
OF thousand, Of dollars 10 corrupt the Albany
LEGISLATURE. Mr.. Stursis one OF the members
who always voted Twccd'5 way.
None OF these votes WIS challenged on election
dav q, marked for Identification none re
turncl by the Inspectors in their Judgment
uarxcd for identiicl ton. Tie returns said not
one ,r,u about them, and the three Inspectors.
two democrats and one Republican. have since
united in the following affidavit, which fully de-
scribe, the whole matter, fully proves that the
ballots were honestly est and properly counted
and fully disclOscs the scounGrclly character oil
the canyasscrs action
State of Ncw-lork, -
COUNT OF DutchesS. ( -
Werehonse of fnc town of Red Hook, being duly
sworn, say that they were inspectors OF eiectiVn
ia District No. 3, town OF Ked HOOK AT tie
General election held Oh Tuesday, November 5,
Is0l That at the canvass Of the ballots follow
ing said general election they noticed soihc
of tie Official Republican ballots, bore IL silght
blur They found that TINS oiuf was III .r ,som
instance made by printers ink, and not written
by either pen OF pencil Each ballot was blurred
in exactly the place, and from its appearance
they are satsie' that each ballot pore Is, " thr
ballot clerks. and that il would DE ahsOin'cN
impossible for the marks to have been maze ns
the individual voters. some OF the oai'o.s uDlo
The mark more indistinctly than others, proving
concluslvcly that the blur was caused by 'he
printer. The entire beard, consisting Of ourselves
and George NJ Moss as chairman decided that
thr ballots were not marked ballots for idcntlli-
cltioi a. laid down by the election law, so lhe
ballots were canvasscsl as legal ballots, and no
sample of marked ballots Of such KIND was
attached 10 the returns, and no statement Of the
allots was attached They have not met ms a
board since they adjourned OH the night of No
vcmber 3, s0l, and 30 have made 10 official state
mrnt prior 10 this TO any matters pertaining
10 the canvass Of said ballots. At the close
Of the canvass the unvOtcd ballots were
burned but the voted ballots were
placed in custody Of George VI. Moss,
as the town clerk Of our town had not provided
them with an election code until the day Of cleo
ton, and consequently they were undecided as u
whether they should be preserved or destroyed
They further positively state that OF the bal
lots as canvaSscd at the canvass following the gen
eral election bore what could he called mark OF
identification. and that under the law could be
thrown out as such.