Year: 1879

tion continues to be the chief political
topic, although inspectors enough nave
been appointed legally to conduct the reg
istration and election. and save the voters
of the city from disfranchisement. The
struggle no longer involves question
of any very great magnitude, since we are
certain to have an election in the city,
three inspectors in each district being
legally competent to discharge all the
duties required by the statute. The Elec-
ton law provides that mo vote shall be
received from any person whose name shall
not be found by at least three OF the in
spectors' to be upon the registers as
qualified voter The law further provides
that "no ballots shall be received by
either OF the inspectors or deposited In any
of the ballot boxes until at least three OF
the said inspectors shall have examined and
found the name of and residence Of
such person entered as qualified voter,
when, if the vote is received. at least three of
the inspectors shall, - &c. These quotations
from the law make it clear that the pres
ence and action of three inspectors suffice
to make election proceedings legal There
is no act prescribed by the Election law
which requires the concurrence of four in
spectors to make it valid. The law con-
templates the occasional absence of one of
the four inspectors. 1t provides, for exam
pie, that s'the chairman Of said inspectors
in each election district shall, if present,
and if absent, then one Of the other inspec-
tors shall, upon any person Offering to vote,
announce" &c. This clearly implies that
tho absence OF one member of the Board of
Inspectors, though it be the chairman. is
no impediment to the regular progress of
the election. We arc therefore warranted
in saying that three inspectors in each dis
trict are competent to perform the duties
required by the statute, and that the elec-
tion will not break down if the fourth in
spector should not be appointed.


The election being saved, in spite of
continuance of the wrangle in the Police
Board over the fourth inspector in each dis.
trict, the public will perhaps be willing to
accompany us in looking at some of the
side shows which surround the main exhi-
bition, and especially the political side
shows encamped near the main tent
There is Kelly camp and an Arthur
camp and Cooper camp outside of and
in close proximity to the Board of
Police, and in close communication with
tho Commissioners. Only the verdant
political greenhorns can suppose that
Messrs. MacLean and Morrison on one
side, and Messrs. Wheeler and French on
the other side, have been acting upon their
own views in this protracted struggle.
None but simpletons will believe that the
action of the two democratic Commits
sioners is not inspired by Mayor Cooper,
who is, in turn, inspired by Mr..
Tilden. On tho other hand. it requires
equal credulity to believe that the
two republican Commissioners have been
acting on their independent sense OF official
responsibility. They are in confidential
communication with the local republican
leaders and obey their behests. The Police
Commissioners on both sides are puppets
who dance to any tune which their respec-
tive wirepullers behind the scenes choose
to have played


1t has escaped the attention of no intelli-
gent observer that the republican puppets
in the Police Board have kept step to the
Tammany music. Messrs. Wheeler and
French have been fighting for Tammany
throughout this turmoil. Why are the re-
publican Commissioners so solicitous for
the success cS Tammany? ''What is
Hecuba to me- or I to Hecuba?" How
are we to explain the extraordinary spec
tacle o. the republican party and Tam
many 'pigging together in the same
truckle-bed?" ?" Why should not the
supporters of Mr.. Cornell in this
city be content with the one-half
of the inspectors of election which
the law gives them? Why do they enlist in
the Tammany ranks and do battle for tho
Tammany side, when their own half of tho
inspectors is conceded to them? What in
terest have they in the democratic family
squabble? Two republican inspectors suf-
fee to sec that the Cornell ballots are duly
received and fairly counted, and this advan-
tage being conceded to the republican side
why should the republican Commissioners
intermeddle with the selection of the DEM
OCTaJlC luSpectOlS!


Tho truth is that Mr.. Kelly is an avowed
ally of the republicans and that the de-
clGred purpose of his canvass Is to elect
Cornell by Withdrawing democratic votes
from Robinson. The friends of Cornell
fight the local battle of Kelly because
Tammany is an outlying wing of the re-
publican army in this campaign. In the
common effort against Robinson, in
tho joint fight to dcfoat Robinson,
the republican party and Tammany
arc arrayed on the same side, the Kelly
faction having the election of Cornell quite
as much at heart as Mr.. Arthur himself or
any of the republican leaders. 1t is noto-
rious, it is confessed by himself, that Mr.


Kelly is not running in the democratic
interest, but in the republican interest
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