New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-12-16
LAWS AND PRISONS.
TWO IMPORTANT MEASURES FOX IhE
LEGISLATURE TO DEAL WITH.


REVISION OF THE STATE LAws-pRoPoslNG TO
REMOVE THE STATE PRISON FROM
SING SING
| IRON THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE rRIBUyEl
Albany. Dec. 14-when the Legislature meets here
in January It will have submitted TO II two reports OF
unusual Importance in relation 10 the revision OF
the laws Of the state and the other In regard 10 tho
proposed removal Of the State Prison. now IN sing
| Sing 10 some other location
| Messrs Collin MAYNARD and Beknap were commits
stoned by Governor Hill and the late Legislature 10
make the proposed revision I'm June last ana they
Immediately began their gigantic work. One OF the
chief Of their preliminary tasks was the aiNison oi
The work. Professor Collin has taken IN hand the TO
vision Of village laws exJudge Maynard the revision
II the laws relating to railroad business and religious
corporations and Mr. Belknap the revision OF the laws
roncernlng highways. OF course these revsions are
hut portion of their task: they mentioned because
he revisers have been busy the last summer revising
he special laws mentioned As fast As the reVlsers
complete their task upon part of the mass Of laws
under consideration they VIII have their work In man
crpt put in print and distributed among the lawyers
Of the State for examination and amendment The
proposed revision win be given on one page oi these
publications and the condensed the other page
already Mr. Maynard has completed portion OF his
revision OF the laws relating 10 railroad, business ana
| religious corporaions-that concerning "Condemna-
tribued about the State among lawyers. The lawyers
Of the railroad corporations said TO be desrous Oh
reading the remainder of Mr.. Maynards proposed re-
vision Of the railroad laws. There have been multi
tde OF laws passed I'm relation 10 railroads since the
| General Railroad Act of 1882 became law and Mr.
Maynard's task IS no light one.
Professor Collin has addressed himself especially 10
village laws and the laws for their Incorporation lie
is aiming I'm his revision TO draw up such a general
aw for the incorporation of villages that they VIII no
longer be running to the Legislature at Albany 10
obtain revsons Of their charters. 1t IS the inten-
ton Of the Constitution that the villages shoud Oe
incorporated only under general act, and that the
Legislature should be bothered by being requested
| to mako petty amendments to their charters. Pio-
| fessOr Collin I'm his revision will repeal all the
Villages special charters and compel these villages
to obtain their powers under general act lie also
will aim from the Legislature TO the various
Boards of Supervisors OF the counties the granting OF
authority to villages to make changes in their charters
II he succeeds, the Legislature, overwhelmed with
the consideration of such petty business as whether
not certain village shall issue bonds for local
improvements, will be nd of this task and can turn
its attention to weighter matters.
Mr.. Bellmap, who lives in rural community, fs
revising the laws relating TO highways. Mr.. Belknap
in his revision gives the officers Of towns more
authority TO buy road crushers and other machinery
for improving the roads The main purpose of the
revision is to clear away techncalities Of the laws
which now prevent the improvement of roads.
What work Messrs. Collin, Maynard and Belknap
have done will be submitted to the Legislature when
meets, and also list Of the acts which it IS pro
| posed to repeal
The commission headed by Charles NJ. Preston, of
Kingston, who have been directed TO investigate the
question of the removal of Sing Sing prison have been
| doing good deal of travelling There TO be
desire the part Of many villages have the prison
placed within their boundaries; although Sing sing
| reside he ri IN get rid n
inspected the prison. but they have also made tours
through Ulster and Schoharie counties seeking sites
Island to Inspect site suggested there.
There this to be said in relation 10 the proposal to
state has expended 81 100000 first and last I'm building
a prison and workshops there. that # is within an
| hours ride from New York and brooklyn which fur-
nsh $500 convcts out of the $500 I'm the three
state prisons. and that If the prison IS removed to any
place further from New York the expense Of trans.
porting the convcts will be enormously increased II
the prison should be placed in schohare County for in
stance. the fees of the Sheriff Of New-lork would be IN
creased greatly that the taxpayers Of the state would
resent bitterly the change in the site of the prison
in the opinion OF the prison authorities, if sing sing
prison is removed from its present site. 1t should be
placed nearer. and not further from New-York
gentleman who has studied the subject said a few
days ago: (" II there is to be prison, IL should
be exclusively for the imprisonment OF mur'ereS.
Now these life copvlcts are treated too enderly I'm
the prisons Every one knows that they canno: hope
for any release; that there is no termination 10 their
the other prisoners made 70, and their ideness de-
mOrazes the other c0nvcts They should be separator
from the other prisoners and kept in prison in
mSqed SeP away Ug f for no no. ohSr
reason than that such a removal would iniict much
hardship upon a multitude Of poor men and poor
women whose relatives are confined in the prison,
and who desire and then 70 them and cheer
sing Sing these poor peopl' can now see their r'la
tives in that prison. If the prison were removed 70
the interior Of the state. they could not undertake the
suffering