The herald., 1896-10-12

nominations that WOulQ put tne mo
ton to close the nominations. I then
had the secretary record the name and
address of every voter before he cast his
ballot. Every one will bear me out in
saying that was fair caucus
II was told that we could not beat
the push unless we resorted to their
tricks, that we would have to fight the
devil with fire and similar expressions.
l replied that l would prefer defeat to
success If victory must come through
fraud and tricks and dishonorable
methods.
Last Tuesday we met for the battle.
defy anyone to prove one dishonest act
upon our side. All who came with our
tickets had right to vote as citizen
of the Twenty-ninth precinct. Would
that could say the same of our oppo-
sition. When it was possible to deceive,
men were voted on other persons
names, voted as living where they did
not and where there was no such num-
Der as the street given; a number were
not on the great register.
You ask me how I know. / stood
with the list in hand as copied from the
great register and verified, the morning
Of the election. You ask me why al
lowed them to vote. I answer, because
the push swore them in. In some in
stances the fraud was too glaring, and
I refused to even allow parties to swear
in their vote, saying that I would have
them arrested If they did. Whereupon
the boss said to me: If you stand there
and intimidate voters we will pull you
away
ITO this replied, T am not here to in
timidate an honest voter, but / am here
to prevent illegal voting. If this man
lives at the place he says, and will go
with me and prove it, he may vote, but
not otherwise. without some one vouch-
ing for him. If he is fraud will have
the voucher arrested tomorrow, in fact,
1 will have any one arrested upon whom
I can positively prove fraud
ITO give you an idea of those I would
not allow sworn in without vouchers or
going and proving his residence, l will
cite one or two only:
"A man said his name was that of my
neighbor. ! knew that to be fraud,
but did not tell them why, as wanted
him to go and prove his identity, and
l would have given him to the officers
for arrest. The opposition wanted him
to insist upon swearing in his vote. but
1 would not permit it. Another came
and said his name was j. NJ and
gave his age as 27, occupation as clerk
and residing at number other than
that on the register. l said: MIR. M,
if that is your name, you are very un-
fortunate in giving your age as q, when
the register has it as so, and clerk, when
it is here given as carpenter. and even
your residence is not correctly recorded,
if you are right He insisted that the
register was wrong and the boss kept
saying, as he had before, Swear in your
vote 1 told the man he would have to
go with me to prove his identity and
residence, and if he were attempting to
vote illegally would have him arrested.
Even then the push urged him to swear
in his vote. He, however, preferred to
| withdraw. When Mr.. p. came to vote
he found another had voted on his name
and insisted upon voting for himself.
This occurred at both the city and county
primary elections.
Others tried to vote on names of those
knew had moved away and the push
!, wanted to swear them in, but they wa d 4
not go to the house they claimed as their
residence and insisted that they should
not vote.
and the positive position we took in
! the face of the opposition have by per-
sonal investigation found that sixty
| three illegal votes were cast at the
county and city primary elections out of
| 1893 voters and there are over seventy
voters who have not yet reported to me
ais to whether they did or did not vote
| at the primary elections for delegates
| to the county and city conventions. If
| any such are here l urge you to protect
| your own rights and the sancity of the
| ballot by telling me whether or not you
voted at the two primaries or one ct
them. This will help me add to the list
! of fraudulent votes. We wish to see a
| law passed by our own state and, trust
by the nation, making it a prisonable
| otfense to perpetrate fraud at caucus
or primary, as we'll as general election.
II have recited enough to convince any
! intelligent man that all good citizens,
preachers included, should enter the po-
| litical arena to defend thee ballot box
which has well been called our court
| of last resort
"While l am opposed to the union of
| church and state or the use of the baf-
/ lot to further the interests of any sect
! OF religion and while am opposed to the
| granting of any of the public money to
any denominational or church school OF
| charity or whatnot, I believe that the
clergy are no less citizen1 because they
are preachers and they have just the
same sacred duty to perform to the state
that they have to the church.
II am pleased to call politics our civic
religion and next to our love for GOD
and home comes our love for country
/ and our fellow man.
in the face of all the facts have
I given you and the frauds perpetrated by
| the push element in both the Repub-
as men, as moral and Christian men, al
low this baser element to dominate poll
III DO you ask, What can we do?' an.
swer, In municipal affairs it matters
not to what political party man be-
longs SO he is reputable citizen, com.
petent and pledged to good, economic
government We should hail with JOY
the Better Government league which
proposes to select just such men for ou,
suffrage. Let us come out from all partA
lines in the city election and vote fol
men-clean men--honorable men. be-
lieve this to be your duty and mine. Are
we men? If we are, let us assert oul
manhood to down iniquity and uphold
righteousness. Let us pray, work ant
vote for better city government"
UNIVERSALIST CHURCH.
| "RaYnnd I1niNarsa licn, INho o,s A..