The morning call., 1894-10-26
The Suffer to Be Made
Miserable.
HE MUST RUN A GAUNTLET.
Men With Warrants to Stand
at the Polls.
OFFICERS, BUT NO CREDENTIALS
Selling Their Certificates to Brokers
at Reduction Before Per-
forming the Service.

morning. Mr.. McNeill, in addressing the
commission, said that his party at the
opening Of the campaign had arranged TO
look carefully after the genus stuHer; that
seeing the Republican party making great
pretensions in the same line they Qne
Peoples party had held back and watched
both-both the suffer and the Rupublican
party-to see how they would get along
together. 1t had been observed that there
was considerable talk about citations upon
alleged illegal voters, and some few OF
these had come before the commission and
when they could not properly explain
themselves their names were dropped from
the register, but in the greater number of
cases it was simply reported here thatth
could not be found and their names were
dropped. Mir. Mcneil wanted to know if
that was all there was of it, Was the
lurisdit ton of the commission limited TO
thai?
These people were guilty of an unlawful
act and should be prosecuted. Recently
ten men had been employed by the COM
mission 10 go out and seek for suffers and
nothing had been heard from them. Mr..
McNeill wanted to be pasted as to the real
status of this suffer question so that he
might know how TO act.
Mayor Ebert desired to set him straight
In regard to the attitude of the commission.
1t was DESTROYS TO see these people ar
rested and punished and had repeatedly so
stated. 1t had offered a reward for every
arrest and conviction of suffer and was
in sympathy with every effort in that direc-
ton. If Mr.. Mcneil knew of any false
registration why did he not bring me
names before the commission that they
could be cited 10 appear.
That was just the point, said Mcneil.
His party had been working to run these
people to earth and he did not care to give
their hand away unless he knew how it
would te played. lie did not mean to re-
feet upon the commission-Mr. Creswell
having explained that it vas beyond the
rrovinee OF the commission to prosecute
eases
Mr.. Mcneil said they had located 500
suffers; that he knew of landlord who
had been offered bonus for the use Of
the number of a vacant house in which
10 locate number of suffers and had
absolute knowledge of a woman who was
allowing this to be done with her house in
consideration of a bonus. There were
such places all over town and particularly,
be said, in Mr.. MahoDey's district
Mayor Ebert said that he know of one
place on OFarrell street, an empty house
not plastered or ready for occupancy, in
which forty people were supposed to be
living according to the register. He
thought Mr.. MeNeilI should cite his
500 PEOPLE to come before the commission.
They would not come and could not be
found if man went to look for them, said
Mcneil. The only way he saw in which
they could be captured was at the polls.
1t was the purpose of his party to have
1900 men stand guard at the polling places
and as they came up to vote to arrest them.
Mr.. Broderick suggested that that was
good plan and that warrants should
be sworn out in advance and placed in the
hands OF the men at the polls. The
Mayor said that the number of suffers
was too great and that some of them
would certainly escape the vigilance of the
men on guard.
Mr.. Mcneil said that il 1900 men were
not enough to take care of them his party
would form vigilance committee, but
that he thought it useless 10 cite men at
places where all knew they did not live /:
that it would only scare them off. while he
wanted to capture them. He thought it
very strange, however, tina: the army of
inspectors employed by the Registrar
could find no trace of any of them, while
everybody knew that the city was full of
them. He thought it was good deal like
the man who was looking for work and
praying he wouldn't find 1t.
Mr.. Mahoney said that he thought the
trouble with the Registrars men was that
they simply inquired at the several stuffing
headquarters for the men, and not finding
them went away satisfied, instead of max
ing thorough search and investigation of
all such places.
The Registrar said he had instructed his
men to make just that kind of search,
and if they did not do so it was not his
fault.
With the retirement of Mr.. McNeil one
j. +. Sweeney came forward and asked
that the commission give him a warrant
for and OK certificate of his oath of
office as precinct registry clerk and cleo
ton officer which he held in his hand.
Mayor Ebert said it could not be Done
Mr.. Sweeney said, "Oh, yes. it could, for
it had been done in many instances" and
that certain brokers had been cashing
them all over town.
The commission leaned forward with
interest and a look OF amazement.
Mr.. Sweeney said the Registrar had
OK-ed the papers for Republicans ex-
cIusively; that his OK made them nego-
table; and why couldn't he do as much
for Democrats?
Mr. Evans said that that was preropa-
tive he had to OK certificate If he
wished and TO refuse if he wished.
Mayor Ebert thought that if the thing
was done for one it should De done
for all, when there was no good
reason for refusing, but he thought the
whole thing novel and reprehensible. A
man who sold his certificate of Office had
sold bis badge and right to that Office, and
he should not be allowed to serve.
LII this sentiment the board concurred.
and Mr.. Sweeney, who had only wanted
10 raise this point, retired well pleased.
The Registrar called attention to bic
demand for extra clerk hire. which he said
was within the $1,000 granted him for
overtime. The overtime work was done
By. new clerks at so cents an hour, and
they had been engaged without con sultiDR
the commission. The warrants were
signed. but Auditor Broderick said he
could not see how he could audit the bills.
as there was no provision 10 the law for it.
Evans was in great distress about the