New-York tribune., 1878-05-10

dscOurses Mr. Brownng's" Act Tor the peUer pro
lection OF the mechanics Of this State By regulating the
use convict labor in the several prisons CT the state
and for other purposes" This act is the eliminating
measure 10 prevent II possible superintendent PsDnry
letting the labor OF eonvcts AZ profitable rates
preseripes ) that Prom and after the passage Oh
this the labor of the convcts in any OF the STATE IT'S
this State shall not belet hired out upon con-
tract" and that 0 Hereafter such cOnvctlabor as may
be at the disposal Of the Superintendent of State Psons
shall be employed in such OF industry andn inc
manufacture Of articles as are or may DC imported
from other countries, such as may least coheI WIN
the mechanics and wOrknemen OF THIS state; ana any
goods or wares manufactured by the convcts in any OF
the said prisons shall not be sold in the market or else
where ai rate than their market value at the time
OF said sale"
Mr. Browning in the Of short speech IN favor
OF his bill charged that the figures published respecting
the prisons lately misleading, and that they were
not AS sf sustaining had been asserted ExLieuten
aut-Covernor Afford showed that Mr.. Browning had
taken the figures respecting the last fiscal year OF the
prisons and had not taken into account the earnings and
expenditures of the during the last SIX months
For the first six months OF the fiscal year re-
ferTed to by Mr.. Browning, moreover. the prisons
were under the old impTovident management
that preceded Superintendent Pilsburys benenceh'
reign The facts that during the prison fiscal year
that ended October l. 1877 there appropriated III
support of the prisons 100000; Of which amount 1t
took 500 900 support the prisons, leaving T2ooooo
unex pended. For the fiscal year ending october l.
1878. the Legislature had appropriated SsooOoo MI
Psbury estimated that he would draw out $5OOOOO OF
this appropriation and pay into the Treasury S3oOOOO
The actual expense OF sustaining all the prisons during
the fiscal year 1878 would. therefore, be only S2Ooooo
as compared with 100000 in 1879 saving OF $780,
600. Mr.. Pllsbury estimated that by October next
Sing Sing Prison alone would pay into the Treasury $50
600 in earnings. Ambrose H. Purdy, Democrat, here
tried divert the consideration Of the bill into poAt
calc I he
The Lieutenant Governor OF tins State, in eonversa
ton with the other day expressed the opinOn1and
power and influence the State Prisons are made to pay
will be party that will mmedisely go out Of power i
call upon the Democrats of this House so f az they
gratifying to every Republican on this hoor
ip its favor know that the Democrats from Brook,
lyn and NewYork win vote for this bill, ai, ana
State We have had plenty of proof Of IT, Last year our
Republican friends got mp their qualified suffrage amend
ment TO the Constitution We made the issue with them
here on this floor We told them tnat would 90 before
the people and tell them that the Republicans were
irving TO take away the right OF suffrage. We
were told that that was demagoguism 1t may nave
been may not have been but we carried the eec
my Democratic friends FROM the country that the Dem
Ocratc vote Of the abOrng class in the great
cties Without the Citiesof NewYOrk and brooklyn you
defeated every where. / think If Mr Halliday VII
we doubted the ability OF Mr.. Tden TO carry the city o.
New-York, and will recOllect that we were told ne
recoect that the result that he came out beaten by
81 600 majority at spuyten Duyvil Creek, aud was
only rescued by the Cities OF NewIOrk and BrOOklyD
Win bill of this knd-whetheT this bill passes not
we do carebut with this talk upon we can go TO
the aborng classes and point out TO them tha the Re
publican party is the party that put to work these con
vcs that tits taking the bread out OF their mouths;
that elevating the convict to the same degree WIN
themselves.
Mr Gilbert RepJ-Ihis bill Is in the direction
Of communism and therefore vote against It,
Mr. Grady lDem.)-It is hardly necessary to say
that il this bill mad anything TO do with communism 1t
would be unanimously voted down. We are now giving
contractors factories and enabling them to come INTO
comuetition with honest labor. vote aye"
Mr. Halliday (Dem.)-I believe IN making the CON
yIcts work believe they should be kept at hard labor
believe, also. that they should be Kept AT WOrk ~ such
things and such price That their work viii least com
pete with honest labor. Exactly how that Is to be ac-
compllshed, 1 do not know. vote " no."
Mr. Roberts (Dem)-I believe that an honest man
quarters IL wrong for labOrng men TO quarrel with
capital This bill Is in the wrong direction ana vote
"nO."
NJ sheard lRep)-We ought to the state before
party Perhaps the hostility OF Tammany Hall to the
present prison system is because so many OF ITS support
ers are now compelled 10 work bard within them
Mr. Sheldon Rcp.)-Al the burdens OF the state must
eventually be borne by the wOTklngmen. In TINS pOpO
siton nothing but attempt 10 Increase the bur
dens OF the labOTIug classes.
1000 cOnvict What the relation OF the amounts OF
their labor The labor Of the conyics is mere hy on
the horn the All Of the product OF shoes Of the
prisons does not amount 10 tnat OF three nanuacoes
in Massachusetts, L vote No.
Mr.. NOyes (Rep)-i do not think this bill Is IN
the interest of the wOrRngmen should be ashamed 10
vote the bill sop to political party lN0c No
Mr.. Brooks (Dem)-1be political speeches tlat nave
discreditabe. The question rises above
party. To keep convicts idle rs crime against the
visions in this bill In the hope that some
good may come out OF It, vote for II.
The vote was then announced on the bill. 1t was as
follows Ropubicans in Roman, Democrats in hdiiesl