New-York tribune., 1893-12-02
WHAT IS HATCHING J

Rumors began to circulate just after the late
election attributng to the Democratic machine
bosses a scheme to brbe their way to the con-
trol of the new State Senate. Nineteen Kepuo-
licans and thirteen Democrats were elected to
that body. but the claim has been persistently
made that when the Senate meets 1t will be
found that certain men elected as Republicans
are. after all, friends and creatures OF the Dem
ocratic Ring. 1t is difficult to believe that any
such conspiracy as this is in progress, Dut 'he
rumors about it are possessed OF extraordihar!
vitality. 1t was difficult TO believe that man
like Frank Rice would rob with his own hnnds
the files he was sworn to guard and keep, but
that Is what he did. 1t was difficult to bckeve
that the Democratic Court OF Appeals would
so construe the Ballot law as to dis1rahchise
hundreds Of Republican voters in Onondaga ior
no fault of their own, for nothing put ue
trivial and admittedly innocent error OF
sheriffs messenger, but that is what 1t did, ana
that. too. after having put itself on record only
two years before as saying that the protection
which the law constructs against fraud must
be consistent with certainty that every per
son entitled to vote shall have his ballot re-
ceiyed. deposited and counted" 1t was diff
cult to believe that Frank Rice EDWARD
Wemple. Elliot Danforth, Charles r. IaDor
and John Bogart would lie and cheat. but they
did it. They not only counted false re'urh'
but they said they had none other before them.
which was a falsehood; and they counted the
false return after the Court OF Appeals had
commanded them TO count the true one ana
after they had stipulated to obey the court
which, Of course, it was their duty 10 DO any
how And that was another falsehood ana
bewildering breach Of trust.
Nobody would have believed that such things
as these could happen in this Empire State OF
ours until they did happen. And then every
body settled down and quietly accepted them,
and IL it hadn't been for the colossal impudeDce
Of Flower in putting Maynard On the Dehch OF
the Court Of Appeals, and Of the bigger bosses
in placing him before the people TO be voted
on, the Senate steal Of 1891 would have gone
into history as an unpunshed, almost unchni-
lenged crime The men who did II are still
In their high places. Hill Is still United
States Senator. Murphy is his colleague
Flower is still Governor. Sheehan still fresl'
dent OF the Senate. Maynard still Judge. Rice
still Secretary Of State and chairman OF 'he
State Board Of Canyassers. They are no bet
ter now than they were when they stole the
last Senate, and all that argues against the
probability Of their being engaged In more
deviltry of the same sort is the fact that they
ought to be somewhat wiser. They know, how
ever, the efforts that are being made to make this
q notable session Of the Legislature for the re-
peal of the outrageous political bills which
were the fruit Of their former crime and for
the passage Of reform legislation In favor OF
which all the moral forces in politics are united.
They know how embarrassing these acts Will
be to them and their agent, Governor Flower.
They know that their disadvantage will result
as soon as these reform bills reach the Gov
ernors room, and will as surely result from his
veto as from his approval OF them. They are
a desperate crowd, used to the taking OF great
risks and forced now to choose between one
sort of risk and another. 1t need astOnish no
one, then, II from the frequent secret confer
enccs they have been holding during the last
ten days there shall presently issue some
scheme Of violence or fraud aimed to defeat the
public determination TO undo the wrongs per-
petrated i'm 1892 and 1893 and to secure amenda-
tory legislation These men need to be closely
watched, and their next conspiracy OF revolu-
tion should put them where they will be busy
with hOnester work.