The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1907-11-01
NO MERCY FOR
POLITICIANS
IF GUILTY
Pitney Asks Grand Jury in
Hudson to Weigh Well
Registry Fraud Charges.
Especial to the Evening start

JERSEY CITY, Nov. 1~.-Justice NAH
Ion Pitney this morning announced The
Grand Jury before him in the Supreme
Court, and charged 1t concerning the
alleged frauds In the fourth district
of the First Ward, to which one man
has confessed. The jury retired, and
an hour later returned indictments
against the board.
The substance of the charge follows:
Gentlemen of the Grand Jury:
1.-THE court has requested that you be
called together Mt this time for the pur-
pose of laying before you a matter that
the court deems of very serious import
ance, and requiring immediate attention.
1.-The court is given to understand by the
Prosecutor and from other sources, that
there exists serious reason TO suspect tHut
a very extensive fraud is contemplated to
be put into execution at the approaching
election, by voting of persons In this coun-
ty, and especially In the city OF Jersey
City, who are not lawfully entitled to
vote. = g &
''The court is given to understand that
in numerous cases, more than / am will
ing to mention now, names have been IL
legally added TO the registry, and the law
preslimes that II Illegally added they are
added for a fraudulent purpose, a purpose
that has to do with a design TO vote per-
sons not entitled to vote.
Nov, IL It be true (the Court at the
present time does not intend TO go Iurther
with respect to any belief as to whetner
if sStrue or not), If that be true, the per-
sons guilty of such a conspiracy as that
are committing n grievous crime against
the fundamentals of our civilized goVsrn-
ment. The man who openely preacnes an
archy, the overthrow of government, does,
in my Judgment, less practical harm TO the
institutions of civilization than the man
or men who %endenvor, by fraudulent Vot-
ing, to overthrow the legitimate Will or the
Nonn1A in unNr n1nnfinn The nflRrt OF TIE
crime is so fundamental that 1t shoulo
arouse in every right thinking man a reso-
luton to do all that duty permits TO cnefk
it. NoW, think, and for that reason !.
am here today, / think that you have II
in your power, by dealing with a concrete
case that the prosecutor is ready to lay
before you at this time, to serve hoJee e
/ have intimated, that they cannot
carry it out with safety to themselves;
and l lay before you this case. and, the
prosecutor is ready to present that evidence
this morning, commencing it to your
serious and immediate consideration
1T is charged that on the last stated
day of registration the, election board OF
Jersey City, consisting of James o'Grady,
John Loughlin, Michael O'Grady and
Thomas J, Weir, illegally put, upon the
of persons who neither appeared in person
before the board nor were mentioned in
affidavits made pursuant to the statute
as DeluB eitilitu W TeSiSleT III. Ilul uhS-
trict; that thees names were handed, as I
understand, to the ELECTION officers by some
person. with affidavit or a~fidayits, and
were then placed upon the registry book,
The evidence in support of this charge con-
sists, as / am told, of written statements
and afidavits. submitted to the chief of
police Of Jersey. City by Thomas j.. Weir,
one of the members of the board, who has
confessed. That 1t is corroborated by the
evidence of other men who will be pro-
duced, perhaps, by, the Prosecutor--
whether so or not will be for him in his
discretion to determine-who are prepared
to testify that they wer present on that
registration day, heard the list of names
read to the election officers from a slip
of paper, and saw the election officers
write down the names upon the registry
book That the person who c~onspired with
the election officers to thus violate the
law, RY handing to them the, nemes in
question, or a part of them, was one
James Fay, who is said to. be connected
with the county organization of one Of the
p%Olitical uarties.