New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1876-01-07


and upon being expelled from Iammany nan
stepped at once to the front rank of ReformeIs
and the position Of Laboring Mans Friend.
As such he was sent to the State Senate 10
give his intellectual powers to the duties OF
law-making. He began the great Reform on
Wednesday by the introduction OF bill pro-
yIding that the wages of laborers on the public
works shall be fixed by the Common Council
at rate not exceeding So per day.
And that's Reform OF course it's Re-
form for Mr.. Morfissey introduced it, and Mr..
Morrissey is q Reform leader; so voted for by
Republicans IA well as Democrats, and rs
such sent TO Albany. And it's in the interest
of the workingman! OF course. Why moi
Isn't Mr.. Morrissey the friend of the working
man. and wasn't he born into that spear OF
"lifer -iimselfi And it's perfect remedy
for the wrongs of the workingman! Certainly
it must be; for has not Mr.. Morrissey been
giving his mind to the subject for the past
two months, or ever since the wOrkingmen IN
his district elected him to go to Albany and re-
dress their grievancesf OF course it's perfect.
Else why Morrissey? That's his mission. And yet
this somehow does not seem to us entirely
ADEQUATE. We are not about to criticise the
laws: and vet, Senator MOrrissey-Ap0stle of
Labor and Leader of Reform-may we ven
ture to PROFOUND an inquiry or twof Why
Common Council, Mr. Senator Is the Common
Council more competent to judge what Is
proper compensation for labor than the men
under whose direction the labor Is donef Has
it ever occurred to you that possibly some
time we may have a Common Council not
friendly to the worlingman, and which, not
having any responsibility for the Public Works,
might cripple that department by fixing
wages below the market rate7 Or that
the Superintendent of Public Works can
not in the nature OF things grind
the face of the poor by cutting down
wages; that there must be market rate, and
that he cannot get the city's work done with
out paying just that or moreY And why limit
it to 50, Mr.. Senator7 We have an unstable
currency and varying prices and values; and
some of the Friends of the WOrkingman are
DESTROYS that the volume of the currency should
be increased so that business may revive, the
demand for labor be enlarged, and of course Its
wages advanced. Suppose this all should hap
pen, Mr. Senator, and the market rate OF wages
60 up to So 50 or So per day, what becomes
of your workingmen in the employ of the city
whom the Common Council are prevented by
your bill from paying more than 81 per day
Or suppose, Mr.. Senator, business continues
depressed and thousands more are thrown out of
work; wages drop still lower; the Common
Council fix the pay of city laborers at ", as
You evidently intend, or at any figure twenty
five or fifty per cent above what thousands OF
industrious workingmen out of employment
are willing to work for would the lucky fel-
lows who through political influence or other
wise obtain employment on the Public Works
be considered favored class You, as we OF
course understand, are not the champion
simply of the workingmcn employed by the
CITY; they are but small fraction of the
whole body. You are n Reformer in a larger
sense. You are champion of the whole body
of workngmen; what you are after Is what
the philanthropists call the greatest good
"of the greatest NUMBER In what light will
your Reform be viewed by the several thou
sand unemployed laborers who are willing to
work for say 81 80 per day, and who stand
by. idle. looking on while the few hundreds
employed by the city are having an easy time
: and getting 50 a dayf They will not deny
of course not--that you are the Working
"man's Friend" for you were so named on
great many transparencies and banners last
Fall. And yet there may be some of them
with talent for mathematics, which has been
sharpened by hunger, who will do some such
Figuring as this: Here are So to DO paid
:" by the city for work. Three mon are doing
ait, and getting each fifty cents more per day
." for it than it is worth in open market. Why
"not divide that work among four, pay
" tho market price for it, and give me
chance to keep from staryingW 1t wouldn't
be craftsmanship, it is true Nor Reform.
Nor any of the great things that have great
names in political campaigns But great
many honest worllingmen, Mr.. Senator, who
are not statesmen as you are, and have not
studied this problem as you have, would say
it was common sense. Now understand us;
we are not picking flaws in your bill or be-
lifting your Reform, but these are consldera-
tons which naturally occur to an unenlight-
ened mind. May we not expect, little later
in the session, a more elaborate presentation
of your views on this subject than we have
vet enjoyed7 Ii is a Reform, we know. But
some of its features are obscure. We need
more light upon them, and We wait for it inn
patiently.
CONTROLLER BRODHE1D.