Thus it will be seen the total increase of voters in a period of 30 years was 132 per cent., or an annual average increase of 4.4 per cent. per year-the increase in the last period of 10 years being 4 per cent. per year. Taking the largest rate of increase in these several decades of 45 per cent. a year, and the estimated number of voters for 1868 could only be 146,386, or only 146,000 at the average rate of increase.

But all the actual voters do not vote. From 1845 to 1865 the average per centum of voters who actually voted in the State was186 only 76.66, and the average at presidential elections from 1848 to 1864, inclusive, was 87.19. In cities, as a general rule, a larger per centum of voters do not vote than in the country.187 In the vote of 1868, in the whole State, including the frauds, the average was only 92 per cent. on the basis of the census of 1865, while in New York city the per centum was 108!

185 The soldiers voted in 1865. (Evidence, 5565, and page 356.) No inference can be drawn against the number of voters by reason of absence of soldiers; on the contrary, many of them voted who, of course, subsequently settled elsewhere and ceased to be voters in New York in 1868, so that the estimated vote of 1868 should be really reduced thereby. 186 See Senate Mis. Doc. No. 4, 3d session 40th Congress, as follows:

Actual and comparative results of different elections.

(The number of votes shown by the census is here supposed to increase equally between the years on which the census is taken.)

For the whole State the ratio of absentees at presidential elections, since and including 1856, has been as follows: 1856, 14.5 per cent.; 1860, 12.3 per cent; 1864, 10.1 per cent. In former years the proportion of absentees in New York city has been uniformly greater than it has been through the State. For the same time above specified the ratio of absentees in New York city has been 1856, 14.2 per cent.; 1860, 12.3 per cent.; 1864, 11.6 per cent,; taking the voting population to be as stated by the census of 1855 and 1865, and allowing for the gradual increase in other places. Part of this may be accounted for by the fact that men "pair off," &c.

187 Evidence, Table No. 3, 4236, p. 423.

1850..

1831

1852

1853.

1864.

1855 1858.

But if 90 per cent. of the voters actually voted in the city the proper vote would be 131,747, whereas 156,054 votes were cast, showing a fraudu lent vote in the city alone of 24,307.

So much for actual voters.

THE VOTE TOO GREAT AS COMPARED WITH THE VOTE OF PREVIOUS

YEARS.

Now for actual and estimated votes. In the period from 1848 to 1867 the increase in votes has been at the rate per cent. as follows:

From 1848 to 1852..

8

188

From 1852 to 1856..

From 1856 to 1860..

From 1860 to 1864..

38

20

per cent. per cent. per cent.

The vote of 1864 was 110,390; the vote of 1865 was 81,868—a decrease of 293 per cent.

The vote of 1866 was 114,169-only an increase of a little over 3 per cent. on the vote of 1864.

The vote of 1867 was 111,862-a decrease on the vote of 1866.

From 1848 to 1864 the average increase is 20 per cent. in every four years, or about five per cent. a year; from 1856 to 1864 the average yearly increase was less than 4 per cent.

It has been abundantly demonstrated that the average increase since 1840 has not exceeded four per cent.

189

The vote of New York city in 1868 was 156,054, being an increase of 493 per cent. in one single year!

188 Evidence, 5562. Mr. Sweetzer gives the vote as follows:

Evidence, 4236.

In 1866 John T. Hoffman was the democratic candidate for governor against Reuben E. Featon, republican. The contest was exciting, and the latter was elected by 13,787 majority. This brought out a full vote. In 1867 the contest was over secretary of state

156, 078

The percentage of increase from 1864 to 1868, as indicated by the enormously large vote of the latter, was 41 per cent.,190 or more than twice as much as the average percentage of increase of previous presidential elections!

The accuracy of this is shown by a comparison of the actual and estimated votes from 1860 to 1867, inclusive, in all which years the actual vote never exceeded the estimated vote. The frauds of 1868 are proved by the fact that this year there is a large excess of the actual vote. And the same law of increase applies elsewhere, as shown by the following statement of actual and estimated votes:

If the votes actually cast at that election had been at such [usual] average, there would have been 133,000 votes, or 23,000 less than has been actually declared in the official canvass. Taking the rate of increase from 1860 to 1864, 15 per cent., as the basis of the number of votes that should have been polled in 1868, there would have been 128,500, or 27,500 less than were declared.

So much for actual and estimated voters.

THE VOTE TOO GREAT AS SHOWN BY THE AVERAGE RATIO OF VOTERS TO POPULATION.

Henry E. Sweetzer, who is connected with the democratic press of the city, shows by a table the ratio of votes to population at each presidential election from 1852 to 1868, (taking the population as returned by the census immediately preceding such elections,) as follows:

While the average ratio of voters to population from 1852 to 1860 was 1 to 8.44, this ratio was increased in 1868 to be 1 to 4.65. The war withdrew from the city a considerable voting population, many of whom perished by casualties or disease, and many more of whom become permanent residents elsewhere.191

190 Evidence, 4236, 5562.

191 Evidence, 3741 and 6952, where Judge McCunn testifies:

I find from a "report of the special committee on volunteering in the county of New York," signed by Orison Blunt, Wm. M. Tweed, and Wm. R. Stewart, that the whole number of men furnished from first to last, during the rebellion, by the city and county of New York, was 148,676.

There were not actually that number, as this includes re-enlistments. Three months regiments and others were re-enlisted.

