New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-10-29
Riuht of Citizen to Choose Own
Voting Residence as Distinct
from Home Brought
Up by lImburg.
ASKS MERCHANTS ARREST
Counsel for Voters League
Charges Almost 20 Per Cent
Q of Those Registered IN
Tom" Foley's District
Are Tin Soldiers.

Justice NJdNt6dlis SlNN- -
nal Branch of the Supreme court S'"
terday which may result. MI l'i'iioo 'n :
saws IN the prosecution Of from o''V'
10 10000 persons for Illegal regisira
tion. Mr. Limburg believes the oues
tion at issue--the right OF cllzeh u
choose his own voting residence as CHS
tinct from his place of abode-ls one u
vital importance, and for that reason
brought il before a Supreme Court JUS
tice.
His applica. or. yesterday was for th'
i. ;uance of warrants for the arrest u
two merchants in the I'd Assembly DIS
tr,ct who. according to evidence pro
duced bv Mr.. Limburg. have registered
as voters in that district, although lheii
homes are in an entirely different par
of the town. Justice Gavegan put th'
matter over until tomorrow. when the
men for whom warrants are requested
will be represented BY counsel
Mr.. Limburg has directed an inVestl'
cation which covers eight Assembly
districts thoroughly. Work has been
done in other districts as well. but IT
the eight, Mr.. Limburg says. there Is
not a name on the registration lists
which has not been looked up and
traced to the man who signed it,
More Thorough than Last Year.
The same sort of inquiry was made
by Mr.. Limburg last year, but at tha'
time he d. not have time to go into
/ matter so thoroughly as now, noi
did he find so many instances of regis
tration by men whose real homes we're
far from tom" Foley's district
Mr.. Limburg discovered that between
Is and 90 per cent of the registered
voters in the I'd Assembly District were
tin soldiers"-that is, that the names
were fictitious. l. that proportion were
true all through the city Mr. Limhurg
figured there would have been an OPP
portunity to cast 10000 fraudulent
votes. He does not believe this condl-
ton exists, however. for he has found
the tin soldiers" far less numerous
this year than formerly.
He has found, nevertheless, an al
most incredible number of reputable
business men registered in districts far
from their real homes. In many cases
the men are listed in the telephone
book as living at an address scores or
blocks from the place from which they
registered. and in some instances the
men do not even live within the city
limits.
ITO say that there are five thousand
such cases in which we have got posi-
tive proof" said Mr.. Limburg, is
making very low estimate. Although
the cases in our possession have never
been tabulated, l am sure that the
number is much nearer ten thousand
than five thousand. These men have
families living in their real homes;
they go there every night when they
finish business; they sleep there. And
vet / have found them registered from
places reputed TO be disorderly resorts
and dens of similar nature. There are
several such places on our list from
which ten or a dozen respectable citi-
zens have registered"
Mr.. Limburg said there seemed TO be
a notion prevalent that so long as a
man registered only once he was priv
ileged TO register in whatever district
suited him best He was confident, no
said. that many of the men who so
registered had been persuaded they had
e right to do so. He was equally con-
fident they were mistaken. and for that
reason instituted the proceedings be-
fore Justice Gavegan.
Says All Will Be Prosecuted.
If Justice Gavegan. after the whole
question has been thrashed out, de-
cides TO issue warrants, Mr.. Limburg
viii keep tabs on the voters who are on
his list, and he says that every one of
the ten thousand will be prosecuted If,
after the court has decided they have
no right to choose the district in which
they shall vote irrespective Of their
residence, they attempt 10 cast a bal
lot
The I'd Assembly District, which Mr..
Limburg regards as probably the worst
in this respect. is dominated BY Tom"
Foley, Tammany leader. II is d dis
trict in which the vote Of the Italians
and the Hebrews is increasing rapidly.
while the vote Of the oldtime I'D
Warders" of Irish birth or parentage
is on the decrease. Many Of the old
timers have moved away. and it IL
likely that these I'D Ward boys" would
rejoice to have the decision OF the court
60 against Mr.. Limburg, for in that
event every one OF them would come
back. and Election Day would be a
veritable odd home week" celebration.
Mr.. Limburg refused TO give The
names Of those for whom he seeks war;
rants, saying the decision might SO
against him, and in that case it would
not be fair to have accused men who
had committed no wrong. II the de-
cision of the court is that men can
register and vote only in the district in
which they actually live, MIR. Limburg
believes the majority Of those on his
list will accept the announcement and
not attempt 10 vote.
II am making this public" said Mr.