Year: 1879

factionists who have an obvious motive
in desiring that the citizens of this me;rop-
! oils be disfranchised en- Dldsse, and who
seem willing to bring about such result
That portion of the republican party which
prefers success to justice would think the
party gamer if the machinery for con-
| Quoting elections should break down in
this city, where the democrats outnumber
the republicans in the proportion of about
two to one. There has been no Slate eiec-
ton within the last twenty years in which
the republican party had not majority of
the votes outside of New York city. The
total disfranchisement of the city would
insure the election of the republican State
ticket and insure republican majority in
both branches of the Legislature, without
the trouble and expense of an active
canvass. But respectable republicans
should disdain and repudiate at
temp,s to win success by this dis
graceful short cut; they should prefer
honorable defeat to dishonorable victory.
Even such republicans as are without honor
and destitute of scruples should have more
sense and foresight than to be the agents or
the accomplices Of such a trick. repub-
lican victory won by such means would be
like the apples of Sodom, which, though
fair to the sight, turned to dust and ashes
in the mouths of the partakers.


The republican party, as national
party, has by its action in Congress at the
last session, supported by repeated vetoes
of the republican President, taken ground
in favor of the right Of ell citizens to par
ticipate in regular elections. This recent
action by the republicans in Congress and
by the republican President was warmly
indorsed by the Republican State Conven-
tion, and is adopted by the republican
party at large as cardinal issue in the
politics of the immediate future. A
party which makes the right of suf-
frage the corner stone Of it's politics
would stultity itself, would cover itself
with derision and intamy, if it should be
procuring agent or O consenting accom-
| plice in depriving all the citizens of this
great metropolis of their right Of suffrage.
It would be quite rs scandalous a violation
of justice for republicans by trick and by





of this city en- nsasse as it is for democrats
by bulldozing terror to disfranchise colored
citizens of the South. With what
face could republicans stand up be-
fore the country as the champions
and guardians of the right of suffrage after
having shut out the whole population of
New York city from the exercise of their
undoubted political rights? This is game
which the republican party cannot afford
to play either in New York or elsewhere.


If the people OF this city are disfranchised
en- masse it will be by the unscrupulous
action of the republican members of the
Board of Police. 1t is inconceivable that
Messrs. Wheeler and French will per-
sist in so desperate course without the
sanction and completely OF the republican
leaders Of the State. No two men OF so
little political standing would have the
astounding audacity to break down the
election in this city unless they were
abetted by politicians stronger than them
selves. The deadlock which they are
maintaining is scandalous violation both
of the letter and the spirit of the law.


The Election law gives the naming Of the
democratic inspectors Of election to the
! democratic members of the Police Board,
and the naming of the republican inspectors
to the republican members of the Board.
1t was solely in order to insure this method
of selection-to insure this perfect equality
between the two political parties-that the
number of Police Commissioners was re-
duced to four and made to consist of two
democrats and two republicans. The
notorious and acknowledged reason for
this half-and-half composition of the Police
Board was to give equal advantages to
both political parties. in superintend-
ing the elections. The motive tor
this arrangement was found in the
provision of law that the election
officers for the city and county of New
York are appointed by the Police Board.
1t is the plain intention Of the law that the
inspectors on each side shall be named by
the Commissioners who respectively repre-
sent the political party to which they be-
long.


But in the present disgraceful deadlock
the two republican members of the Police
Board assume to dictate who shall be ap.
pointed inspectors on the democratic
side. Such pretension strikes at the
roots of the system it is utterly subversive
of that equality between the two parties
which the half-and-half composition of the
Board was intended to establish. The re-
publican Commissioners not only claim the
right to name the republican inspectors of
election--a right which is clearly theirs
but they assume to have a voice in the selec-
ton and n veto on the appointment of the
democratic inspectors, and in the assertion
of this illegal and preposterous claim they
are willing to go to all lengths, even to tho
length OF disfranchising the whole voting
/ nomination nf tho cifv