Mr. Jarvis, the intelligent and candid clerk of the common pleas, testifies as follows: 6311. Q. State whether during the war a large proportion of the foreigners of this city went into the army?— A. I do not know the fact. I presume they did; a great many did.

6312. Q. State whether from your knowledge of the city, in addition to those who were killed and died of disease, a large portion of those who went into the army did not remain in other portions of the country?— A. Yes, sir.

And see Evidence, 3741, 6952, showing 148,676 soldiers furnished by the city, many of them foreigners.

This is confirmed by the fact that the State census of 1865 only shows a city population of 726,386, while the population of 1866 was 813,669. Yet in the face of these facts the ratio of voters to population was largely increased in the city while there was no corresponding increase in other portions of the State.

But if the population of 1868 be estimated by the usual average afforded by the census returns of 1850, 1855, 1860, and 1865, it will be 785,790,192 and if a liberal increase be made on this, and with any possible ratio of voters to population, the result would show more than 27,000 fraudulent votes.

If the ratio of voters to population was allowed to be as one to six, which is greater than was ever ascertained at any previous election, then on a population of 785,790 the vote would only be 130,965, thus showing a fraudulent vote of 26,089.

When all these tests unite in proving the same result, corroborated by undisputed facts, showing great frauds, the conclusion becomes irresistible that at least 25,000 fraudulent votes were cast in New York city at the election in November.

THE DEMOCRATIC SIXTH WARD.

But this is proved still further by conclusive details.

By way of example the population and vote, past and present, of the sixth ward may be cited.

The total male population in 1860 was 13,465, which had diminished in 1865 to 9,717, a loss of 3,748,193 by reason of business houses supplanting tenement houses.194

The voting population of this ward, as shown by the census of 1865, was, native, 599; foreign, 3,546; total, 4,145. The probability is it had not increased, but rather diminished. But if the highest rate of increase of 45 per cent. per annum be allowed the voting population of 1868 would be 4,707, and conceding the largest average of 90 per cent. for actual voters and the vote cast would be 4,236; whereas the votes reported as east were 5,401, thus showing a fraudulent vote of 1,165, which doubtless was, in fact, over 2,000 in that single ward.

It is unnecessary to trace wards in detail. The evidence shows the existence of these frauds in various parts of the city, and the inference is irresistible that the conclusion already deduced is correct.

These frauds extended to other counties of the State, as shown by the testimony and as demonstrated by the same tests applied to the city.195 This is shown by Sweetzer's Table A, evidence, 4236, page 424.

See Table L, Evidence, page 361.

Judge McCunn testifies :

The reason why the population of the lower wards of the city, including the sixth, decreased is this: stores have crept in where the tenement houses were before; in fact, the tenement houses have nearly all been pulled down and stores erected on their sites.

195 The census returns exhibit the law of increase of the voters of the State, viz:

The decade from 1825 to 1835 "covers the time when the Erie canal was finished, and when New York absorbed a large relative share of the westward tide of migration. Accordingly the census of 1835 shows an increase of voters amounting to 36-10ths per cent. per annum. The next decade, (1835 to 1845,) the increase of voters shown by the census of 1845 is a little less than at the rate of 24 per cent. per annum. For the next decade, (1845 to 1855) the increase shown by the census of 1855 is a little less than 2 per cent, per aunum. For the next decade, (1855 to 1865,) the census of 1865 shows an increase in the voters of a little over 24 per cent, per annum.

"A calculation of 24 per cent. per annum on the number of votes given by the census of 1835 gives 820 more then are shown by the census for 1845. An increase of 2 per cent. per annum on the number given in the census of 1845 gives us 657,494 in 1855, which is 4,673 more than is given by the census returns of 1855. Now if, on this number of 657,494, we compute 24 per cent. per annum to 1865, we will have 838,543, which is 15,117 more than is shown by the census of 1865; and, continuing the calculation on this number of 88,543, and at the same rate, to 1868, we will avoid all question of the census of 1865, and have, as the num ber of voters this year, 903,018."

That such a calculation must surely give enough to cover the reality-that while it probably is somewhat too large, it is certainly not too small-is shown by these considerations. It is based on all the four census

In the counties which gave large democratic votes the percentage of votes to voters is greatly in excess of the average of the other counties, as may be seen by the following:

In other counties the democratic vote was largely increased over that of previous years, and especially where the testimony shows the existence of extensive frauds.

In view of all the facts it is safe to estimate that the total fraudulent and illegal votes cast in the State of New York, at the election in November, 1868, were not less, and probably exceeded, 50,000 votes.

returns of 1825, 1835, 1845, and 1855. It allows for the last thirteen years the highest rate of increase shown by the census returns for any period of ten years in the last 33 years, and the number taken for the basis of this calculation in 1855 is 4,673 higher than that given by the census returns of 1855. It covers the whole time of the war; takes no note of any probable diminution of voters thereby; gives for 1865 more than 15,000 excess above the census returns of that year, and continues the rate of increase on the whole at 24 per cent, per annum down to the present time, which rate is, in fact, a trifle over what is shown by the census to be the highest rate for any period of ten years since 1835.

If the number of qualified electors in the State this year be not more than 903,018, as we have found, then the number available to deposit their votes in the ballot-box cannot exceed 812.717; and, at least, the excess, 37,034, shown in the returns, must, necessarily, be false and fraudulent.—Senate Mis., No. 4, 3d session 40th Congress.