New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-12-04
a SILLY PRETEXT.

The dead machine still clings to its dead rolls.
though It's constitution provides that when tho
party vote IN any district falls below the en-
rolment the district association must be dis
solved. The machine leaders admit that tho
constitution requires dissolution IN almost
every district and consequent non-existence or
any power in those districts to hold primaries
and elect new County Committee. Iheir
only refuge from retirement and self-efraccment
is to plead the impossibllity Of locating exactly
the delinquent districts, which they admit to
be everywhere. The boundary lines OF cleo
ton districts have been changed, and they say
that makes any comparison between the vote
and the enrolment impossible, and consequently
they cannot obey the constitution and abdicate,
much as they would like to do so. in the inter-
est Of harmony and new lease OF power for
themselves They have given up pretending
that the last election was not general That
contention made them appear too ridlculousiy
Mt variance with the law OF the State. and now
their only refuge is in the assertion that they
cannot discover whether or not any particular
district fell short In It's vote, though the total
shortage showed that nearly all must have
done so.
This subterfuge IS nearly as childish and
futile rs tho claim that the Chief Judge OF the
Court OF Appeals was not chosen at genera!
election" 1t will not bear examination II Mr.
Quigg would obey the constitution and allow
his rolls to be inspected any competent ac-
countant could show exactly what districts
must be dissolved. He would adapt TO the pur-
pose the method followed by the machine here
tofore, when election district lines have been
changed Of setting OF names Of persons dwell
ing in the territory transferred for the rolls or
the district In which II was placed. Thus he
would find ont exactly how many enrolled Re
pubicans there were in every election district,
and by comparison with the vote would dis
cover the dead districts. That system might
fall to give absolute proof in half n dozen cases.
where lines had been much changed and where
parts Of the old district had given n large party
vote and parts had failed TO do 30. Then
It might be questioned II district was dis
solved when its vote was divided between pre-
cincts OF different complexion. But as tho
tendency was almost uniformly In one direction
only three Assembly districts, including the
Annex. casting their enrolled vote, md district
lines have not been so changed for the most
part as to make comparison difficult In nine
cases out Of ten positive knowledge could he
gained Of the relation OF enrolment 10 vote.
For the machine leaders 10 determine thus
simply the question which the party constltu-
ton orders them 10 consider would certainly be
more in accord with their talk OF harmony and
fair enrolment than dlsobcdlence To the const-
tutional mandate on the prctext that they can
not obey It. II they mean what they say when
they make fair professions. Let them be fair,
stop playing hldeandsc with their constitl-
ton and be liberal in obcying II instead Of lib
eral In defyng II. Let them face the fnct
that they have split their party In twain. and
in doing so have killed their organization.
While they prop 1t up with silly pretexts about
changed district lines and general elections.
and try TO keep Its dead arms waving. they
will only succeed in driving away people who
do not like contact with corpse.