New-York tribune., 1904-10-23
tha watohers &c int:rnIdated shoxed mar1ed

many captains were IN a panic and ShoWeu IL
Men who were led TO the booth by them flunAed
and quit when challenged Others refused 10
go at all The heavy registration was noted in
the evening. when ths Tammany captains had
induced courage by the generous supply OF
liquor TO the lodging house inmates More
over, scores of fragrant illeganties were noted
and legal remedies taken. In a single district
one Republican captain, not resident of the
district. sent down By the State committee.
challenged 63 men the first day. 80 the second
and A the third The Tam1nany indignation
in his quarter knew limits lie was insulted,
abused and threatened. bur he held to his course.
and the decrease in his district was remarkable.
Indeed, there a striking balance TO be
noted in the relation between the size of the
registration and the number of challenges in
various districts. There were 93 registrations
in one district where there 40 challenges; a
block away. in another district, there were To-
registrations. with only u challenges; in an
other district there we're 122 registrations and
no neutrality-suspicious. conComitants.
The results of this work are thus notable In
the face Of an increasing registration NUM-
Der Of the suspicious districts showed striking
declines. Moreover. Tannlany. on the one hand.
spared effort, no expenditure of money or
employment of counsel, TO secure the registration
Of its vote The State Bureau of Elections and
the Republican workers. on the other. made no
and instantly rectihed every error due to the
mistakes Of clerks IN the preparation of the
challenge lists. Republicans and Democrats
alike were challenged without limit naturaliza-
tiop papers were Investigated in excess Of
10000 and at least 20 per cent found to be
actually fraudulent
Moreover, the cry OF partsanship will hardly
apply to the work accomplished. 1t is true
that the majority OF the Democratic districts
uyTtb Iast
Presidential year but this was not universally
true Five rockribbed Tammany districts. the
XVIIIth, XXVIth, XXVIIIth. XXXth and
XXXIId. showed an aggregate gain OF 2.200
for three days, while Republican dirtricts, such
as the With and XXVIIth. showed decreases Of
! 500 and 450 respectively. The decline so far
it was really significant. was confined to the
downtown districts cited above, districts which
for half q century have been the home of the
repeater, the hoater and the colonizer; dis
tricts in which fraudulent majorities have at
least once decided the Presidential election. In
tfrese districts valuable work has already been
done. The system put into effective operation
has already reduced the vote by 400 In three
days. thus entirely iustifying the expense and
the effor: made in these districts to secure an
honest election
TO PRESERVE PURITY OF BALLOT.
An honest registration is the first step toward
an honest election. The system that has been
devised to prevent Illegal registration has
! further mission on Election Day IN preventing
/ the casting of Illegal votes.
! That the coming election Will be dangerous
! one for those who juggle with ballots in any
| way IS being steadily driven home TO those who
have in the past traff1cked in votes and voters.
The close inspection of registration will keep
| many hoaters from attempting to turn a dis
honest dollar or so by prostituting their fran
| ohise But the reform crusade will not end
| there On Election Day the polls will be close
| ly watched for attempts to identify ballots by
| the use Of carbon paper in the voting booths or
! by peculiar markings by those who have sold
/ their votes. particularly close lookout will be
/ kept by Republican watchers when the votes are
| canvassed and an effort made to detect all bal
lots which seem to be marked for Identification.
| In the last municipal election charges were
! made that in several precincts where Tammany
| was suspected of buying votes those who had
SOLD out were furnished with carbon paper with
| which to make a tracing Of their cross within
| the circle under the Democratic star It is said
| that on a number of votes this tracing was
! clearly evident. but the election judges in can
vassing the vote decided that they should be
! passed.
| Il was IN this same election that Charles Ste
/ vens HartweH. well known Republican of the
/ xIXth Assembly District Of Brooklyn, made
! serious charges Of passing void ballots in his
| district and in several districts III Manhattan
| The violations of the election law in Brooklyn
came under his personal observation. as he was
a watcher at the polls He drew careful repro
| ductions Of the ballots which were not marked
| according to law but was unable to have his
protest taken up by the courts. He says:
It IS not 50 much TO me question Of whether
not particular man is elect9q II is is 9ues &
of the purity OF the ballot when DaIloes are
! counted which violate the plain provisions OF The
| eiection Law the ballot box is stuffed and that is
Al 'tft the last election was watcher in the Sew
enth Election District OF the AlSJE Assenol: Us
dayi thai there wee inside the ballot box OF that
district least sixteen void ballots which should
and protested ballots Protests by watchers for the
parry ar SMsnhatan I isTicts ballots we're
protested for the same reason but counted just the
There is nc question tha; great frauds were per
petrated at the last election. u was freely stated
ings Of the star and the cross IN the circle under
could readily be taken from the ballot IN the hooln
schemes We're WoFKsd and nothing was done Some
! OF the most narrowly defeated CANDIDATES hao SO
not arply for recount even though they might
believe themselves defeated through trickery
It is such frauds as these which Mr.. Hs twen
| called attention to after the election last No
7 vember that-the Republican committees are de-
] ternnined TO prevent this year. The instructions
| to watchers at the polls have not yet been pre-
| pared but they will be most complete, and every
/ man who serves q watcher viii know just
what his powers are. The protests OF these
watchers will be backed up, and IL the canvass
ers insist on dsregarding them the cases will
De taken into court. AS 1T is Presidential year.
greater attempts al fraud may be expected than
In q municipal election. and greater frauds cali
/ - vraoaufiO0s POY prpVpnttO0 them