New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-05-04
TAXATION AND THE STATE CAPITOL

There will necessarily be an increase In state
taxation for the present year. Under the apo
lition of the contract system the State PRISONS
will cost a large sum. A half-milliOn dollars
has already been appropriated for the purchase
of machinery and material to keep the prison
! ers employed. The Niagara Reservation calls
for over half q million more. Inc denlahoS VI
the asylums reformat0rles and other ota'e III
situations, growing out of the increasing mum
Der of inmates have swelled the supply Dill U
the extent of several hundred thousand collars
The Dairy Commission, the Bureau OF LABOR
Statistics, the State Board OF Health, the h'iii-
road Commission, the Civil Service Comln1s-
sion and other comparatively new creations, 10
cav nothing of the free canals, add to the
growing burdens. The State parade ground
and other demands largely increased the ap-
propriation for military purposes. Under these
circumstances the Senate Finance Committee
has concluded to reduce the appropriation Tor
the continuance of work on the new Capitol to
| total of $3.50. 900. Already certain Democratic
newspapers and members OF the Legislature
are posing as friends of the workingmen,"
and demanding that larger sum be gwen In
order to keep employed the 1,4OO Democrats
lately at work on the building.
| 1t ought not to be necessary to remind inc
| Legislature that it will have to account Tor ln-
creased taxation to a quite different class OIL
persons from the demag0gues who falsely as
| sumo to speak for the worklngmen. 1t is not
| good wear for increasing taxes and the men,
bers will certainly be reminded of that fact az
election time. Are all the workmen-tarmers
and Others included-to be taxed unnecessarily
m
| Albany7 If the State is to furnish work to the
unemployed, why discriminate in favor Oh
these 400 Democrats Why not build eleva-
| tors, improve the canals, and engage In otner
public works that will give employment to all
who need it7 There is no call this year Tor
even so large an appropriation for the Capltoi
as proposed by the Senate committee. Ihere
is no pressing demand for more room, and as IL
will take several million dollars and some years
vet to complete the building, small appropri-
alton, giving employment to one-thlrd the
number of men lately at work, VIII be suIll-
Gent. This would furnish relief to the work
men all over the State who pay the taxes, ana
vould he n most sensible move for the respon-
sible majority in the Legislature. In order TO
keep the work going at the recent rate, With
ont INTERRUPTION, the sum of 50. 600, 900, in adj
dition to the $280,OO0 already appropriated
would be necessary. 1t is the accepted judg-
ment that the building wouldnO suffer II work
were indefinitely suspended. AS to the Senate
bill to create an advisory commission COM
posed of the President of the Senate. the
Sneaker and the Governor, there are many rea-
sons to be urged in favor of it. The present
management is under the immediate direction
| of sistant-Superintendent Mcintyre one oil
| Boss - Manning's most INSCRIPTIONS hench-
men. In the recent charter election III Albany
| the force was laid off, and according to
THE Journal, "the bosses led the men IN
squads to the polling places to lntlm-
idate Republicans" 1t was shown by
sworn testimony before the Senate commit
tee that only men approved by Boss " Man
ming or his dummy, Mcintyre, could get work
ON the building. Last year so many stone
cutters we're employed that large number had
to be discharged about election time. This
wear the force was made so large that the ap-
nropriation available was all gone by the date
of the charter election.
Ii is time an end was put to this scandalous
state of affairs. If the building proceeds on
this system Senator Low estimates that 1t will
cost S1O,0O0,000 to complete 1t. Nearly
10000, 900 has already been expended. II
the work were done by contract many OF the
present scandals would disappear. That is
what should be done and an end put to the dis
graceful partisan machine that is annually con-
suming millions of the peoples money without
any fair return.