New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-12-05
THE TIuN1NY BEDROCK.

In his testimony before the Lexow Commit
tee on Monday. Charles Harris. alias Mark
Newton. struck the hardpan upon which the
whole siIpcrstructurc Of rogue rule In this town
has been built: the bedrock Of the colossal sys-
TEN OF corruption and fraud which has been
reared hy the Tammany organization. Charles
Harris is only one ~ hundreds Of poor devils
whom the Tammnny leaders have been In the
habit Of using M every election FOR years Ia
perpetuaic their own power and defeat the VIII
Of honest voters He was one Of The great army
Of fraudulent voters and reporters which the
Tammany rulers Of This town sent 10 the polls
I'm 1897 10 outweigh honest voters and cheat
them Of their fair and honest share In the gov
eminent Of the country. He related simple
and evidently truthful story; how some one
told him where 10 20 II h. wanted TO earn a
few dollars: how h. went 10 the place 10 which
he was directed. met there a Democratic lead
or from whom he took his orders and received
his nav. and in obedience to orders proceeded
to register in various election districts, with Inc
manifest collision OF election officers, and was
paid therefor AZ the rate OF 30 cents Tor ehch
registration. There were hundreds OF men
around that day" he said. AL getting money
for registering and colonizng." Precisely here.
nj the corruption OF the ballot. and the control
of elections thereby. is where the Tainmany
mischief begins. 50 LONG rs that practice can
be continued Tammany rascnls are secure. ana
there is no hope for Reform in municipal af-
fairs. however great the popular uprising. IL
* not the voters who control the result. but the
scoundrcls who receive the ballots and count
the votes
1T Is a condition. not a theory. that con
fronts" the Legislature at Albany, which next
month Will be called upon to enact laws III the
interest Of honest government in TINS city.
And the first step toward Intelligent legisi-
ton is to consider precisely what the condition
is. how II came into being, and who are re-
sponslblr for it, Charles Harris and the other
| moor devils" who do the work and take Inc
chances may as well be left out of the account
There Is already law enough to take care "l
| them. Charles Harris himself. fresh from the
Erie County Pcnitcntary. where the pitiless
rascals who had used him permitted him To he
| sent in cxpatiOn Of their own crime Is PROOF
enough Of that. The junior Diver who hired
him Is perhaps and the Diver senior who i'll
| snircd the whole scheme is certainly. beyond
reach of punishment. But ii would BE- waste
Of time to undertake 10 head off that class ol
seams by any legislative devices, however In
gcnious Behind Harris. to be sure, were th'
two DIVERS Behind the senior Diver was
that eminent jurst, Recorder Smyth. who has
Lately learned what the voters think Of hin
and. what is of more weight and consequence
| the whole Tammany organization. WIN all III
complicated machinery and enormous power
backed I'D both DIVERS and paid the bills fol
the shameful business So far so good w
al .1,,tf.. th.. stSfn an
fraud and crime the chief beneficiary; the or
canlzation whose leaders, or some OF them
maintain show of responsibility. and who ar
so remote from the poor devils" who COMM
crime for them n; 20 cents crime that the
can with some FEASIBILITY shake Off the rcspon
sibility. They are altogether beyond reach. II
make a drive at them by repeating the chartc
of the Tammany Society seems to us, with al
respect for those who have proposed II, ihade
quatc and almost pucrile.
There Is another factor in the situation. AM
II Is Of more importance than all the rest. W
ask the Legislature 10 give II serious consdcra
ton That Is, that during the entire period II
which this system of fraud and crime has bee
/ I'm operation the party opposed To the Tamman
organization has had two and never less tina
one inspector OF elections out of four, and thi
this shameful business was carried on undc
their very noses without interference and Il
most without protest. 1t Is all very well
trace the Tammany system from the poo
devils" to the DIVERS and the Tammany II
spectors up TO East Fourtccnth-st. and the Hal
but how about the Republican inspectors VIII
have sat by the registry lists and in the pollln
I booths and winkcd at frauds Of which the
| could not be ignorant? To whom id they ow
their appointment? And In what coin wei
, their services paid? These are questions tina
can be easily answered upon brief INQUIRY