New-York tribune., 1904-10-23
PREVENTING ELECTION FRAUDS N THIS CITY
lCTTTE WORh WHICH WILL PRESERVE THE PURITY
or THE BALLOT IN NOVEMBER

No'eF whose name was on the suspicious list
VINO appeared for registration and svore in his
ieslsIauoh at once became q subject of in
Nesuganon. His sworn statement as to his
uusilncatons was taken as a basis OF inquiry,
ana state of1ciaI-that is an inspector OF
election ohs-Fisited his residence and verified IT.
II II proved accurate, the mans name was duly
sulcken from the suspicious" and entered oil
'he U h list. Otherwise a warrant was taken
OUT tor the man and held IN reserve against
MS appearance on Election Day. If he fails TO
appear the warrant viii probably vanish, other
wise 'and the man being duly warne1 Of the
consequence he will have a State prison Of
fence TO plead to
FRAUDULENT NATURALIZATION
In the case Of naturalization papers the same
course was pursued On the lower East Side,
Tor instance half the voting population vote
undef their own or their parents naturalization
papers. That no small percentage OF these
papers are fraudulent is a well established fact
During the Low administration the papers of
scores OF pushcart men, for the most part
Greeks were proved TO be absolutely fraudulent
10 cover this possible source of illegal votes
each Republican watcher was provided with a
regular blank and a similar one was provided
Tor the inspector, whose official duty it was TO
MI It in. This blank was for use every time
naturalization paper was presented. On It
were TO be recorded the name. residence and
nativity Of the holder, the date oe the certificate
the court issuing II and the date OF registration
Each night the inspector turned ia these blanks
and they were at once investigated in the court
Of issue. If they were correct the holders name
was finally checked on the 20 X list; if they
were irregular he was served with subpoena
TO appear before George W. Morgan. superin-
tendent Of Elections. If he failed he became
guilty OF nisdeneanor. for which he viii be
arrested on Election Day. the moment ne ap-
pears at the polling place
There remained still another division Of voters
70 be ated-those who had failed TO regis
ter the previous year. either for personal rea-
sons or because they were ineligible. These
mems names appeared on neither list and as
they registered the district workers and the
inspectors made a record Of their names and
subsequently investigated their qualifications
II satisfactory they too passed TO the 80 K''
list; IL not, they were entered On the list already
prepared result OF the Investigations chron-
Icled above. OF those who were to be challenged
at the polls Il they attempt TO vote Warrants
were secured for their arrest If they attempt IT,
and they were warned. in company with all per-
sons in similar position, of the consequences
Of such a step. For II has proved E perfectly
salutary measure to warn those purposing to
cast illegal vote.
This. then. was the machinery by which It
was sought TO give New-York City an honest
election To put it in effective operation an
army OF ten thousand men was required local
county organizations had to be renodelled, the
preJudices Of old fashioned leaders as well as
of the captains had TO be overcome. Moreover.
It was certain at the outset to cause friction to
be fraught with error. but beneath all this lay
the absolute certainty that 1t could prevent no
qualified voter from casting his ballot, as It's
terrors were for the Illegal voters only. Thus
It followed that it's critics were Tammany Hall
Democrats. who recognized in its efficiency the
end Of the Illegal voting in Bowery and lodging
house districts. which swelled TO safe proper
tons the local Tarnmany majority.
PROOF OF NEED OF REFORM.
The efficacy Of the machinery remained TO be
determined by the actual results Of registration.
The final test Of the need Of reform. as we'll as
the proof Of the assertion made by the Repub-
ucan leaders that there existed large fraud
ulent vote in certain East Side districts, could
only be clinched by the results OF the registra-
ton IN certain districts under suspicion. But
the proof was soon at hand. Roughly speak
ing, the districts IN which fraud was charged
lay south of Fourteenth-st and save IN the
case OF the I'D and lid Assembly districts.
east Of Broadway. this division including ten
districts the Ist I1d. IIId. IYth, With, With.
xth. xIIth, xIvth and XvIth Assembly dis
tricts, all save the With Overwhelmingly
Tannany Accordingly. the work and the
watching In these districts were exceedingly
careful
Nor was the result disappointing. The first
three days Of registration showed marked in
crease over the figures of the Presidential year
= Of 1900 The increase In the city exceeded
/ 33. 600; in Manhattan and The Bronx the gain
( was 1000 for the third day. and nearly 10000
/ for the three days But in the face OF this
increase the districts under suspicion. the dis
/ tricts peculiarly suited TO the Tammany meth
( ods Of colonizing the lodging house districts
: n particular. indicated a marked falling of
! The total for three days in the city. as indi-
Gated, Increased by 10000; the total in the ten
districts specified declined 4.20o loss Of 420
/ n the district Moreover. the decline was regu-
! lar. the third day total showing 1.20o. In 2
word. the system Of challenges by the reorgan'
! tied district workers in three days Of registra-
/ ton eliminated 4.200 voters from the rolls.
! Moreover certain districts showed even
! greater evidences Of the effect Of the effort te
secure an honest election The Ist and lid
/ districts. lying along the waterfront, filled
With lodging houses and containing large
floating population. districts where colonlzing
! and floating were recognized features Of elec.
ton. were notably hard hit. The Ist Assembly
District lost 500 from the total of 1900 in three
dayg; the I'D Assembly District 0DO. The Win
I Assembly District. the home district of Bis
I Tim" Sullivan. the Bowery district where thc
( majority of the population live in lodging
houses where the Tammany majority Is al
ways enormous. fell off $50 in the three days
q tribute to the correct reasoning as well as
the effective work Of the machinery devised tc
/ ,ro,-,6e an honest election.