The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-10-13
To STOP ELECTION A
BUT sUPERTNTEHDENT M'CULLdGH
WILL HAMPER NO HONEST VOTER.


He HIS Adopted Careful and Conservative
Means to Prevent TTickery and Protect
All Citizens in the Exercise OF the
Franchlse-AlleRed Outrage Falls Flat.
1t has been asserted moro than once by those
who should know that. at each election held In
the city OF New York. the ballots OF 20. ZOO IL
legally registered voters are cast and counted.
To detect illegal registration and to prevent
persons illegally registered from voting is the
work of John McCullagh, tho State Superin-
tendent OF Elections for the metropolitan dis
trict. Since he established permanent head
quarters at 1856 broadway, Superintendent Me-
Cullagh has been n busy man. but very few per
sons have been able to find out what he has
dom or what he will do. Many persons are
worried because they can't find out. II you ask
him to tell you.the Superintendent will answer:
I'm trying to detect all violations OF tho
election franchise. arrest the offenders and fur
nish proof of their guilt"
When he gave that answer to a Sun reporter
yesterday the reporter asked another question:
How are you going to do it ?"
"Ahl' exclaimed the superintendent now
you must excuse me. l Am not saying that
there will DO any violation Of the election fran
chise this year. but II there should be. the vio-
lators don't want to get caught at II. II they
knew what / am doing they would have in
formation that would be extremely useful
in their business. / don't want them to
have this information. A few may know
some OF the things l have done. but no one,
not even my own deputies. knows what
l I'm going to do. and they won't If 1 can help
1t. Now. don't get the notion from this that l
distrust my own men. l have 700 deputies.
and they are all intelligent. loyal men. just
about half Of them are Democrats. but after
they we're appointed, the law having been com
piled with. 1 forgot all about their politics. 1
am the servant OF all the people. Democrats as
well as Republicans. and l take it for granted
that good Democrats are as DESTROYS Of having
the election laws enforced as good Repub-
licans.
1t has been generally supposed that the
most Of the cases of illegal registration are to
be found in the cheap lodging houses. While
that may have been true. 1t may be found this
year that attempts at illegal registration may
be made by persons who wouldn't think OF liv-
ing or even going inside a cheap lodging
house. 1t may be found that persons living in
the fashionable residential sections Of the city
are not above attempting illegal registration.
II those who are trying. in a more or less feeble
way, to hinder our work think we are only
keeping our eyes on lodging houses. they will
certainly skip a lot of territory in trying to
keep track OF our movements.
In the old days, you know, in order to pro-
vide against any possible lack Of votes. it was
the custom to invite men over 81 years OF age
from up the Hudson as lar as Troy. to come
down here and help us vote. These men would
be d9m nj IN cheap i9dGinS houses. They
can happen this year. although everybody who
registers receives a card which he must pro-
ballots at the polls. Now. suppose John Smith
registers from a Bowery lodging house.
for a night. BY an arrangement with the Keep
err OF the house., the man leaves his registra-
then the S GsEd w T1 ore ses PTqIF m"y be i'm in f fIefsi9H f bnt
that doesn't, make any difference. The pro-
prietor simply gives the card to another ledger.
with necessary instructions. and the. other
lodger votes. If the inspectors Of election
question the mans right to vote; the keeper Of
are the inspectors TO do?
Now, it is our work to detect such cases as
shan't visit any hardshipS upon anybody. l
have Instructed 4 /, my men to be courteous to
r refases iStor N ehe kH Ss BECOMES GO a isaS SuiPty gU Sf g
misdemeanor. But / have told my men not to
walk away, in high dpdgeon when they get one
OF these refusals. l have reminded them that
It is q new thing. and that they must reason
with those who refuse. at first. to give the in
der our work. With all such we know how to
DEAL
At the meeting of the Health Board yesterday
sSseFbs t RRoFIa Gana9 C Eesd { Err rebort f fnenantor
in reference to a complaint made by Frank
Campbell, the propriet9r Of several lodging
houses on the Bowery. Dr. Feeney stated that
the deputies employed by Superintendent of
lodging house at & Bowery on Monday night |
and broken into the rooms of the tenants.
climbing over the partitions in order to do so.
One OF the deputies. the report stated. had torn
of n mans clothing for the purpose OF having
him identified by certain marks upon, his body.
summoned by the Health Board to give his
testimony. The story he told was tame com-
pared with that contained in DR.. Feeney's re-
port;
register, too. didn't, they?" asked President
Murphy Of the Board.
We'll. they looked at the register" said the
lodging. house proprietor.
And they demanded to know the names OF
the dodgers. in a rough sort OF n way said
President Murphy.
Il believe they did, " said Campbell.
And didn't they act in, Il very disorderly
Well, said Campbell, they came to the
lodging house at midnight. and. OF course, |
their entrance caused a disturbance among the
did they break into any OF the rooms ~
asked President Murphy.
No" said Campbell: the rooms were not
But they tore the clothing, from a man for
the purpose OF finding Identification marks"
suggested President Murphy.
| believe. they tore a mans coat in hauling
him AROUND answered Campbell,
Campbell said that some OF his dodgers had
were afraid to register because they believed
McCullagh'S men would arrest them on
trumped-up charges. He added that the cleo
ton officers were nuisanceS and should be
suppressed by the Health Board.
than 10 InniIn 10 bold tho nAnnNlnint ~. |