The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-11-12
UNDO THE DAVENPORT LAW
vOHECAsT OF TEE FITCH COMMIT
1EE'y REPORT TO CONGRESS-.

superVlAhOA OF AIectIOns UseIu
On'y 80 n Party weapou-wh.t the Gem
ssistes Has Fsuna Dat Abo.t the Price
We Nave Had to Fay for Having Ds'
vsaport on Exhibition Every Two Years
Congressman Ashbel p. Fitch was asked last
night what results had been accomplished BY
the Congressional Committee appointed ia
Investigate tho Federal Election Supervision
law as applied in this city By Chief Supervisor
OF Elections John l. Davenport. Mr.. Fitch is
Chairman OF this committee. whose sessions
have been reported In The Sun. He said:
1.-The investigation is not yet entirely COM
plete. There was sub-committe appointed
to take evidence on election day. and that sub
committee is still engaged in preparing its
minutes for its report at the next meeting.
There Ia also on the way some work by OK
ports in the analysis OF Mr.. Davenport's ac-
counts. and some further vsrilcation by de-
tectives employed by the committee as to the
identity Of persons Mr.. Davenport claimed to
have as leases" for which he made bills
against the Government
Until all these returns are In and the COM
mittee has chance to digsst tthsm. It would be
impossible for mo to answer your question
with completeness. but can speak in gen.
general way.
In the first place. the com mittee has found
that the bills which Mr.. Davenport has pre-
scented to the Government and upon which he
has obtained money. are many OF thcm
charged for cases in which no particulars nre
given except the names OF the alleged de-
Pendants. In making out these bills he has
exercised great ingenuity in the matter Of
itemizinC.
For instance. no charges for drawing up
the oath. Then he charges for swearing the
witness. Then he makes another charge for
yi IN fha that hA hae tho
Witness Then follows another charge for in
dexing In his own books the fact that he has
SO sworn and certified.
"Then he charges for drawing up the COM
plant. and. finally. he makes still another
charge for issuing tho warrant In many OF
these cases the various charges amount to
s5.95 for each case
"A remarkable thing is that the identity Of
the defendant is not In any way set forth.
There is no statement in tho bill as to whore
tho man for whose arrest these various
charges are mads lived. or in what election
district or even in what Assembly district. he
it Is not even got forth that he registered
at all: ana there Is nothing in tho bill! from
which 1t is possible to discover whether such
II person ever really existed or committed any
crime on which Mir. Davenport could base his
eH!a IT, p,yenport commences these bills by
giving the names Of one dsiendant and follow;
ing that. tho items of his charges. Then al
following charges read, against the names OF
tho defendants. Same rs above.
Therefore. these bills really consist each
OF list OF names with nothing to show who
done in the several matters. EXCEPT that Mr..
Davenport made these charges.
"Of course. II these warrants charged for by
Mr. Davenport had been issued to the United
states Marshal. MS they should have been. the
q tho w9 eass soM w i. des
Very many Of these cases. however, the
hpQ ia
United states Marshai's oiliee. 1t appears.
nevertheless. that the bills in these cases We're
to Mr.. Davenport,
There is much other evidence OF an inter-
81 ei' Mr pmrsnuor and II tho comtee had
been allie 90 nothing else than I" expose the
Ssd ase s"
evidence. however. which the COMMITTEES has
taken is Of still creator value because it shows
Since the Harrison Administration eamein
trict Attorney Of his own party. who is GER
tainly wholly and entirely competent to
prosecute any offenders whom Mr. Davenport
SsyerthsIess r this period ntioa Mr. Dnysn.
for s in sarous
which he has acted about SlOs.0G0 During
this period he has arrested hundreds OF per-
Tho net result Of all his work up to about
two weeks ago has been the Indictment, for
oheHCeS HkuluSt tlc huu cIccAloH
laws. Of four persons. OF these four. two have
been acluitted on trial. and Of tho other two
in one case without punishment. und in the
other refused to sentence to Imprisonment.
TRsFey has NH therefore shown that
the services OF Mr.. Davenport were exceeding
~ costly. and were absolutely useless in the
against the ballot box.
In addition TO this the committee has put
into absolute legal shape the evidence OF Dir. |
DnVenportS partisan proceedings. which, al |
though often described in the PUBLIC press.
to be presentsble t" the esisatSs and e execa
tive authorities Of the government.
oa tHa hs sho o" bS % aH
export of all legal authority. This was done
by giving him IN 9pportunity to refuse to aD.
Secretary af tho Treasury in Washington. who |
r. Mr.. DsysIpport,s superior n Office; gave
Of tie House Of REPRESENTATIVE. and
I.csda Of Il. o smpGySss, and tho
ms Ted sss 'h :" chs
district. NJ Jacobns; and tho United States
for Mr.. Davenport to announce to the commit |
tee that he would not obey tho subpoena OF
the House. and to refuse to allow. access toths
raey his Bins and the Validity s iSf his
proceedings until such time az s should seem
eams The cnmmittee has no dis dispositio Sle ts
enforce it's rights !, vii simply report ts the
deal with him"
What VIII be the pnnrport of the commit
My belief said Mr.. Fitch. lis that this in.
vestigation will result in tho absolute repeal
Of the whole system Of Federal supervision Of
elections. Aside entirely from Mr.. Daven-
that the system is. costly. that it is useless.
End that It results IN The The ersTyest II:
can IpunisR crimes against The Ballot e box n'o on
they punish now crimes against persons and
property Of every nature. The a system had it's
tions. but In desire to decide elections in |
favor OF one political party.
hope there will nayer be q Democratic |
Chief Supervisor of Elections with the power
thai, MIR. Davenport has. I hope that tine
whole system will be wiped out OF existence. |
] believe that other Democratic members OF |
the com mittee. Mr.. Geissenhainer and Judge |
De Forest. who have given this matter their |
most careful and dilig gent, attention. will agree
with me In regard to this"
WHAT, JOHN RESIGNS