New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-07-25
A REPLY TO DAVID B. Hill,
ALFRED r. CoNKLING ON DEyEnvs
RECORD IN ELECTIONS.

| TIE BELIEVES THAT THERE Is "a wELI~Porynvn
APPREHENSION THAT THE NEW DEMOCRATS
| CHIEF OF POLICE WOULD REALLY REFUSE
TO ENFORCE THE ELECTION Laws"
To the Editor OF The Tribune.
| Sir: have just read the attack Of OK ss,..
| tor d. B. Hill upon the new Metropolitan FL.
| ton District law Inasmuch as Mr.. Hill foush.
| every election reform bill while Governor I, /.
| natural that he should oppose a law designed >.
| prevent the new Chief Of Police from Tar
manyizing the police force on the days OF ree,,-
| tration and election.
| It Is possible that some gold Democrats s,x
| independent voters may believe Mr. Hills q.
| sertions Hence they should be denied by som.
| one familiar with elections In Greater New-Yort
| shall not now go into an exhaustive discussIo,
| of the merits of the new law, but I wish 10 an
| swer Mr. HIS statements concerning the Con-
| duct OF elections In New-York City He cav.
| .'all honorable men" admit that "the election.
| in the city OF New-York are, as a rule con.
| Quoted as fairly as In any other portion Of IA.
| State. and, in truth, with less personal corrun
| ton OF the voters than In some country din
| trictg"
This statement Is true as to elections durus
| the Strong reform administration but we mus
| remember that Tammany now rules the No
| tropois, and hence we must go back TO the Yea,
| 1893. when, below Fourteenth-st., Tamrarv
| counted the votes before they were cas-; Vim
| the aid Of the police force the magistrates ana
| the District Attorney. The readers OF The Tn
| une remember the conduct Of Chief Deye,
| while captain in the Eleventh (Eldridge-st) Pre-
| cinct in 1893 when the Maynard -Tammauy
| combine" tried TO steal the State. While
have no feeling against the present Chief
think I should ublsh his record during tha
| memorable campaign. and in doing shan
| only state facts within my own knowledge
| Soon after the first registration day Of 1893 I
| found Captain Devery at his police station.
house and reported to him several cases Of falls,
| registration He said: II can do nothing untu
| the registration has closed"
| Mr.. Hill may think that a police captain who
refuses to investigate promptly upon the COM
plajnt of a citizen several cases Of felony al.
| legged to have been committed within a stones
| throw of his station-house is a suitable person
| to control elections with nearly eight thousand
| subordinates II so, many voters in the city Of
| New-York do not agree with the Ex-Governor
| Mr. Hill is mistaken in asserting that there was
| no "well-founded apprehension that the new
| Democratic Chief of Police would really refuse
| to enforce the election laws" Captain DeveYs
| conduct In 1893 shows what can be expected Of
| him IL the DO ice force shall have entire
| charge OF elections His refusal 10 make
| prompt investigation led me to believe that he
would do nothing to suppress false registration
| and his address to his men in the staton-houss
| on Election Day. TO the effect that "a lot Of silk
| stockings were coming down TO bulldoze "
| . and TO stand them on their heads b
| evidence that he wished to promote eectiM
| frauds rather than prevent them
| These silk stockings" that Chief Devery dis
| likes were watchers from the Union League
| and Republican clubs. who were determined
| that Judge Maynard should not be elected BY
the counting Of fraudulent majority IN the ciy
of New-York which might exceed the vote OF
| the State above the Harlem River.
In The Tribune recently L referred 10 Gap
tain Devery's conduct toward watcher ior
Samuel Gompers OF the Labor party. Although
showing a signed certificate. this watcher has
lately told me that he was driven out OF tne
polling place by Tammany ruffians. and wnen
he appealed 10 Captain Devery for protection
the latter replied: 1T doesn't pay to guard with
these fellows; you had better go home ke-
turning for moment to the report ! mace
to Captain Devery. I may state that wsnA Ne,
fore the Grand Jury the next day tbecause
would have been laughed out of court had
| complained to a Tammany magistrate. ana tns
| Many others were indicted upon the complains
of members of the Republican Club and nesf
heard that any warrants for violation OF IIe
election law were issued in the year 1898 upon
evidence furnished by Captain Devery Scms
of the written reports OF the Republican e'ee'
ton district captains state that Tammany 'o'o
were bought on the sidewalk under the eys
Of policemen in Deverys precinct, ana 10 ~
rests were made.
/ submit that these few cases OF official nesr
gence which came within my knoWiedge snvs
that since the recent promotion OF Devery tne'
was a general and very "well-founded app,r..
hension that the new Chief would resT
refuse to enforce the election laws. to use ~.
Hills language Residents OF the EievenH
Precinct know his record better than ! 90 ~.
Contrast Chief Deverys acts OF 1872 r. ss
the conduct Of ex-Chef McCullagh at the ays
election. The latter caused a most tho s,as
verifcation OF the registration In the iods'ss
house districts TO be made. and out OF t.e .n:,
six thousand names Investigated ! am toiu .H s"
only nine thousand persons voted iea sen,
others to say whether any OF the re n,. an
seventeen thousand persons were lesah!c
titled to vote. No one has charged eA-|"''
McCulagh with unfairness. ere
Mr. Hill expresses so much alarm al the 81,
ton Of the new law permitting the aep Nn at
inspect houses in the city OF New ] orh ga
l can hardly take him seriously. his sue,rh
ton that the deputy superintendent VIII ard ard
for colonizers and repeaters in the cellar ,,sps
pantries Of private houses was mace pe"'''
for the amusement Of the boys. ci.
Under Section Al of the Penal Code am s,,r..
zen has for years had power to visit 9V 'n nv
houses to verify the registration. ana ~ as.
long experience I have known OF only oie
Of the failure 10 answer inquiries coi's no,lrs
the inmates In this I obtained p prson
summons and served IT, whereupon tnt po y, ths
answered my questions rather thar 20 So.rd.
police court. When occupants of che4p po ..,,h
ing house or lodging house were chaBe ~css
false registration | have known police 91.n, ,Si
to ask to he shown the beds where res nS viii
voters slept but such cnses are rare anu
be rare under the new law. asnu.
Mr. Hill assumes th3t the Republican, e srrd
ties will prosecute and intimidate poor S
unlettered Democrats. occupants OF 'ell ,, nro.
houses" Here again, the Penal Coae WIN LISA
tect Mr. Hnps friends among the poorer class, =.
Tammany has always helped its heeielS now.
peaters thugs and allies and II VII 40 ~ ~ are
The magistrates appointed by Mayer s.'V 80 any
fair and honest men who viii be Just " ~
"poor and unlettered Democrat. 49,, gill
Whether the new law will be satsfac'o,;o
depend entirely upon the class or nee ~, some