New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-06-07
THE CoNvICTs MAY WORK.
GOV HILL RELUCTANTLY SIGNS THE FAs-
sETT BILL
Apo1oGIzING TO THE DEMAGoGUEs FOR HIS
Acr1oN-A CHANGE IN THE PRISONS


. -,,,, ,ra,,, An CORRESPONDENT OF TIE rPiBUSI
Albany. June 6 Special. -Governor Hill has
,io,r.d Senator Fassctt's Prison Labor bill lie
docs 50 with many protests, and apologies humoly
% tho labor demagogues for putting the State
Prison conviets az work. AS a result OF his OBJ
structiye policy whenever the Legislature has at
temuted 70 have the convicts employed AT re-
muncratiye labor the prisons this year VIII DC
burden 90 the taxpayers OF 100000 moreover
the Governor IS full Of wrath because the hepuD-
lican LEGISLATURE has put upon inc shoulders OIL
the Democratic Superintendent OF Prisons the duty
~ seIocting svstem OF labor for the prisons. Per
hans General Lathrop may be censured ny some
blathersIxite of a labor agitator for putuhS tne
convicts nj work and OF course, this censure viii
deeply grieve the Governor. The Governor says
in his memorandum approving the Din
large portion OF this bin IL eonsolo'toh et Ie,I
lon OF tho prssent confused and eonhicunR saeae eA@
Ing 70 the admin strauon Of the State prisons I'M" oA
has been carefully done by Professor ChAfeS ~ Coin
q, the Law School Cornell University ana uns part o
he bill With hearty approval many u'" ioa
,urcs however are introduced IN other portions OF he
hu which are roneededy experimental In tnelr nature
some u which wiz probably result In failure DUB e eh
pcrlments may be worth trying. Inc PROVISIONS ~ :"
abor in the prisons arc manfesty the re'ut OF COM
pomIse between conflicting interests ana cannot Do en-
rey satisfactory 70 any one In judgment TOO mueh
discretionary power vested in the supehh"haen' q
state Prisons The Legislature should have ltseH oe'
cmEed dernitely the exact system OF labor which INC
state proposes adopt instead OF having shitc
hat re,pon sbllity upon q State onheiah
The bill should have provided one consistent ana
,dNouato system labor for oil the penal institutions
within the STATE. should have preferred that 'he Dill
should have moro carefully protected the interests OF nee
labor but few OF provisions are reasonably far IN
tina. respect and II 70 Be conceded that IL was I'M
possible At the Of the session when THIS OIL
was considered obtain from the Legislature anything
moro Satisfactory.
rbe present emergency in the State prisons Is al
ni,ted on all hands demands Affirmative action
This measure nrst met with considerable Opposition,
but after much Discussion and amendment finally passed
Legislature almost unanimously and there has been
but lItto opposition manifested against It since It came
my hands
IL seems to have been generally assumed that the bill
should become Law the only alternative for relief
from the existing situation.
For these reasons and II 70 be tho only
practicable course left open at this time and not
because regard the bill perfect entirely sstSfhetoy
have concluded that II IL my duty 70 approve It.
Charles X Baker, the clerk OF the Prison De-
partment. said when he heard that tho act had
been signed: We shnll put 90 Of tho convlcts
at work at Sing Sing Prison tomorrow finishing
some stoves which were nearly ready last July
when work stopped In the prisons. That
labor upon the stoves will last about a month.
We also shall put some Of the convlcts % work
In the laundry. At Auburn we shall put the con-
victS at work making brOOms and collars, and after
the stovo-making Is finished at Sing Sing Prison
we shall put loo OF the men at work making
hollow ware. At Clinton Prison we shall put tho
men at work making cl9thlng IN small way
But thesc industries will employ only small
proportion Of our 3400 conyicts: NE shall have
10 look about for something for them 90 do. IL
may be year before we shall have all OF them
at work again. Moreover we only have an appro-
;riatiun OF $50 900. Tint Is not sufficient 70
Keep then oil st work on the State account system.
We shall have 70 employ large number on the
piece phc, system, end we shall look around for
q contractor for that purpose