New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-05-29

DEMOCRACY And THE LABORING CLASSICS.
The fact that Governor Cleveland has signed
the bill providing for the submission OF the
ouestion of convict labor to the people serves
to recall attention to that buncombe and maze
measure. in all that 1t implies. For years the
Democracy of this State has denounced the con-
wet labor system in unmeasured terms. III mas
solemnly assured the labOrng classes that
the system was full of deadly peril to their IN
forests and that one of the chief fruits Oh Il
Democratic restoration in New York womb Dc
its overthrow The Democratic State COnven-
tion that met at Syracuse last fall made a big
hid for the votes of "the laborIng classes by
nlacipg an anti-convict-labo plank in its plat
form ave reallirm,r is tho language OF plank
thirteen, "the policy always maintained by the
Democratic party that convict labor
should not come into competition with the IN
adustry of law-abidng citizens
Well. the Democratic restoration in this State
was ushered in last January. With Democrat
in the executive chair and with Democrats III
the majority in Senate and Assembly, the party
WAS in position to redeem its promises in re-
gard to the convict labor system-lf 1t really
wished to. But it did not wish to. Once in
power Democracy found it more convenient TO
dodge the convict labor issue than to meet 1t
more convenient to substitute stone Tor the
bread which it had promised the laborlng
classes" This bill that the Governor has APP
proved does what I Provide for conStltu-
tional amendment prohibiting the employment
Of convict labor in our prisons Provide Tor
the relief of any industry Of law-abldIng CIT
liens with which convict labor has come INTO
competition - Nothing of the kind. 1t pro-
vides simply for submitting to the voters the
question of aboshing convict labor from the
prisons That IS all there is of IT. The IN
spectors of next falls elections in the several
towns and wards in the State are to furnish
boxes for the reception OF votes on the question,
and such votes are to be canvassed as other
votes are canvnsSed and the result is to be fled
and published. A more illgrant outcome OF
official cowardicc was never placed upon the
statutc-books. There was no palmer duty
before the Legislature this session than the
duty of aboi~hing the convict labor system
proridcd what the party platforms and news
papers and stump-speakers had been saying
for years WIS trustworthy. Why was that duty
left unli,charccd Why WAS this impotent
bill passed
Every intelligent man who is familiar with
the history of the last Legislature knows just
why To abolish the convict labor system was
70 incur the wrath OF the taxpayers not to do
something in the premises was to incur the
wrath of the laborrg classes Realizing
those two facts the Democratic leaders deter
mined 10 give an exhibition of their proficiency
in the art of how not to do it,. Hence this pitt
cal mol my ror IcCislafion on fine convict labor
question. The Governor would have done HIM
self and his great office more credit II he had
promptly vetoed it, by signing 1t he has IN
dorsed pernicious polcy-the policy OF Leg
islature's renting to the people any onc OF It's
duties y hich the majority for partisan reasons
finds it convenient to shirk.