Speech #440051576

The evidence before the committee of which the gentleman from Illinois is chairman. and of which I have the honor to be a member. was clear and positive that the money has been appropriated and used in all instances for lawful purposes. Never in one single instance was it used to elect the candidates of any particular party to office. but for the purpose of suppressing the worst and most glaring frauds. which were proved to have been perpetrated in New York. that have ever been perpetrated in any city in this Union. It was established by the clearest and most positive evidence that many votes were cast on fraudulent naturalization papers by men not entitled to exercise the elective franchise. It was also in evidence before the committee that many others. known as repeaters. went from ward to ward and from district to district casting votes in each. The evidence before the committee is that this repeating and this voting on these fraudulent naturalization papers and on the naturalization papers of men who were (load was for the benefit of one party almost exclusively in the city of New York. The testimony taken by the committee shows that the money which was disbursed by the Department of Justice under the provisions of existing laws was used in the city of New York to prevent fraudulent voting and that the fraudulent voting was almost entirely upon one side. It goes to show that in some voting districts in the city of New York the votes which were polled exceeded in number the men. women. and children who lived within their limits.