The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1902-04-05

| The members of the election board of
the Second Ward of West New York, who
were charged with padding the registry
| list by adding the names without requir-
/ ing affidavits to the correctness of the
same. were adjudged guilty by the County
Election Board at 1.sO this afternoon and
removed from Office.
Evidence of most damaging character,
showing the desperate efforts resorted to
by the combined Darling faction and Re
publicans to defeat the regular Demo-
cratic candidates in West New York was
adduced before the County Election Board
at their office. adjoining the Court House,
this morning.
The charges made by Councilman Oscar
| Auf der Heide, who is the Democratic
candidate for reelection in the Second
/ Ward Of the town, to the effect that the
registry list in the Second Ward had been
padded by the addition of scores of italian
names of persons not residents Of the
town. were substantiated by the testi-
mony of Detective Sergeant Pickeard and
Louis Mcneil. an Italian residing nj North
i Bergen, who accompanied Candidate Auf
4 der Heide in his house to house canvass
of Fourth street and Tower Hill avenue,
where they discovered that five persons
registered on each thoroughfare were not
residents.
In their defence the accused election
officers admitted that they had disregard
ed the law requiring an affidavit by a
resident voter for each person so regis
| tered Names were presented by out
siders fndiscrlminately, and were register
ed at their request.
In response to a question by Commits
sioner Coyle, John C. Andres, one Of the
election officers. testified that es-Free-
holder Ord Darling had presented the
| names of alleged voters on Tower Hill
| avenue. which were registered After
wards he said that no new names from
| Tower Hill avenue had been registered.
but when President Rich. of the County
Board, pointed out italian names on this
years registry that did not appear on
last years list he admitted that there
had been some registered from Tower
( Hin avenue and others from Tower Hill
Republican County Committeeman
Alex Ackerman appeared before the
/ Board and denied the published state
\ ment, based on Mr. Aufder Heide's charge
before the County Election Board. that
I he had requested the registration Of
number of names in the second ward.
4 He admitted he had handed in list OF
/ names and simply asked if they had been
registered He did this. he said, at the
request of James vecere, but had made
no request that the names be registered.
Neither of the four accused election Of
fcers could give the number OF names
registered without affidavit, nor could
they specify which names had thus been
Illegally enrolled.
William Muller. clerk of the board, ad-
nitted that he did not understand thor
| oughly the duties of an election offlcer.
! and said he did not know that an affida-
! Wit was necessary is a case where the Ve-
| ter did not appear in person.
Muller admitted that the names present
/ ed by Republican Committeeman Acker
man, which were not already on the roll,
! were added.
"If what we have done is wrong then
every election board in the town IS es1.
titled to go to JAIL" declared Judge Jo-
| seph l.. Rivers. IT wouldn't take the job
as election officer again and get into this
muss for a thousand dollars, and / am
/ poor man."
The climax was reached when Cle.k
John Andres rendered his resignation as
! a member of the election board of the Sec
! ond ward.
shortly before one o'clock this after
1 noon the examination of witnesses was
| concluded and the board went into execu-
tive session to consider the case.
| 1t was nearly II o'clock when Chairman
Rich called the County Election Board to
| order Clerk Lockwood read the charges
made bv Henry J. Auf der Heide to tie
| effect that many names had been added
/ to the registry list in the Second ward
/ without AFFIDAVIT and without such al
,eged voter appearing in person
Mr.. Auf der Heide then took the wit
1 ness stand and under oath repeated his
charges. He also tod OF the dlfficulty he
/ had in registering two friends named
| Koenig and Lippmann. The election Of
acers claimed that they had not found
the latter although he had been a voter
/ in the town for many years. Il offered
to make an affidavit for him." continued
Mr. Auf der Heide. sbut Just then Mr..
Rivers came in and said it was all right
and hts name was put down without an
AFFIDAVIT. The witness then told about
Republican Committeeman Ackerman
coming in with list and asking II the
names on it were registered Mullen, he
said, tnsE started TO chek on the names
on the list that were registered and af
te.rwards put down on the registry those
no. there Il asked If he knew the names
he was putting down, sad Mr.. Auf der
Hsdde. ana he replied that they were al
Swcrn to. said didn't see anyone
making afsidav.t When + went ont at
$3.50 they were still copyins the names.
Commissioner Guisto asked II Ackerman
asked 10 have the Names placed on the re-
g:stry. and the witncss replied ii the
negative.
Did any member Of the Board ask FOR