New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-07-15
THE CITIZENS INION'S PROTEST.
An ADDRESS TO THE VOTERS REGARDING
PROPOSED STATE CONTROL OF
Local ELECTIONS

The Citizens Union en-. oIt yesterday. over the
signature % Arthur Non Br,s.a. chairman the
foi owing address 70 tn voters ot Ncw-York:
TnD ,iuzcn, Union calls your attention 10 the
proposal o. put our al cie lions under State con-
N0 aHI invites co-Opcrdtlou to~aid Oh san'z.ns the
I. o,,o" o , ,,s ,,$ D., t''',Si "sa'' ~,
sap under ~urh u q proposed Illustrate now
,polis. to be allotted FOR paru.an aivantage. the
holiness O. which our patience mas encouraged our
We must act uniess We are 10 be deprived even
IN the government OF this city but OF opportunity
our pleseat charter was forced upon US by the
party no" IN power IN the state win the claim
tnat IT recognized and extended nome rule Gov,
OF the rsht anu iuiy ~ the party IN control ot the
Stale to ~uhstttut" state supervision whenever y
lEtcrfcrenc. IT has CHOSEN the one function NniGn
Ia arbitrarily ruled nations * manipulated by the
considered peculiarly the care OF each locality.
against outside influence or control over which u
1t i, but lew years since federal supervision
Over io'aI e'ecuons ut'd M 20 masldm' an @prS"
gcnf orderly city o, New York. so llt,y and 30
osientatousiy endowed with apparently imperial
powers FOR the Application OF system which
proved into.erahle 10 communities where the can
Tor % was infinitely greater and the damage 10 he
done Infinitely less. That rural towns oil Nestcne--
Ter and queens are Included win Us nut makes
more grotesque the proposition 10 submit Our city
together with these. TO tute &C. on IN" lh'ory mat
~ urban character calls for AID from the state at
Tn~ present occasion furnishes a climax
series OF gents 20 nasraut that they need no COM
men Early in I.s our es.',gre under smSr
out giving chance 10 vote upon ~. meeting
every protest boy tho loud claim mat home rue
alike assured as This had hardly been done when
III" spokesman OF the dominant state, and minority
very cabal 10 defeat which hs own was then IN
wiling the cooperation ~ good citizens IA prefer
able 10 that Of its citizens as sich,
In tho event. MS party compelled 70 choose be;
tween citizens Union FOR the bcs' government 81
ss.vts or - RF
whose crimes had beer rs own stock In r. de chose
more e greaentir Under Republican. the city under
A. the charter was drawn. the Republican
machine here considered itself permanently assured
o. fair division with Iammany nan 90 the eA-
cluson o. independent citizens OF important neds
o. patronage notably the police - the city some.
what dcgenden, howeyer upon the p9c@ o s9 ,S
deal thus prepared by law It is nov claimed that
machine is share Rs. indeed. until lately seemed
probah cl. and that lis only safety lies IN putting
~ IN. Governor lmore likely TO be a partisan Re /
publican, and thus RELOCATING Tammany. In turn TO
Tor such abundant patrona ge 10 be divided between
the shall keep a full corps Of Hsssians ever
n palmer proof were needed OF no" uncalled for /
by any public interest is the legislation proposed /
For almost generation the purity OF our elec;
tho rest OF the state has proved the efficacy OF our
local measures against election frauds From It's .
alleged low position in the scale OF lteracy New
York has steadily risen until with all our foreign.
born population. It is not here. but In our great I
rural counties that Is found the largest proportion
o' those who are unable to read or write the Eng
lish language. For the last tseHty-hye years It has
great election scandals Of this State have been
in hs PPgr @ cr6p fh Of bIber
sca ndals and from the Yates caucuses which have
Ion and vioence the most brnzen frauds and the
holdest outrages have been perpetrated outside OF
Such .p'' are the conditions under which coming
himself from one OF the worst OF shining communi-
lies our Executive summons IT, with others OF like
~ New.York. the good order and general fairness
md more a lust source OF pride to her citizens
IL would be vain 10 hope that, vicious as may be
experience is too recent The bindes, partisan Of
Governor VII scarcsy claim 1r MN nm more OF
1ctsrized the judges to whom we owed Davenport
his rCp Gr . men be VINO vote and %Ro Sere
never given traD Even hsd we no, naa ms
hreS,h 70 call for election reform in NewYork
city. and in the next 70 propose that THIS be e.
Grted by iSe Exeeutive Who has already given
y We resret The many Objectionable features Of
,resenf election system framed as II IL 70 divide
,atronage between partisan machines ana 20 OBJ
,n,,ev. IL. evi would be aggravated by the legis
alton proposed or by the extension OF state super
,rivl.re and duty OF citizens OF each locality
o administer themseves ,,.,,,. =, hama r,,,o.
d.resards the constitutional provislons designed
ss.s thu city o,
FORK 10 resolutions and restrictions not imposed
+ oh features it aGords no. additional pro
ectIon to the purity Of the ballot-lt merely ais
ne officials; It presents no guarantee that the new
VIII have any HIGHER standards or bet
9ronsge TO the Governor Of the state and furnish
. Citizens to oS o aGs ay. to II. OBJ