Year: 1872

| NO more important election than that to be


held to-day can ever take place in the city Of


New York. The people are called upon to


cast their votes simultaneously for President


and Vice President of the United States for


Governor, Lieutenant Governor and other


officers of the State; for Mayor, Judges, Dis


trict Attorney, congressman, Assemblymen,


Aldermen and many minor local officers. The


character of our national, State and munich


pal administrations, respectively, for their


next terms is dependent upon the ballots cast


within ten hours of this single day; from six


o'clock in the morning until four o'clock in
the afternoon. The mere statement of this


fact should be sufficient to impress upon


every intelligent elector, who happens to be


registered, the importance of performing the


duty Of citizen and voting for such candi-


dates for all offices now to be filed as he be-


lieves will best subserve the cause of good


government Especially should all the


qualified voters of New York express at


the ballot box their honest preferences


for municipal, Judicial and legislative candi-


dates, for upon the qualifications of those who


are chosen to-day must depend the progress of


our city and the wisdom purity and efficient


enforcement of our laws. The Presidential
question may be regarded as already settled,


for the most sanguine friend of Mr.. Greeley


will scarcely deny that the contest is virtually


over. The State is also generally believed to


be certain for the republican ticket. But in


the city there will be stubborn fight over the
Mayoralty between the democracy, the repub-
licans and the o. Brien party; and the general
mixing up and confusion of the Assembly and
municipal candidates afford the hope of elect
ing the best men, if they are carefully selected
and steadily supported by good citizens.


Unfortunately there is too much evidence ofa
lack Of interest in political affairs and Of awide-
spread neglect Of the duty Of electors among the
people of New York. We are apt periodically
to deplore the Indifferent qualifications Of our
public officers and to clamor for reform. Whsn
incompetency and dishonesty make them
selves Extensively conspicuous in any depart
ment Of our government we grow naturally
indignant, and open Our batteries fercely
against office-holders and political parties
generally. Heavy taxpayers, men OF large |
business interests, and what is called the sup
per class" Of society, usually take the lead in
these periodical demands for better quality
of public servants; but these are just the ciG-
zens whose outcryis too apt to bs all the service
rendered by them to the cause Of substantial
reform; and when The actual business of regis
tration and voting has'to be performed they
too frequently find some excuse for it's eva
sion. The present election is, as we have
said, most important one; yet looS at thes
shameful insufscienoy Of the registration in
this city as compared with other cities and
with the population! Philadelphia has al
population of siY hundred and seventy -four
thousand, according to the census Of 1870
and her registration in the last October State
election was one huadred and sixty-two thou
sand, or a voter for every four and one
eighth of the population. If we. are
to regard this as an honest registratio,S--ifJ /
Philadelphia WIS not IS hotbed of fraud in the
recent election-it certainly affords striking
contrast to New York. With o populations of 4
one million we have here registration for 7
to-day's election of oldy one, hundred and |,
forty-eight thousand, or about one voter for +
every seven Of che population. The per
centage in Philade bphia is certainly large, aud
suggestive Of fraud, one in five being gener- 4
ally admitted to be o fair proportion of vossrs
to the population. But this would give usin
round numbers two hundred thousand vsbes
IN New York, and we have no doubt that if
every legal elector in the city were registered, Il
the list would reach that number. H ISL
undeniable that the absentees are to be found.
mainly among the moro respectable and re- 4
sponsible citizens, who, aHe prone to put off i
the business of registxations or voting on the
most trivial excuses Bad weather, bnsi-
ness engagement a disinclinatiou to take the
trouble to go to the polls, or p disposition
to enjoy election day as q holiday, is
not unfrequently regarded by men who have
a large stake in honest government and in the
progress and prosperity Of the country as
valid plea for neglsoting the most important
duty of citizen. At the same TINA the men |
of the grogshop and the gambling house, the
professional politicians, who make living |
out Of the public treasury, and all their hangers
on, whose votes are o marketable commodity, |
are tolerably certain to neglect neither regis
tration nor voting. The dangerous elements
of society are thus rendered still more pro-
portionately dangerous through the neglect Of
the franchise by responsible citizens.


Another evil may be tracsd to the present
registration and election laws. They may be
efficient enough in preventing frauds upon the
franchise, especially when committed against
the party empowered to- enforce them; but
they are also calculated. if not designed, to
obstruct a full legal vote, They throw vstrOuble
and impediments in the way Of the honest
elector to which he should neves be SUBJ
iected, and which many persons are disin-
clined to encounter. They are also capa-
BILE of being enforced in manner which can