The evening world., 1888-10-04
HEWITT Gets ONE.
A Sharp Communication From the
Central Labor Union.
Mr.. Bohm Seems Something of
a Letter. Writer Himself.

Mayor Hewitt, on reaching his Office this
morning, found the following letter waiting
for him
Nor. Abrdm s. Hslit. ayor.
SIR Six weeks ago the Central Labor
Union took action not only in the interests
of health and decency but of the law which
IL systematically broken by a cl ,ss of manu-
iacturers whose wealth enables them to defy
justice and order. Their crime, which
should have landed them Ill State prison, had
been patent TO labor organizations, and
ought to have been SO to the AUTHORITIES of.
this city, long before the Ford Congressional
Committee revealed the hideous nature of a
portion OF the c~igar-making industry.
IL as shown that these capitalists who.
keep their employees in u condition as bad az
tnat OF the chattel slaves before their eman-
clpation, perpetuated n system i'll direct an
taSonlsm TO the Factory laws and Tenement
House nets on the statute books of this State.
= you pretend to be II friend to the indus
trial masses, and have n reputation as "A social
economist. the Central Labor Union in
s!.ructed me to send YOU, rs Mayor of this
city, n series of resolutions adopted by il.
AMI which had been presented for its indOrse-
ment by the Tobacco Trades Section. Among
other matters specified therein, you were re-.
Huesled to take action against the abuses Of
ihe tenement-houSe c~lgar-swenting factories.
On Aug. 20, the same day that you received
my communication, you answered as follows.
to our just demands:
The object aimed AT is n good one. I
have repeatedly called the attention of tho
Board OF Health TO the condition of these
houses, and whenever one is reported which
violates the law the remedy is promptly M
Piled. You VIII, therefore,. please request
the officers OF the mon 10 spCc.fy the houses
OF which they complain, and l shall then re-
quest the Beard of Health to cause an exam
lnation to be made and the evil remedled.
Personally, l = would be glad to Zee the whole
system abolished; but SO long as the law per-
mits it the Mayor has no power in the prem
!ses. The remedy must be found In the Log
%islature, ii found mt ALL"
The Contra! Labor Union, according to
your desire, referred the matter to the organ
lZatiop most Interested, namely, the Tobacco
Trades Section No. 2.
AS soon thereafter as possible, Mr.. Sleg-
fried Pepper, the Secretary of that Section,
mailed you n list of the tenement-houses in
which illegal aud unhealthy cigar making
was ana is still carried OH.
On the 2lst ult. you wrote Mr.. Pepper
that you had received "a list of tenement
houses in when cigars are manufactured"
1ou acknowledged that you were again re-
quested to take the necessary action and
added II will thank you TO indicate what
action shall be taken and under what au-
thoritv 1t shall be taken"
CHARGED WITH PLEADING THE BABY ACT. o.
1t appears very much as If in your letter
of Aug. 20 you had bitten Off more than
you could chew" to use your own classical
phraseology OF two wears ago while stumping
as u prdct'cal po!ltlcIan. you now plead the
baby act. 8
You acknowledge that the Board of Health
has power TO take action, and that you will
see they do take action if information be
given specifying where these breaches OF the
law take place. You then state that the law
perinitsit, and that the remedy must be our
i'll the Legislature.
In answer thereto the Central Labor Union
insists that the law docs not permit it, and
that the Legislature has remedied it. You
also suggest that we should tell you your
duty as well as that of the officials under
your orders.
DO you wish US to expound, for your edi-
f~ication, the duties of the Mayor and the
duty of the Governor to remove the Mayor
from Office if the Mayor does not perform
the duties for which His Honor is paid by
the people?
DO you wish US to act as Corporation
Counsel?
Surely the Central Labor Union ought to
be the very last authority from which you
shoul demand md obtain such information.
The members of the Central Labor Union
are neither lawyers by trade, nor are they
engaged in the business of politics.
Are there not hundreds of persons such az
Judges, observation-disclosures counsel to the
various National, State aud municipal depart
ments, &C, to whom. if really ignorant. you
could have applied for the information as to
what action should be taken and under what
authority you should take it?
1t looks very much as if your crawfishing
evasion of the issues presented was intended
TO screen the lawbreakers III the interests Of
" the present iniquitous social system " that
you denounced over ten years ago, and which
the Central Labor Union is pledged to aid in
replacing, - by one based upon equity,
morality md the nobility of all useful labor"
1t seems rs il the hundreds of thousands of
dollars expended on our judiciary, our law
courts and our municipal departments, in
Guiding the Mayors office, were simply
squandered forthe purpose not of letting no
guilty man escape. but of permitting no poor
man to escape, while wealthy criminals go
scot-free nearly every time. There is one
law for the proletar!an and another for the
monoEoiist III your
THESE RELICS OF BARDARIsM.
The Industrial Conspiracy laws which the
Central Labor Union is endeavoring TO have
repealed as tyrannical relics of barbarism
are ruthlessly put in force against wage
slaves. who, upon occasions. have been rail-
roaded without shrift by diStriot-attorneys
The law for the rich is different. Even q
murderer, II a capitalist, can not only escape
the hnngman's moose after sentence OF death,
but governors, judges, mayors and states
men partake of his hospitality and make his
house their headquarters.
So with the wealthy scoundrels whom we
now insist on having punished for their in
human devlltry towards their dependent
serfs. They can buy justice and thereby es-
cape the pr son their crimes should have con-
signed them to long ago.
The Central Labor Union acting, at the
Mayors request, as Corporation Counsel TO
the Mayor. and as District-Attorney for the
Tobacco Trades Section No. 2, demands
that you Immediately make the proper
officials. under Daiu of removal from Odic0.