Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1892-01-08
The New York Frauds.

The Republican committee Of the state
OF New York have issued a calm and tenn
perate. but strong and convincing address
on the Democratic frauds just perpctrated
i'm that state in order to secure control Of
the state senate The committee indulge
in no angry demunciation, but let a concise
statement of facts tell its own story The
questions involved. the address SAYS. are
not questions of party politics, but of fun
damental constitutional rights. ana of the
right Of the people to lawfully elect their
own legislators without having their will
thwarted by fraud. The scheme to steal
the state Senate was devised and its eNecu-
tion supcrintcnded by Go. Hill. who has
publicly ayowed his responsibility for it
and his cNultation over its success. The
count at the CLOSE Of the election showed
that the Republican candidates for the
votes i'm Is districts. In four districts. the
18th, 10Th, 2jth and 27th. contest, were at
once raised by the Democrats in the hope
of securing a majority for their party. The
duty of the boards OF county canyasscrs is
purely ministerial. They have no judicial
authority, and cannot pass upon the valid
ity of any vote, hut in spite of this. in
Structed from Albany. they violated their
plain duties and received and acted upon
outside afiidavits and statements from ir-
responsible persons. Contests, arising from
their action, after being passed upon by
the supreme court of the state. were carried
to the court OF appeals for final decision.
These eases were argl,ed on the llth and
18th of December and decided on the 10Th.
In the 27th district, where a Republican,
Mr. Sherwood, had large majority. the
court held that there was no election, he
cause Mr. Sherwood was ineligible under
the law. In the 3jth district il was dccid-
rd that the Democratic candidate was en-
titled to a certificate because l252 votes
intended for his Republican competitor
were cast in an election district other than
that Tor which they were officially endorsed.
In the 10th district the decision was i'm ia
vor OF the Republican candidate.
1t was i'm the 18th district where the
grosse>t frauds took place. This has be-
come known as the famous "DutchesS
county case. \ majority of votes We're
cast in that district for Mr.. Deane, the Re
publican candidate, whose death took place
very soon after the election. ON no good
grounds whatever a contest was raised
and, >till acting under instructions from
Albany. the county board of canyaSScrS. by
throwing out or tranSposmg votes in several
cases and 10y refusing TO count 81 votes
which had been accidentally marked in the
printing by printers quad, a majority
was manufactured for Mr.. Deane's Demo
cratic competitor, and a certificate, now
known As the "Mylod certificate, was is
sued i'm his favor. This certificate gets
its name from the fact that the county
clerk, acting as the secretary Of the board
of canvassers, refused to certify to this
fraudulent return, whereupon Mr. Mylod
was instantly appointed secretary in his
place. Tripicate copies of the return were
signed and certified TO- and hurried to Al
bany. For refusing to certify to this fraud
ucnt return GOV. Hill summarily removed
the. county clerk from his Office. The
opinion of the court of appeals held this
Mylod certificate to be false, and therefore
void, and not to be canvassed, and i'm effect
directed the state board of canvassers To
canvass the true return, even though a
certified copy of it might not be in their
hands But i'm spite of this they canvassed
the false return and gave Osborne, Mr..
Deane's Democratic competitor, his seat in
the senate.
The Republican state committee, after
stating in detail the facts here summarized,
close their address with the following dig
nied statement of damaging facts;
"The board of state canvassers met after
| the decision of the court of appeals was an
nounced. They knew the facts. They
were in possession of lawfully certified
copies of the true corrected return; they
had been served with the order of the SUI
preme court in the proceeding before Judge
Barnard, to which they were parties,
commanding them not to canvass any other.
"They were reminded of the decision of
the court of appeals. They canvassed the
fraudulent and false 'MylOd certificate de-
termined therefrom that Mr.. Osborne had
received the greatest number of votes for
senator i'm the 18th district, and issued a
certificate of election to him.
I "The secretary of state, present at the
meeting of the board, was asked whether
he had not received copy of the true re-
turn mailed to him by the Dutchess county