New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-09-10

Is your own DISTRICT" Every bad" said the
Boss. They are all away"
A few hours later the Member received
telephone message calling him to a conference
at his political club to select the ticket for the
primary He went to the conference that night
and had the satisfaction of taking with him in
MS pocket dozen kilograms from as many of
his friends. who said that they would certainly
be in town to help him at the primary and only
two or three from men who said they could not
be in the city requested. He had also seen
number Of men downtown who had promised
10 stop on their way out Of town in the after
noon, so that he was prepared to promise his
leader at least twenty votes and as he knew
there would be no opposition votes cast in his
district all the votes there would be to the good
on the general count
The conference Ut was called a conference
and not caucus, in order, perhaps, not to offend
certain sensitive people who might attend) was
long and rather lively. By the end of the even
Ing, however, a satisfactory ticket had been
made up. and keg Of beer was sent for and
couple of boxes of cigars, and the day ended
with most harmonious smoker.
Two days afterward the primary The
election was in the afternoon and evening, and
the Member went uptown from his office, and
was at the polls just as the inspectors were ex-
arnining the ballot boxes. He brought with him
a bundle Of ballots. printed tinted paper, and
had the satisfaction of seeing that no opposition
ballots were in the polling places. Then he
settled down for a long wait He had employed
a coachman, who lived in a stable in his district.
as watcher" and he and the coachman and
the policeman detailed to the polling place sat
on q bench by the side of the street under the
trees Of General KS garden and waited for vot-
ers. None appeared for long time. Hour after
hour went by. and the streets looked more and
more deserted and the Member felt that the
sum total of votes in his district would be two,
the coachman's and his Still he had left in
structions with his Office boy 10 go around in
the middle Of the afternoon and deliver printed
downtown the notice reading: You have
not voted Your polling place is at - You
must vote before - p. M
At about o'clock the voters began to come IN.
Fortunately. the polling place was on more
less direct line to the steamboat wharf where
the who wanted to go out OF town took the
boat and in half an hour the Member had the
satisfaction Of seeing fifteen or more ballots in
the ballot box.
THE MEMBER" SCENTS FRAUD.
Then happened something which aroused his
ire One Of his best friends came along. holding
ballot in his hand. He stopped to speak to
the Member. and the Member. knowing that no
ballots had been sent to any one, asked him
where he got that The Members friend
said ii came by mail hour ago, and gave 1t
to him. The Member saw that 1t was fake
ballot-that is, it ballot containing the
greater part of the ballot Of the Members side,
bat instead of the delegates to a certain conVen-
ton (Which promised to be very close) who
were running on the Members ballot. it
tanned the names of men who did not llVe IN the
district, and who would unquestlonaDly not at
tend the convention If elected. That is TO say,
If these men elected in the Members dis
trict the district would not be represented at all
in the convention. 1t was an old and unworthy
trick but 1t made the Member mad. He
hurried of to the nearby district messenger
office and he hired all the boys who were In
the office and gave each boy bundle OF ballots
He then stationed them outside or the limit nXeo
by law for electioneering and instructed eacn
bow to stop every he met, no matter VINO
he was ask him If he was going to the primary.
and II he said he 10 make him take one OF
the ballots The Member then sent two OF his
friends who had turned up at the polIs' anu
who were living in town, TO the nearest tele-
phone office. and had them IN me 70 ctv g
forming them Of the fraud and urging them 10
vote.
Every American voter hates to be cheated at
an election, and the Members friends were no
exception, and they began to turn up al the PolS
In large numbers. Several delayed their depart
ure from the city in order to come to vote, and
two three hot headed men, whose names were
on the regular ballot, SAID that II tney oo th
find out who had printed their names on tns
fake ballots without their consent they wouId
have the fellow sent to Jail The Member let
them talk, knowing perfectly well tnat there was
no punishment for this fraud. 1t Kept their
spirits up to talk, however. SO the evening
wore on until the polls were closed, ana 10 the
Members delight he found that only one of the
fraudulent ballots had been voted zone OF ms
friends had come to vote In MS orleI apsenJe ~;
and that sixty odd votes had been cast on MS
The man who had cast the fake ballot was
an rascible old gentleman, who told the po-
Lceman that he would like to have MIN go 10
Senator O.'s house with him, because he was
perfectly sure that the Senator was the man
who had put up the game. as he expressed
IL But the Member told his friend that ne
thought ii was hardly worth while TO go TO any
such extremes, and advised him to go with him
m the club and carry the returns with him.
4 the club were the Boss and the secretary
NJ the club with a tally sheet There, too was
the Members friend Senator f.. smoking
cigarette, as usual. When the Member arrived
the ROSS was blue, the votes had been rather
against him, and his side was IN slight mi,
nority. The Members returns were received
rlith cheers for the vote put his side far ahead
and except by some extraordinary nuke II was
t,,aY,oeeibe for the other side to catch up again.
the districts yet to be heard from being those IN
.+Jbtcb the Bosss friends were, as rule IN the
.aTorttv AT II o'clock II was known tnat
great victory had been won keg OF beer d ana
Soxea Of cigars were called for The senator
W tbe Member were made TO get upon table
and make speeches, and the Boss Pattte ,l tne
Menober patroniZingly on the back ana lnioIInSu
lin that he had done pretty well. While the
Celebration was going on In walked c. one OF
the Members newspaper friends from AIpany,
~ sth tha same old request: Got a story Tor
VIZ, ma the paper next morning had half a