Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1902-11-15
A TALE OF TWO CITIES.

Cidi iHcbTOpOliS Oh the cOun tfN
is a grand and imposing expires
sion of the popular will. There
is no pretense of fraud upon the
ballot as a contributing factor
to this result. The electoral
system in that city is such
that it is impossible to commit
fraud upon the suffrage upon
any but an extremely limited
scale. In fact. the operation of
the system is such as to bring
legal voters more frequently
under suspicion than to fail in
the prompt detection of fraudu-
lent attempts upon the ballot
box. Hence this magnificent
majority against the Republican
party is to be regarded as the
untrammeled judgment of the
citizens of New York upon the
political issues.
This is even more visible i'm
the result for Congress than i'm
the majority for the State ticket
in New York city. In the inn
mense vote of Greater New
York the Republicans have not
elected more than two members
of Congress, while in the whole
State delegation they have Sc
cured a majority of only three
members. There can be no mis-
take as to the meaning of this
verdict upon the tariff and the
Trusts. New York city is the
headquarters of all the great
combinations of capital for con-
trolling the markets and fixing
the prices of manufactured COM
modities for the whole Ameri-
can people. In the commercial
metropolis are more keenly felt
than in any other city the
effects of tariff obstruction to
foreign trade. With the land
ing of every transatlantic steam
ship its inhabitants are given
fresh object lessons concerning
this scandalous system of spolia-
ton and extortion. 1t is not
strange, therefore, that New
York has at last recorded this
most impressive Judgment
against the tariff and its nurse
lings the Trusts.
Contrast for a moment the
result in New York with the
majority of nearly 100. 200 votes
for the Machine ticket in Phil
adelphia. 1t will not do to say
that the people are less intelli-
gent or less patriotic than their
neighbors of New York. Every
public-spirited Philadelphia
would Indignantly resent such
an imputation. But Philadel-
phia is cursed with ballot sys-
tenn which in conjunction with
a brutal spoils system; makes
it easy for an INSCRIPTIONS Ma
chine to roll up a fraudulent
majority to almost any amount
that may be deemed necessary.
The returns clearly reveal a
fraudulent majority of not less
than 1000 votes in the Third
and Fifth wards are not far be-
hind them. In this reek of po-
litical crime detection and pun
ishment are hopeless, since the
Machine has taken care to so
perfect its Infamous system of
elections laws as to afford ample
protection to its ballot stufiing
tools.
So great is the moral paraly-
sis which this system, in com
bination with municipal and
State spoils, has produced in the
Republican party of Philadel-
phia that even reform associa-
tions within the party are too
inert to make nominations
against obnoxious and un-
worthy candidates for Con
gress. For the first time i'm the
history of the city the Machine
ends solid banditti to the next
Pennsylvania Legislature, with
but a sporadic effort on the part
IF good citizens hear and there
prevent so sinister consum-
nation. In New York, on the
her hand, it has been seen
It'll what promptness and ener-
tic public spirit the Demo-
fatic masses have risen to
Jrest power from Tammany
Hall, which is regarded as a
mere Kindergarten" in corrupt
politics compared with the Ma
chine that rules over Pennsyl-
vania and its chief city. Phil
adeiphia Record.