New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-12-04
PRICE THREE CENTS.
DUTY OF THE GRAND JURY.
ELECTION FRAUDS SHOULD BE THOR
OUGHLY INVESTIGATED.
EXAMPLES SHOULD BE MADE OF THE MEN WHO
HAVE OPENLY BROKEN THE BALLOT LAWS
GOOD CITIZENS OF BOTH PARTIES


DEMAND THIS.
| THE Grand Jury, which will be mpanneled
tomorrow" said well-known lawyer yesterday.
has delicate duty to perform The index to that
duty has been provided for them by gentlemen
| Of high position and esteem in the community
who took upon themselves the labor Of preparing
| evidence of the outrageous election CRIMES
| committed in this city last month. Grand
| Jures can accomplish much in short time
provided they made UP of the proper men.
| The October inquest was effective they having
| Investigated 900 cases and indicted about 300
| persons within a period Of twelve days. But
| they had a good foreman and an excellent
| secretary
1T is important" continued this lawyer.
that the present Grand Jury should examine
the election cases on the lines laid down by tho
| committee of lawyers 1t is hardly necessary
for them to go outside of the list or those whose
names appear witnesses in the cases already
| prepared. There is always danger in making
| up evidence bearing frauds upon the ballot
| in calling upon policemen to testify. Un-
fortunately these officers have a way Of turning
| their backs at critical moments, in order to
| avoid witnessing acts of fraud and violence,
| and therefore when they come before Grand
| Jury they are able to give a technically truth
| full answer to the effect that they saw nothing
wrong when questioned on that point
DETECTIVES KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT.
"A belief exists that detectives at Police Head
quarters understand from experience the penal.
| ty Of being too truthful on such occasions, for
| instances have occurred when the officer who
manifested commendlble degree OF conscience
| has been promptly transferred from his more
| general work to ordinary duty on the street.
| At this particular time the influence of Tam
many Hall is possessed of much venom. and
| few officials in this city. with the exception OF
| District-Attorney Ncoll and some of his assist
| ants, are possessed Of courage enough to 40
| their work as it should be done, or can be de-
| pended upon to expose the details of such politi-
| cal crimes have been perpetrated within the
last thirty days. Witness the cooperation Of the
police force with the Tammany thieves in the
| Id Assembly District. They apparently did
| not revise the registration. The Grand Jury
| indicted noaters chiefly in the lid Assembly
| District but in the lid many fraudulent votes
| were cast, because the Grand Jury could not
| investigate that district
OPEN BOATS OF DIVERS MEN
There is no doubt that repeating was carries
| on shamefully by Tammany leaders this year."
said a Republican politician. The members OF
Pat DIVERS organization are boasting in bar
| rooms even TO this day that they cast many
instances, =
| dozen times In one district forty-hve votes
were polled by a few men between BAD O'Clock
| and 4 o'clock, when the polls closed. In this
connection ii is doubtful whether the Repubi-
| can watchers prevented the casting Of many
| fraudulent votes, even though they worked
| diligently. In one instance, however. twenty
repeaters went to a polling place and attempted
| TO vote. They challenged by fearless
watcher, and went away without voting. but
only to vote in other places where there were
| no watchers.
| III half of what has been CLEANED and pub
| shed bearing on the character Of work done u
true. the recent disgusting carnival OF crime ana
corruption called an election in the lower wards
of New-York City has been the most atrocious
and shameless since the days of Tweed In
some Of the polling places the Repubncan IN
spectors terrorzed or intimidated tnat
their protests against evident fraud were WIFI
out avail. 1t is unfortunately true that VIII
nesses in many cases are poor men win RAM
lilies to support Since the election II Is al.
legged some of these men have been approached
by Tammany heelers with offers OF money Il
they would remain silent. Others, whose testi-
mony would be invaluable, have been
threatened 1t is declared also that some have
been arrested on trumped-up charges ana con-
fined in the Tombs several days; and IN some
cases they have been discharged from ther
places of employment without knowing why.
WITNESSES SHOULD BE PROTECTED.
There is no doubt" said the Republican poll
tician, that the most barefaced frauds were
committed where there were no watchers. Ana
the suggestion should be made that 1t Is the
duty of the Grand Jury to examine witnesses
cognizant of Irregularities in all these polling
places with great patience. accompanied by
positive assurances of protection. or course,
men doing small business in these downtown
wards can be greatly injured by giving testi-
mony. At the same time thorough ana
searching examination should be made OF all
these cases. When the Grand Jurors do not feel
satisfied that the inspectors or polling clerks or
policemen are legally guilty they may be sure
that these people are morally guilty ana In
that case they should make presentment and
~ ataH he N
form law providing for four inspectors Of eec-
tions two from each of the great parties, for
the entire State 1t is apparent to any one
that elections will continue TO be a farce In the
lower wards long as two Tammany inspec'-
ors possess the power to outvote everywhere
one Republican inspector
"It might be well, also. to call the attention
of the Grand Jury" continued this man, TO the
desrability of repeating the amendment OF sec
ton 1850 of the Consolidation Act by the Leg!s-
lature last winter. There did not appear 10 pe
any Republican in either branch oi the Legs.
lature to warn the respective houses or the
vciousness of this bill 1t provides that the
election officers must be residents of the Assem-
bly districts in which they serve. Obviously the
massage of this act was inspired by tne purpose
10 prevent intelligent inspectors residing IN inc
upper portions of the city from serving III the
lower wards. The Tammany inspectors are nor
selected for their intelligence. put on aecount
of their willingness TO commit lrauu ana oety
tho law in every way. AS an ILLUSTRATION, tne
inspectors of elections at No. 81 Ohver-st were
indicted in November of last year. Iney were
,aannointed and served four days OF registra-
tion this year; and it was only when well.
known Republican lawyer called the attention
of the president of the Police Board to THIS iact
that they were dismissed; but two sunstit9.es
equally bad were appointed. On Election Day
NOT one Republican vote was counted at this
Mace while last year forty-three Republican
votes were counted"
GOOD EFFECT OF A FEW CONVICTIONS.
"a thorough and fearless investigation by the
Grand Jury at this time will be productive of
much good" said a prominent man few days
400 .'If a few of these election thieves should
he convicted elections would become compare.
tivey pure and honest in this city. which they
can never become until the law lays its hsnds
upon the corrupters Of men charged with pro.
tacting the sanctty OF the ballot box. Last
80 % welI-known Tammany contractor volun.