New-York tribune., 1896-05-09
DISCARD THE COUNTY COMMITTEE.

t;ons tha machine managers Of both parties
may perpetuate their own control OF the party
organizations by any sort or fraudulent prac-
tees and honest citizens have neither escape
nor redress Perhaps it Is just as well that IL
should be So 1t presents to the RepuDhcans ol
this county in its most concrete ana praclcai
form an issue which can no longer be aVoldeu'
That is, whether honest Republicans can con-
sistently. with their own sense OF self-respect
and their regard for the welfare OF the party,
recognize County Committee organized IN
fraud and fraudulently perpetuated.
With the story of the frauds practlsed by the
creatures Of the Platt-Lauterbach County Com
mittee at the January primaries the readers OF
The Tribune are already familiar. They were
SO open and fagrant as to excite general lnuls-
nation. public meeting OF citizens was heid
in Madison Square Garden to dcnounce them anu
their authors. 1t was conducted by wei-Rnown
Republicans and addressed by some OF the most
influential leaders of the party An appeal was
made to Governor Morton, as the ofhcial head
Of the party, to use his influence to defeat the
successful consummaton of frauds more glar-
ing and outrageous than any ever perpetrated
by Tammany in It's palmiest days 1t was
Thought that his interposition might have some
weight with the workers Of inquity and save
the Marty from disgrace. The Governor calmly
referred the documents incrlminatlng the Lauter-
bach conspirators to Mr. Lauterbnch himself,
never so much as turning his hand in favor OF
the cause of political honesty and uprightness,
although he had personal knowledge that the
| Republicans who sought his interpOsitlon were
| wellknown citizens Of the highest standing ana
| character, and that they were actuated only by
| sincere desire to promote the welfare OF the
| Republican party and the general good. The
machine managers winked at each other as the
Governor contemptuously tossed over to their
chief the protest against his practices. They
| had scored one The immediate danger threat
| ening their plans had passed The Governor
was on their side. They might work their own
| sweet will at the primaries, perpetuating their
| control by whatever fraudulent practices they
pleased, with No danger Of interference or rven
| so much as rebuke from the Governor.
| So then they began intrenching themselves
| BY amendments to the constitution OF the coun
ty organization they made themselves a close
corporation, into which no Republican can gain
admittance except after submitting to tests OF
loyalty-not to the Republican party, but to the
Republican County Committee. On the eve OF
! Presidential election, when the invariable pol
lev of all parties Is to throw open the doors and
invite to their support converts, recruits and
newcomers from all sources, these gentlemen
closed the doors of the organization, established
| system OF passwords and countersigns, and
| gave out that no one should be admitted who
| could not show clear record of allegiance and
devotion to the County Committee. This done
they congratulated themselves upon having
scored another point in safely intrenching them
selves against any intrusion OF what they de-
risively called "the better element" Of the party
The effect Of course. must be to keep the party
small at a time when its greatest need Is to en-
large and strengthen itself. But 1t Is to be con-
yeniently small So small that the machine
managers can easily use 1t for their own pur-
poses in trading with the opposition
! Meanwhile "the better element"-all efforts to
put stop to these iniquities having failed
resorted TO legal processes, and procured the
| indictment Of some Of the election inspectors,
who had been guilty Of the most outrageous and
most easily proven frauds at the primaries
The trial of two Of them was concluded on
Thursday What was the defence? None.
Upon incontestable testimony they were proven
guilty. They escaped punishment upon the tech
nicalty that the law against frauds in elections
did not apply to primaries And then what hap
pened? Why this the first man to congratulate
these miserable creatures upon their escape
| from deserved punishment was Cornelius Van
| Cott one OF the machine managers whose dirty
and dishonest work they had done: and he was
pressed hard by others Of the County Commit
! tee who crowded forward to greet the heroes
of the hour. Such was the scene in the court
room when two men, employed by the Repub-
| lican Committee Of NewYOrk County to per-
| petrate outrageous and unbushing frauds which
they did not pretend to deny, escaped the pun
ishment due their crimes by legal technicality.
1t ought not to be, II must not be. forgotten.
The disgrace Of 1t belongs, In the first instance,
| of course, to the instigatOrs of the frauds-the
men who profited by them But the fact cannot
be ignored that these men are to-day the official
representatives the executive body, Of the Re
publican party Of New-YOrk County. So long
as that committee continues to be recognized
as It's regular representative the Republican
party of the county is responsible for Its action,
an accomplice In Its crimes and a participant
| in its disgrace.
These persons have intrenched themselves.
They are beyond the reach Of ordinary processes
| within the organization, and under this decision
they are not anenable to law for any fraud or
crime they may commit in perpetuation Of their
| power. They boast Of their crimes, revel in the
| impunity with which they escape justice, chuckle
over their own disgrace and rejoice In the shame
they bring upon the Republican party. Does
anybody believe that honest Republicans will
continue to recognize the regularity" Of such