Workmen's advocate. (New Haven, Conn.) 1883-1891, 1888-10-06
STAND UP, HEWITT!
THE CENTRAL LABOR UNION
AS CORPORATION COUNSEL.
Abram Asks for Advice and Gets Ii.
His Honor Can Now Act If
lie is Not Rascal IA
Labor Lash Applied
With Vigor.

The following letter from the Secre-
tary and Statistician of the Central Labor
Union to the Mayor of New York speaks
so plainly that an explanatory preface is
not necessary. Let Mr. Hewitt stand
up, now, and prove himself worthy of
his position or acknowledge his unwor-
thness and hide himself
CENTRAL LABOR UNION,
NEW YORK, Oct 3, 1888,
Hon. ARRAM S. HEWITT, Mayor.
Sr:-Six weeks ago the Central Labor
Union took action not only in the inter
ests of health and decency, but of the
law which is Systematically broken by
class of manufacturers whose wealth
nables them to defy justice and order.
Their crime, which should have landed
them in 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 Com
mittee revealed the hideous nature of
portion Of the cigar-making industry.
1t was shown that these capitalists
who keep their employees in condition
as bad AZ that of chattel slaves before
Emancipation, perpetuated system in
direct antagonism to the factory laws
and tenement house acts on the statute
books of this State.
AS you pretend to be friend to the
industrial masses, and have a reputation
as social economist, the Central Labor
Union instructed me to send you as
Mayor of this city a series of resolutions
adopted by it, and which had been pre-
sented for its endorsement by the To-
bacco Trades Section. Among other
matters specified therein, you were re-
quested to take action against the abuses
of the tenement house cigar sweating
factories.
On August 30, the same day that you
received my communication, you an
swered as follows, to our just demands:
1.-The object arrived at is good one
| have repeatedly called the attention of
the Board of Health to the condition of
these houses, and whenever one is re-
ported which violates the law, the
remedy is promptly applied. You will
therefore please request the officers of
they complain and | shall then request
the Board of Health to cause an exam
ination to be made and the evil RENE
died. Personally, would be glad to see
the whole system abolished but so long
AS the law permits it, the Mayor has no
power in the premises. The remedy
must be found in the Legislature, il
found at all.
The Central Labor Union, according
to your desire, referred the matter to
the organization most interested, name
ly, the Tobacco Trades Section, No. 3.
As soon thereafter as possible, Mr..
Siegfried Pepper, the Secretary of that
Section, mailed you list of the tene-
ment houses in which the illegal and un
healthy cigar-making was and is still
carried on.
On the 2lst inst you wrote Mr.. Pop
per that you had received "a list of tene-
ment houses in which cigars are manu-
featured" You acknowledged that you
were again requested to take the neces-
sary action and added: II will thank you
to indicate what action shall be taken,
and under what authority it shall be
taken
1t appears very much as if in your let
ter of August 20, you chad bitten off
more than you could chew" TO use your
own classical phraseology of two years
ago while stumping as a practical politi-
clan. You now plead the baby-act.
You acknowledge that the Board of
Health has power to take action, and
that you will see they do take action if
information he given, specifying where
these breaches of the law take place.
You then state that the law permits it,
and that the remedy must be found in
the Legislature.
In answer thereto, the Central Labor
Union insists that the law does not per-
NIT it and that the Legislature has RENE
died it, You also suggest that it should
tell you your duty as well as that of the
officials under your orders.
DO you wish us to expound for your
edification 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 should demand and obtain such in
formation. The members of the Central
Labor Union are neither lawyers by
trade nor are they engaged in the busi-
ness of politics.