The morning call., 1893-10-18
THE MACHINE IN NEW YORK.

Isaac H. Maynard, Judge OF the Court
OF Appeals, New York, has just been NOM
mated by Democratic convention to sue
ceed himself He is on record as having
secured the control of the Legislature for
the Democrats by means OF an illegal
trick At the last election for State Sena-
tors there was hot fight in the Fifteenth
Senatorial District. Returns were sent to
Albany showing that the Democrats had
carried the district; but on examination
the returns were judicially declared to be
wrong. and they were returned to the
County Clerk who had committed the
error for correction. New returns we're
made out by the Clerk and transmitted to
the State Controllers; these returns gave
the district to the Republicans. While
they were in the custody of the Controller
Judge Maynard called at his Office. and it
is alleged abstracted them and Kept them.
When the vote was caDvassed the Demo-
cratic candidate for Senator was declared
to have been elected because of the ab-
sence of these returns, Judge Maynard.
who was officially present at the canvass,
conceallpg the fact that he had the missing
paper in els possession. If he had pro-
duced it the Republican Senator would
have received his certificate of election.
This fraud was the subject Of wide COM
ment at the time, and it was one Of the
chief sources of the discredit which befell
Governor Hill, who was understood to
have been privy to it, The Bar Associa-
tioD, consisting largely of Democrats, took
it up and published a severe report on
Maynard's conduct Self-respecting Demo-
Gratis denounced him in bitter language.
Nevertheless, when the State nominating
convention met he was nominated to sue
ceed himself, his support coming from
Democrats who held that he was entitled
to this reward for the service he had rem
dered the party, while the opposition con-
sisted of men who did not believe that a
party could ever be helped by knavery.
He is now before the people. and the
question which his election will determine
is whether the Democrats of New York
will follow the lead of ex-Mayor Grace,
Fred Coudert and others. who hold that
fraud should be punished, whether COM
mitted by Democrat or by Republican,
or whether they will vote the regular
party ticket because il is the regular party
ticket.
The issue involves the question of free
dom of conscience. Voters delegate to
convention of their choosing the duty Of
nominating candidates for Office, and as
rule it is proper for the rank and file of the
party to vote for the candidates so nomi-
mated. But in all conscientious commune
ties voters reserve the right of reviewing
the action of their convention, and where
the conVeD ton appears to have been
misled to rebuke it by defea ting its candi-
dates. That is the only way in which pro-
fessional politicians can be taught that
they do not own the party. but merely per-
form certain delegated duties on the con-
dition that they will perform them faith
fully and with single eye to the public
good. Intelligent and conscientious COM
munities have often administered this les
son. Eleven years ago, in New York,
Republican nominating convention allowed
itself to be overslaughed by the machine
and nominated ticket which the Republi-
can ma sses could not stomach. What hap
pened? The Republicans either stayed at
home on election day or voted the Demo-
cratic ticket, and Cleveland was elected
Governor by a majority which was over
whelming and unprecedented.
The question now is, whether the New
York Democrats have civism enough to
follow this example? And this resolves
itself into another question-wbether the
New York Democrats propose to whip
their bad children en- famille. or whether
they prefer to have the enemy whip them
For. if Maynard is elected, as ex-Mayor
Grace fears he will be. the event will
furnish the Republicans with a whole
arsenal of political weapons against the
next election. They will say, plausibly
enough. that fraud and cheating are the
key to success in the Democratic party.
The silent voter, who takes no active part
in politics, and whose sole aim is to see
the public business conducted by men who
are opposed to fraud and cheating, will
cast Republican in preference TO Demo-
cratic ballot Aud it is the silent voter
who decides elections.