New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-03-21
HERE NEST BE Az TONEMENE


Elsewhere in TIE TRIBUNE to-day appears
the last Of the remarkable series Of letters from
our staff correspondent exposing in all it, rami-
fcations the Infamous conspiracy by which DaNld
b. Hill succeeded in stealing a majority III the
present State Senate. To the best OF our Dellei,
founded On all the evidence that has been addnccd
in court or is Obtainable elsewhere, every SEN
tence in these letters is absolutely true and Just
In addition TO HILL the chief actors in the con-
spiracy. and the men whose individual crimes
were the most fragrant, are Isaac ii. Maynard
and Frank Rice. Hill had his agents, however,
in every one OF the districts where the attempt
was made to overthrow the verdict of the ballot
box All of these rasCas are now known. lheir
part in the fraud is fully understood. 1t ought
TO be the work of the press throughout the state
10 keen their names and conduct continuously
before the people until they have been properly
nunished. Electoral crimes of this character ale
so unusual in New-York that the public has
been slow to grasp the nature and consequence
of the attack that has been made on its honor.
1t was not accomplished without at least the pre-
tcnce Of Observing the forms of the law. Inc
men who did il are able to make for all they dld
some sort of speciouS plea, half fact and nall
falsehood. well calculated to serve its purpose OF
decciving the public and Of inducing Democrats
to stand by in defence of the crime, on the ground
that those who opposed it in the first place ana
are exposing 1t now are Simply engaged III pIo-
noting partisan interests. This is the chiei' sub
Stan,iay the only, defensive fertilization behind
which these scOundre's are standing. Repubh-
cans cannot hope to deal with it in the most
effective way unless they keep the fact con-
stanty before the minds of their felow-cltizenS
of Democratic faith that the acts Of which Hill,
MAYNARD. Rice and the other thieves were guilty
are acts leading directly to revolution.
Our system of government rests on nothing 50
much as on civilization and good faith. II IS
the rule of majority, majority that Is certain
to turn from party to party as It's VIII seems
likely best to be served. One party and then
the other is necee >aiily in control Of the cleo
tora machinery. 50 soon aS it has become mani
fest that this machinery cannot be trusted that
il is liable 10 make of the elections not what the
pe,ple have made of them, but whatever It's
interest and advantage require, and that tho
courts have not the authority TO compel wicked
men in control of that machinery to do as the law
directs then the time has clearly come for popu-
lar acts of vengeance that are short, swift ana
complete. The crime that Hill and his I'M
sCrupulous followers have perpetrated must be
atoned for. 1t must not be allowed for one
instant to escape public attention. Every man
involved in it who remains III public life must
be promptly retired, and the law majesty must
he asserted against every one n them who has
committed m offence for which the penal code
proyides a remedy. We have been convinced
no. merely by the results Of the spring elections
but by HUNDREDS Of incidents that have come TO
pubic notice here and there throughout the
state. that there are tens OF thousands OF Demo
clat, in warm sympathy with these views. The
fact that an ci1ectual prosecution OF Che con-
spiratoIs NAV here and there result 10 the adj
vantage of the Republican party is not going TO
prevent these honest Democrats from declaring
their convictions and Kidding their party, 50 far
As they can, from the responsibility Hills crimes
have thrown upon il. If this is not true, We
are much deceived. If it is true, some
part of the harm that has been done TO public
right and public morality may be repaired. But
in any event la,riotic men who loye their State
and its good name, who love the system Of gov
eminent under which they live, and believe in
maintaining it in It's purity and integrity, must
band together to vindlcate the law, to right the
wrong and to punish individually and collectively
the sc,undrcls who have tr5lfficked in the States
honor and trampled under foot the lawfully ex-
pressed will of the sovereign people. The time
has come for proceedings, not merely to remove
faithless officials, but 20 put them where other
thieves, far less guilty than they are put.
------------