The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1884-08-14

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! Phil2delrhia Tine,
The graun9is lspop which it Is sought
to create preJ6dicB against Governor
Cleveland are his vetoes OF the five
cext fare bill, the mechanics lien bill. :
and the bill regulating the. horirs of
labor of drivers and conductors of horse
cars.
The bin fixing the fare on the'eleva-
ted railways at five cents abrogates q
right vested in the corporation by
previous Legislature. In that act the
regulation of fares was distinctly sur
rendered by the State until the net
earnings should reach a given sum.
In spite of this agreement in the con-
tract, the Legislature of 1888 passed u
bill making u uniform rate Of fare of
five cents. The Governor vetoed ii on
the ground that the Legislature could
not abrogate vested right. There is
not the slightest doubt that the courts
of the State would have taken the same I
view.
That the proposed reductions We're
only of the slightest interest to work. 20
| ingmen is shown from the fact that
tile rate had long been five ceI,ts from
half past four to half past seven p. IN.
The reduction of fares at other hours
Of the day was u manifest advantage
| to bankers, brokers, business men and
amusement seekers, but not of the
| slightest interest to labOring men and
| mechanics, who already had the priv
| ileges the vetoed bill conferred. OPP
position to the veto WAS short lived,
and feeling of satisfaction followed
that one man had been found who had
the pluck and the intelligence to OPP
pose such futile legislation even at the
risk of incurring popular disapproval.
The Governor also interpOsed his .
veto to the mechanics lien bill. The
original intention of this bill was to
give mechanics power to secure their
! wages by the means of liens. But it
WAS SO amended that its purpose was
either Obscured or lost. It gave parties =
four months after performance of work
or furnishing of material to file "a lien,
period ridiculously prolonged. 1t
also allowed the same costs as in fore
closures, which in the case of small
bills would have been so enormous as
to eat them up entirely. But, worst
of all, it repealed existing mechanics
liep laws, which were far more favor
able to working people than the new
law. 1t was found to be scheme To i
make increased lawyers bills audtO
diminish the protection afforded ahe
mechanic. The Governor very prop
erly accepted the lesser evil and vetoed
the defective bill.
The bill making twelve hours days
street cars did not in any way prohibit
the making of u contract requiring any
number of hours work, and if it had,
| the Governor very aptly objected that
it was an interference with the rights
of employees as we'll as employers. 1t
was plain that If the car drivers and
conductors worked fewer hours they
wOald receive less pay, and the bill
neither did or could prevent that. The
Governor concluded his objections by
saying: 81 do not think this bill is
in the interest of the wOrkingmen.'
| One charge remains against Cover
nor Cleveland's vetoes- The last Leg
islature made a small appropriation for
a charitable institution known as the
Winchester Catholic Protectory. The
Governor struck it out, and the charge
has been made that he was hostile to
the Catholic church as such. Mr.. Hem
ry L. HOguet, President of the PrOtec-
tory, says on this question:
awe never doubted the sincerity of
the motive which induced Governor
Cleveland to withhold his signature to
the appropriation to the Protectory.
We thought then and we think now
that he was not actuated by any feel-
ing of bigotry or of hostility to Cath
Olics or the Catholic institutions. On
the contrary, Governor Cleveland is
liberal in the extreme, and we are Of.
the firm belief that he was led To the
Withholding of his approval to the.
appropriation solely by a sense of pub
lie duty as he viewed it,"
|. Upon these facts are based all the
charges made against Grover Cleve-
land, by which it is sought To raise
objection to him among the laboring
and religious elements.
o