New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-12-23
ley TELEGRAPH TO THE TRfBUNE.J

|
| Albany Dec 22-The announcement was made
to-day that one Of the clerks OF Secretary OF
State Rice had made an error in computing the
vote for Senate district delegates to the Consti-
tutional Convention and that result Of
this mistake the Republican party would have
five less delegates in the Convention than 1t
J SUPPOSED It had elected The Senate district af-
fected by the error Is the With. the which
| tains Gravesend the home Of John Y. McKane.
where such gigantic repeating was successfully
| penetrated at the November election The dis
| trict embraces part Of Kings County, and all Of
Richmond County. Although there were extensive
| election frauds in both counties, yet popular
| sentiment was SO intense against the Demo-
| cratic candidates that John McCarty. the Demo-
cratic candidate for Senator, has only SO plural
| ity and the five Democratic candidates for dele
gate to the Constitutional Convention now al
| legged to have been elected have only from 236
| to 555 ma ority.
! The friends Of Henry Wolfert. the Republican
candidate for Senator believe that. In view Of the
| fraudulent registration and repeating at Graves
| end, the vote OF that town should be thrown
| out by the State Senate, and he be admitted as
| a member Of that body. instead Of McCarty.
Chapter 8 Of the laws Of 1898. under which the
Constitutional Convention delegates were elected
| says:
| Such convention may adopt such rules and regl-
| atons for It's government q majority of It's
members may determine. and It shall be the Judge
OF the election and qualifications OF its inem-
| bers.
| The Constitutional Convention. therefore. has
| the same right as the Legislature to expel such
OF It's members as 1t may believe were not elected
1t can expel the delegates elected by the Graves
| end vote. The delegates alleged to have been
elected in tho With District James w. Riggs,
| Eugene A. Curran, George W. Roderick William
NJ Mullen and Thomas W. Fitzgerald The
State Board OF Canvassers on December
| 10 formally declared that the Republican
candidates for delegates in this district
| John c. Kinke Charles l.. Pashley. Will
| lam DetcrlIng J. Lott Nosrand and Charles
| ]. Kurth--were elected. AS Secretary of State
Rice about to issue certificates OF election to
| the Republicans his clerk suddenly discovered
| that he had omitted the vote Of Richmond
County from the vote Of the With Senate District
| and that. with the Richmond County figures In
| Guided. the Democratic candidates for delegates
| were apparently elected.
one OF these candidates. William Mullen was
| informed Of the discovery and requested 10 come
| TO Albany. He came here and. acting under the
| advice Of Mr.. Rice he to-day applied to the
General Term % the Supreme Court for an order
| for the Republicans who had been declared
| elected 10 show cause next Wednesday why the
! state Board Of Canvasscrs should not recOnvcne
| and recanvass the vote OK the With Senate Dis
| trict The Supreme Court granted this applica-
ton. Messrs Kinkel. Pashley Detering, Nos
trand and Kurth. the Republican candidates
| therefore VIII have chance TO fight for their
| rights before the Supreme Court on Wednesday
This IS not the frs, serious error the Demo-
| cratic State Board Of Canvassers has made
| A year ago its members declared that a proposed
amendment to the Constitution. authorizing the
| sale of the States salt springs. had failed o.
adoption; but the amendment had In fact been
adopted The County Clerk 81 queens County
| had reported III" vote OF thar county errone-
ouslv The mistake was not discovered in the
| office OF the Secretary Of State and the state
| Board Of Canyassers announced the result OF
| the election and Of the vote on the amend
| ment and adjourned without day. When
afterward the error was discovered the members
OF the State Board held that they could not re-
convene without legislative enabling act. arter
having adjourned. They accordingy dld not
reasonable. and the Constitution Is sun en-
| numbered with article prohibiting the sale
| u the states salt springs. one result 81 this
blunder is that the state still retains It's salt
! springs with an expensive retnue OF officials 10
| care for them, and that The springs are source
| OF expense to the State OF nearly SSOWo year
| II was therefore. costly laundering on the part
os the Democratic County Clerk OF queens
County and OF the Democratic State Board or
Canvassers. ~
The question may well be asked: What
| authority has the state Board OF CanVasseTs
% reconvenc and canvass me vote ior C9i-
stitutional Convention delegates when It held
year ago that II had no authority 70 reconyenc
and recanVass the vote for the salt Springs
amendments" One law the Republican Legis-
lature should at once pass, requiring every
county IN the state TO have It's election returns
In Albany by December l every year. This
Will give the various county boards, which can
vass the election returns. ample time to do
their work. and 1t will also enable the Secretary
OF state 10 have erroneous election returns cor
rectcd before their submission to the state
Board OF Canvassers The latter body also might
we'll be required to meet upon n certain day
in the middle OF December and not have the
opportunity to hold such sudden meetings as II
attempted 20 hold In 1891, when the Democratic
leaders were attempting to count In State
Senate