me this year. In the past it has been the custom to present such cases before a magistrate, secure a warrant and institute criminal proceedings. My experience has taught me that the majority of such registrants were victims of unfamiliarity with the election statute rather than wilful violators of the law. Fully 70 per cent of such persons were first voters or foreigners naturalized within the past year. Instead of pursuing the former course, I had such persons appear before me and explained to them the reason for their not being privileged to vote. The effect of this new proceeding was salutary, and it had the further virtue of making these persons feel that this Department was here to correct errors as well as to enforce sterner measures. SUBPOENAS When a man is challenged on any of the registration days it is obligatory on the Board of Inspectors to make out a lengthy challenge affidavit setting forth in detail the salient facts in connection with the registration qualifications of such person. These affidavits are then sent to this Department for examination. If the affidavit made by the registrant indicates that criminal proceedings should be instituted, material witnesses are immediately subpoenaed to this office for the purpose of interrogation and ascertaining any information in connection with the person registered. If the registrant had done so through error, as investigation later discloses, he is sent for and advised that inasmuch as he is lacking in one or another qualification, he has no right to vote. When it is taken into consideration that approximately 2,000 such challenge affidavits are returned to the New York City office alone, the enormousness of this work is self evident. On each affidavit at least two witnesses are summoned and this year 3,972 subpoenas were issued in the New York office of this Department. This does not include, of course, the duces tecum subpoenas which are issued for every hotel and lodging house register in the State of New York. These books are gone over for the purpose of seeing that each person registered from such lodging house actually was a resident of the premises on the day he registered and continued such residence sufficiently long to entitle him to vote. This practice has been instituted for the reason that I discovered in many cases a person would stay at a hotel for a day or so and register from such place whereas he legally had no right to claim either that address or any other address in the State of New York as his residence. It may easily be seen the amount of work necessary to go over such registers scrutinizingly, when it is taken into consideration that in the greater city there are sixteen hundred hotels and lodging houses. Also in every case of a first year naturalized voter a duces tecum subpoena was issued for the purpose of ascertaining the date of such naturalization. All of the above cases were tried by the special Deputy Attorneys-General assigned to this Department for the election period, Chief Deputy Allen, the Secretary of the Department, and myself. The office of the State Superintendent of Elections in Greater New York remained open practically twenty hours a day from the middle of September until several weeks after election. The amount of correspondence handled during the month of October amounted to 1,428 inquiries and letters. The following list shows number of subpoenas issued, by counties, throughout the State of New York for the past election. In the city of New York during the past election Chief Magistrate McAdoo handled the issuance of warrants in connection with cases instituted by this Department. Owing to the number, he was assisted by Magistrate House. The following is a list of warrants issued throughout the State of New York by counties. Let it be known that in order for a warrant to be issued by a magistrate in connection with an election investigation, practically the entire proceeding must be brought before the magistrate. The finesse and painstaking care exercised by the deputies entrusted with this work may be appreciated when it is known that in preparing such cases for presentation to the magistrate, at least three material witnesses are needed to give all necessary corroborating testimony, the supposed employer of such person interrogated (if necessary brought to court) to determine whether the registered person was actually employed by him and only after conclusive evidence is brought to show that the person actually and wilfully registered falsely, is a warrant issued. The following schedule shows names of persons apprehended during the last election period, setting forth crimes charged and disposition made of same. In the arrests given, however, but few are included for whom warrants were issued as set forth in the preceding schedule: NEW YORK COUNTY . Disposition Indicted. Indicted. Indicted. Indicted. Indicted. Indicted. |