New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-07-11

r8tors in the Western Union DulIding VINO were
all counted as residents of that building, OF the
butchers in Washington market, who were counted
as residing there, of the guests OF hotels who
were converted into citizens of New-York and of
hosts OF newly-landed immigrants temporarily
domicied near Castle Garden. who were not only
counted as residents but as citizens. The Tribune's
investigations have shown that of the six thousand
persons returned as residing in the first three
election districts of the Ist Assembly District of
the city of Ncw-YOrk, nearly 30 per cent were
business men who did not live in that district
at all 1t was by frauds such as these that the
population of that Assembly district increased
by the Rice enumeration Al $40 per cent over
the Federal enumeration Of 1900, and S3 3l-1oo
per cent over the later police enumeration. Ana
it was these kinds of frauds carried on throughout
the cities of New-YorIS and Brooklyn, which
brought their alleged population 10 figure
100000 greater than on fair calculation of nat
ural increase since the Porter census. 1T could
possibly have been
The frauds which characterized the taking OF
the enumeration were continued, as The InDune
has proved, in forms even more hagrant ana
wicked, by the Bureau officials in the Secretary
of States Office. who counted the rolls sent in by
the enumerators -Four distinct varieties OF raise
counting were done in this Bureau. The Consti-
tutlOu uHcCtS Iudt tlic uppoi S''-
based on citizen population, and, in order to
swell the citizen population of New-iorK ana
Brooklyn, tho returns of the cnumerators were SO
altered as to make it appear that enormous masses
Of PERSONS probably many as 25O,0OO, were
returned BY the enumerators citizens, Whereas
in fact they were returned aliens. 1hls OUT
rageous fraud was committed by scratching out
the letter A." which followed the names oil aliens,
to indicate their alienage and by substituting the
letter &C." to make it appear that they were
citizens These alterations were SO great "a'
there are few among the 5000 rolls now on HE
in the Secretary Of States office which are To-Day
I'm the condition in which they were when the emu
mcra;ors made and attached TO them their aflioa-
VIII, Tn some cases the rolls having been pretty
nearly scratched to pieces were entirely rewritten
and tho enumerator's affidavit was taken from
the original roll to which he had affixed IL ana
attached 20 a paper he had never seen or hcaro
Of The extent of the wrong created ny uhs
fraud has been clearly indicated by the comparisons
which The Tribune has instituted between inc
record Of alien population as shown Dy the uuPii-
cate lists on file in the County CLERKS once III
New-Yorll City with the returns OF those ls'e do
cot forth in Rice's report to the Legislature.
In one roll in the I'D Assembly District IN new
yorl, o64 changes were made; in another 2ls !;
and in another 20l. In one roll in the ia DIS
,rc1 sO4 changes were made. In the WITH DIS
trict in one roll there were 1872 changes !"
another o0S in still another 206 IN another 800
in another. 363, in another ,225, and IN an
other Ola In the With Districtn one roll were maze
s7a changes and in another $50. In the Win
District in one roll, 207 changes were made, ana
An another oo6. In the Width District in one
roll there were 47O changes, in in another 4oi III
another s54, in another 254, and IN ahotuer
the incredible number Of LOGS. In one roi III
the XIth District 563 changes were mace anu
Tins il went on throughout the CITY, OhangeS
of from fifty TO 200 occur in almost every e~oao"
district of the entire city. From the ln'eS'ig"o99
slreodv made which are sufficiently complete Ior
every purpose of calculation it is pcriecty eVioenV
that a, least two Senators and three or i"ir AZ
somblymcn were stolen for New-lork ana brooh-
lyn by this one fraud -, .
Nor IL there any real denial that the returns
,rare TINS bedevillcd In carefully prepared
interview which Secretary Rice published sinful
toneouslv in The Ncw-York World" and ne
Albany Argus" on Friday, May q, three weeks
.f,cr Tho Tribunc's exposures were hist made' he
acknowledges that the rolls were thus ai'ereo
and undertakes TO Justify his conduct by say
,no that in Section Il of the Enumeration acV he
was given full authority to confirm the ACCURACY
of the enumeration of any district by sucn coni
parisons and Investigations as true shumeia'on
demands and he goes on TO say tiiat uh"oi '''''
authority the returns were guides anu aus "
be used in the performance OF the duties iIipoo',
Tx the LEGISLATURE, but not 10 DC H'ela"y W.
lowed. whether right or wrong In oeher "o'u'
occordiro I, Secretary Rice, tho returns OF the
enun,crators who went around from housc ~
house asking how many people lived there ana
what their names were ana whether uieS "'''
etizcns or aliens were not Il record OIL iac' v
he by him reported TO tie Legislature prcciSoS
&c IL wa, written, but merely suggestion from
,vhjch lie was entitled 10 figure a1y result tha'
nlcasad his taste and fancy We shall presently
sec how far the courts agree With Mr.. hice.
rails WAS rot. however, the only fraud com
mitted in the enumeration bureau. '>inha'
cb,nces from aliens TO citizens were made In th'
us,s Of inma,, in institutions, and great number
Of alien inmates were unwarraTably couhVu d.
ctiycns A third fraud perpctrated in con
rcction with the population Of the city OF Brook
lvn. which. after Rice had made his original re-
uo,t 70 the legislature, was arbitrarily increase
in the sum of $3.50. The fourth fraud wal
remarkable as AN illustration of the quality o.
conscience that distinguished the bureau o1lclal
in all their work. The computations were mad'
from the original lists OF the enumerators In TIM
following manner: enc clerk took given lis
and counted every name on 1t and entered th'
result. which was the record OF the whole mum
her of inhabitants, brown card; then
s,cond clerk went through the list and counted
the citizens only, entering their number on
blue card then third clerk went through TIN
same list and counted the aliens, entering thcl
number on yellow card. When the number o
citizens as shcryn on the blue card OF give'
set plus the number of aliens as shown Oh 'l
yellow card of that set, was found to be equal u
the whole number of Inhabitants as SHOWN VI
the brown card, ii was assumed that thc "o''
of the clerks engaged in counting had Decn prop
crly done But where there was any inequailty,