Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-02-14
THE LABOR QUESTION.
r,,rr BEG rgIv rHEHoUSE.

.u. Roads aud Lccal Rsireads-
1,a,eu asd speeches, Sc., SIC.
hopt half.past / O'Clock yesterday
,;onse reached, as its fourth special
MIR. Van Dorsn's billi relation
nor,;ct labor. reported from the
- Committee on Prisons and
.Sylnms tMr. Echols chairman) in the
so,m following
D., 70 EMPLOY CpSVIcr LABOR on
t"sTY ROADS AND OTHER WORKS OF
,gRNAL lMrkoN hNkNf'
-. The convicls in the state peni.
"Ie,< should be 50 ela p'oyed rs To lessen
~, ,aens of the to N.ptNcr and 10 relieve
M 80 vof kingman OF unjust c0mpetl-
He evd whereas good county roads. ana
- are most potent factors SIN the develop
o.; of The resources OF state. ana there
~ ~ "a a more Than any other means TO her
.tIr value nov, therefore
,aNaV"" 81, 'oacycd on ne General assembly 81
J g,9. That the Governor be. aud he u
nv auihorized TO furnish to- The board
tV3rser,,sors Ofsny county In tiIc state
i 80 those terms OF service at the Time
srplicaiion for them do not exceed
,.ars 10 work on the public roads OF the
va 80 lpder such conditions rs 70 safe
,,. ,g a. the Governor ana shlu ooards Oh
',.r, 'sors may agree upon .,
e"tN ne aid coDvicts shall he transported
g. q, ana returned 10 the peniteptiary. and
III h. led. guarded. and turnlsned WIN
col attention at the expense OF the
',f % while IN their charge.
re- aid boards Of SUPERVISORS snail
30 uoycr 10 employ such agents, over
and guards as they may deem neces-
- .or the safe kee ping ana pIoPeI Inen-
~ s'.c,ent Of The cOuvicts In their chRtge,
~ '.Nrb agents OyeTseerS. and guards snail
50. me same authority TO compel LABOR. 10
"a 's,,e obedience and TO prevent escape as
Il ..sents or officers OF the same grade In
80 safe penitentiary.
III ne sWer providing for all demands under
X 'n,ec6ing sections. the Governor Is
,.ty authorized TO hire TO any railroad
[# % -tsrribels any cOnVicts which may
II ~, sr ma the penitentiary or who may be
II ,..Tn,cd IN any quarry or on any railroad
81 -. oh counties are not Subscri beers. " hose
81 ann OF service at the uine OF appllcaIloh
~ mem does not exceed ten years: FRO
81 ,ttd eNisllns c"n'IsV's 0"n "o ." "i"h' '""
q The said convicts shall be fed. clothed.
+" "a and furnished with medical atten-
"a ,,,, and medicine 10y the State while at
81 80 f1r said companies. and the said COM
n -. shall uay the cost of transporting
81 80 ,nuyjcts from and returning them TO
II -. p,uiteutiary. and shall furnish suitable
II r.ifers for them while on their works,
"a In addition shall pay forty cents for
81 a. laws labor actually performed; and
"A ,1e stale shall receive The amount aScer-
II 10 ned 10 be- doe al the end OF each quarter
n - ne bonds Of the counties subscribed 10
81 - re Iailroe ds projected TO run through
II ,,,,ur,es without railroads, and through
"a hoe having the least number OF miles OF
I'll fa,shIe railroad. shall be mat supplied.
"a trsr aU demands coming under the fore
81 o nd, uroyigOns have been filled the Gov
ia nor NAV hire at his discretion, all re-
81 ua,uiug convicts should there be any, 10
FL Nv contractor. 10 be employed on any
al m
N m me same conditions. except that the
81 -,sfr shall receive as compensation tnere-
n ,or not less ttan eighty cents per day. In
a ayiulmoney, for each day S labor actually
~ reformed.
n All railroad companies or other works
81 o. internal Improvement which may avail
q themselves Of the provisions OF this act
"a thereby agree TO pay ali taxes. dues. ano DE-
"a uauds due TO the state that may hereafter
81 Is assessed against them in lawful money
~ M he nited states. and not in coupons.
FL ~ An taxes levied on and collected from
81 'I, Aforesaid railroads by the counties
u whose bonds have been paid 10 the state As
81 hen. nbefore provided shall be turned into
II ilr Treasury Of the state aud placed 10 the
81 rlrdt Of the interest and principal OF the
a Aforesaid county bonds. and all bonds re-
~ cpAed 10y the state under the provisions OF
"a fris act shall BE- set apart for the public
"a school fund. and shall ne used for no other
II purpose.
81 o Ail acts and parts of acts that conflict
"A " 900 this set are hereby repealed.
~ DO. ibis act shall be in force from It's pas
N sage.
Fl MI. WADDiLL DISLIKES THE BILL.
q Mr.. Waddill offered a substitute for
81 the whole bill. lie proposed to allow
s. the counties TO have the cOnyicts to
& work on their public roads because that
Il is a sort Of labor which poor men are
q now forced to do, but he was opposed
3 to allowing railroad corporations to
have use of them, and that to the eX-
Il clusion Of honest labor. He spoke at
4 great length, claiming that this ques'
B tcn is of more interest than any now
y before this Legislature. He did moi
think the bill proposed worth the pa
& per it is written on, as its passage
B would only perpetuate the curse tina
should be destroyed. He hoped thu
mechanics would be protected, but i
i could not be done by the Van Doral
n bill.
MR., WADDILL AND MR.. CARTER.
Mr.. Carter, of Richmond; May
interrupt the gentleman!
Nj. Waddill Certainly.
Mr.. Carter: You appear to be sucl
a warm friend Of the mechanic and tn
workingman, may ] venture to ask VIII.
is it that you do not propose to abro
gate the present contracts? IL does no
seem to me that the gentleman deal
very clearly with that subject.
Mr.. Waddill: 1t simply shows tina
the gentleman has not read my bill.
90 provide for that.
Mr.. Waddill read from his substi ut
apIovision that it shall be the duty o
the Governor to declare the contract
null and void under certain regulations
His idea was that every contract tina
could be abrogated should be abrogated
and every contract that hasn't been car
ried out in good faith and according t.
its terms shall be forfeited.
A PUZZLE.
Mr.. Munford: May l interrupt tn
gentleman:
Mr. Waddill Certainly.
Mr.. Munford : Then / ask whenc
comes this newborn zeal on the pare o
the Republicans of this House? How
Is it that they are now such zealou
friends of the workingmen? Was
not your Governor, was it not you
Republican Board of Directors, tina
two years before these contracts wer
out renewed them for five years: Now
will the gentleman answer that?
Mr.. Waddill: What he asks is {
mere make-shift to relieve him. If j
was Republican Board and Republi
can Governor that renewed these con
tracts, there was Democratic Super
intendent equally responsible. But
suppose Governor Cameron did max,
that contract and it is wrong, are w
not to correct it? The Democratic
party--either by fair means or foul
has had possession Of this State gov
eminent for two years and passed
everything they wanted TO pass, an(
during all that time contracts were il
force. Why did they not abrogat'
them.
Dir. Munford: But why does your
4 platform endorse the management n