The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-04-06

The Republican leaders, yesterday,
through their ~congenial organ the Ralnes
Law Hotel Journal issued a statement
to the public to the effect that the regis
try lists were padded in this city with
names, the design being TO
elect Mayor Hoos by corrupt means rms
statement is now a familiar one to the
people of this town. 1t has been maoe
Just previous to every election for the
last three or four years, since the ma
5ority of the voters changed back to the
Democratic party from the Republican
uarty. AS often as it has been made, no
attempt has been made to prove it, n
M sign of its truth has ever appeared
in the results of the elections.
The statement has always been afro
eiousiy false. 1t is more manifestly false
on the present occasion than ever before
It is the last resort of cowardiee, malice
and imbecility.
The Republican managers in this city
and county lack the brains and honesty
to gain the confidence of the people and
win elections. They lack the courage
even to nominate a possible candidate and
make a decent fight. Placing in the field
one man of dough after another, and
then sitting down, like recreants, TO
watch the defeat of their victims, the
only device they can him of to cover
up their dastardly conduct is to shout
fraud and corruption at the manly and
active men who fight for victory and
win it.
The accusation of fraud in the present
contest is an outrage on common sense.
Granted for the sake of argument the
will to resort to corrupt methods, the
Democratic leaders would be fools to do
SO at a time when they are utterly UNI
necessary. We nave all the voters with
us. We have only men of straw against
us. There is nothing left of the cam
paign but to count the votes. 1t would
be idiotic waste of money and effort to
poll a single fraudulent vote-not to put
the situation on any higher plane.
The Republican party still has complete
control of the Police Force in this city.
The Board consists of two Republicans,
Hugh Fl. Abernethy and Peter West, Re-
publicans, and one Democrat. The Chief
of Police is Benjamin Murphy, a Repub-
licsn. OF the seven captains of police.
five are Republicans, and the sergeants
and roundsmen, not to speak of the pa
trolmen, are Republican in about the
same ratio after now, seven years Re-
publiean control of the Board.
Besides. the election machinery is evenly
divided between Republicans and Demo-
Gratis. Every precinct board consists OF
two of each party. selected by the County
Committees of the two parties, under the
Werts Election law.
How, under these conditions, is 1t pos
sible for the Democrats to pad the regis
try lists? Do the Republican leaders want
us TO believe that they have filed the
police force n the election boards with
representatives of their party so venai
and corrupt that they will connive at
frauds committed by the hostile party
Is such a thing conceivable? And, II 1t
were true, would the Republican organiza-
tion have any right to complain of the
consequences of its own turpitude?
We are dealing with a lie in these
accusations which the Journal scat
tered broadcast, yesterday, to be repeated
In malignant from end to end
of the country to the injury of New Jer-
nd Jersey City's fair name in every
t part, where the facts are not
as the are here, and where the
shed statements are taken on trust.
Sis the lie Of a criminal squirming
b the evidence Of his gnilt-the
abolish lie Of a criminal, ~inconsist-
rs proyable facts, irreconcilaple
ia IN sense, the sort Of lie that
Nails in courts of Justice, the
Ah figured ~ recently IN the