Year: 1871

The great event In political circles yesterday was
the alleged discovery Of gigantic conspiracy the
part OF the "Ringn to swndle the honest voters on
election day. ExSherin O'Brien Is SAID to be the
individual who smoked out the fraud. The whole
AFFAIR looks very much like eectioneering dodge.
Yet there may be something In It The aim OF the
alleged consprators was election day apparently
TO give the reformers all the opportunity they de-
sired TO


WITNESS THE VOTING


at every pom ana the subsequent canvasslng Of tho
votes and In order pull the wool the eyes OF
the 'watchers' the police were to be instructed TO
show them every courtesy and act the Of "good
fellows well metz with even the most inluisitve
and exacting. 1t was hoped by this means at the
start to allay all suspicion to fraud, and thereby
the more easily to accomplish the grand coup
which was TO take place after the CLOS
ing OF the poll. This coup was to pa
brought about as foliows:-The discovercrs say thu
conspirators were to have In q room adjoining tina
poll room, or behind the counter where the inspec-
tors stand set Of ballot boxes tallying In every
respect with the appearance OF the boxes actually
used during the day 10 deposit the ballots Ia. 106
voting once over and


and placed for safe keeping behind the counter
while everything was being got in readiness for tho
Gnal event. the poll clerks were to announce
rate OF the Ring inspectors. secreted in the
room adjoining the polling place, would then place
called on. taking care, however to put enough Tam-
many ballots in each to make everything all right
for the Ring favorites This once done, the boxes,
thus nicely stuffed, were 10 0e placed under the
tor ana the genuine boxes steathily removed. Tho
counting OF the votes would then be begun openly.
reiorme,s @ NJ @ to 10 look on and see that everything was
done squarely. IL is said that the plan was so
neatly arranged thai lot OF ballots were to 10


THE DUMMY BoxEs,


with reform endorsements, but with pasters ovc-
the reform candidates names, each paster bearing
the name OF a Ring candidate. AS matter on
course, n the plan were successful, the reform
watchers would see for themselves The result OF the
vote, and be convinced that they were fairly
thrashed. In other WORDS the counting could he
done with such apparent fairness TOUT OF the dummy
all who chose 10 be on Dand, and the
canvassers would act with such sense OF courtesy
the outsiders that they would be unable justly ~
assert that any trickery had been practlsed True,
they mightoc


but what could they dor they might say to shem-
selves 1--WE can't see how this district went thaS
way after what we heard all around the day OF the
electon:n but tnat couldn't alter the count whicS
was made open and above board


Now, this Is the whole story OF tho alleged dis
;rIcts, but particularly in the district where OBrien
IS running. Yet 1t Il hardly credible that anything
Df the kind could have been intended by the Tam
many party, for the simple reason that the thing
would not be accomplished without great difficulty.
Il Is almost unreasonable 10 suppose that any set of
men, who are accredited with so much smartness
and ingenuity In


POLITICAL TRTCKERv


as the Tammany folks, could be so foolish as 10
attemDt anything so open to discovery, so easy OF
detection, as would be change OF boxes at the
polls. In tine first place there s not second room
wnere q confederate could be hidden In all the
polling places, and even II there was the
changing OF the boxes could not be made
unless the reform watchers were as bind ~
bats. Then again the fraud could n0t %
carried out, even supposing the con-


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