New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-04-25
10 PUT CONvICTS AT WORK
rTr ASSEMBLY, SUBSTITUTES THE FASsETT
BILL FOR THE YATES BILL.
- passage OF THE FAssErr BILL DELAYED
II A MIsuNDERSTANDING-1T WILL PROB
AsLY PASS To-DAY-MR. sAxToNs
rBY TELEGRAPH TO TIE TkrBuNB.l


" PLEA FOR TT.
fBY TELEGRAPH TO TIE TkrBuSEl
.,n.uv April oA-The Assembly has at last resolved
.,,. A law shall be passed putting the state Prlsoh
.orc,cts at work Senator Fassett's excellent Prsoh
p.fcrm bill was adopted substantially to-day anu
,roud now be on its way to the senate OUT LOT o."
unfortunate step taken by General Hustled Just d.
the bill was about to DO passed General Hus'ed was
IN a hurry to catch a train for New-York ana move"
The previous question which was declared carried Dy
sneaker Cole large number Of the country me'i-
bers who favor the bill thought the apprVpi'"
ton Of 81 900 900 to carry out its PROVISIONS VI"
necessarily large III,
They had intended to offer an amendment "hNn
would undoubtedly have been adopted reou0ns INC
appropriation to $4,000. They were inuit"a"' o.
General Hustled for shutting out the amendmen's a',
therefore Joined the real opponents OF the Dill al"
apparently defeated It. But this vote Will oe reoo''
sidered to MORROW the bill AMENDED as ucSno'' "".
the bill paSed-for II Is clear that Its Hio'u' ~ "
large majority In the Assembly. The aeiea' Oh tne
bill is only ali apparent ono; it was h0' '''"' Nv
feated- -, -, g.,
thu f.yo,ahl. position which IT occupies In the
A...n,h,v belongs TO Assemblymen eaAton AeAnr'
Answorth Crosby and Hused Ihey spoho VIM
c-eat plainness in behalf OF the 'aAPaSefs Vi '"'
state In support Of the bill Inc hoPuonean mem
hers. with few exceptions, supporea H. "hno ,n'
ma
men Yates Peck and Hamilton pared company "Na
,h.,, t.uov Renubiicans the measure. and At
.o.,..d IN Kill It with Objectionable amendments
Afr Hamilton of New-York. surprised every ono ny
mailing himself the champion OF oemaeosIo"i Aoo'
ag,,atnrs offering amendment to the OIL pr0h'oi-
inc the Use OF any abor-saving machinery IN inc
s,a,e Prisons This amendment he pushed with all
go .rorrv he possessed. One would have thouehI
,ha, instead of representing large proportion OF
,hc taxpayers Of York, lie actually spoke 1or
DISTRICT In New-York exclusively occupied by Socllsts
when the Assembly met, 1t had under consderar
tIon Judge Yates's bill extending the present system
=. ,d,cness in the State Prisons 10 the penitennares,
warehouses;, county tails and reformadomes OF the
state. and adding that system the barbarous one
NJ rmnoyiug chain gangs Of oonvicts on the pubic
roads Of the State. ~
MIR Aipsworth moved that Senator Fassetts bill
sbould be substituted for that of Judge fateS' mr.
Hamilton opposed the adoption of the NOTION I'M
less an amendment should be made TO the fasse"
bill prohibiting the of machinery by oonvcts
when they should be put at work. This amendment
limited the convcts to hand labor, and practically
continued the present improbable labor OF the con-
vicas under which the State prisons are entaiing
yearly burden of 100000 upon the taxpayers, and
the penitcntaIfcS and refornatories S2ooOoo Inc
Assembly looked upon Mr. Hamnon's amendment un-
favcrablv dSregarded his advice. and adopted by
vote of CO to 81 Mr. Ainsworhs motion that Soma
Tor Fasset:s bill, pure and simple should be SUBJ
sttuted for that OF Judge Yates.
Mr.. Pcok of Cortland County. who represents
farmers chiefly has somehow imbibed the Ideas or
labor ag,aors since coming to Albany and is perfectly
con ent apparently that the farmers of Cortland Coun
tv by their hard labor on hot summer days, shall sup
mort state prison in ideness. or at least in
condition of unremuneraNe labor. Mr. Pick pro-
posed 70 amend the bill by limiting the labor OF tho
convicts 10 six hours day. In his opinion. c0nvcts
should not compete with " honest labor"
Mr. Ackcr OF Steubcn County, made fiery and
manly speech In denunciahon of Mr. PecNs suggested
amendment II instantly won The attention Of the
Assembly "This idea" said Mr.. Acl;er, :" that the
convict should work only six hours day IS a most
mistaken idea of kindncss to The worlingmcn OF the
state Upon the contrary. let the convict work twelve
Ours day, and let him work 10 relieve the tax
payer and the worngman Of the necessity Of aborng
10 feed, clothc and guard HIM. Nay, more. let the
convict work hard that he Will make money. and
give our workngmen holiday. That is what would
do with the convict. Why, gentlemen, meet hum
dred taxpayers and citizens who favor keeping the
convic1s at work proftaby to the state 10 one that
fsvors Ike ping them In ideness.'
Mr. Blumcnthal of New-York, said that Mr.. Peck's
amendment savors of demagOgism." This amendment
was rejected by large majority
Mr. Yates offered an amendment. not only pro
htbng the of machinery by the convicts but also
that none of the products of their labor
should be sold. He truly deca;ed Offering the
semblymen saw glance that II of the products
,f the labor Of the cOnvcts to be sold the tax
payers OF the State would permanently assume the
burden of feeding clothing and guarding the convlcts
al an annual expense of 100000
Mr. Saxton on behalf of the taxpayers of the STATE
yrapplcd with Mr. Yates and his amendment. Mr. |
saxton made finer speech, nor showed himself
worthy of his position Of the leaders OF the
Republican party in the Assembly. He argued that |
Il almost impossible TO make any article nowadays
without the Of machinery. In limiting the con- |
victs hand labor, Judge Yates therefore would prac
Ideally provide that the convcts should be idle In |
any case such provision would seriously embarrass
the Superintendent of Prisons in his effort 10 give the
,onvicts employment. Moreover. the Legislature |
should pass prison laws to put the convcts at work in
cslings which would train them to earn their liyeli
hood when released Mr. Yaes's proposition that the
convics should be put at work the public roads In
rha.n-gsngs could not be entertained for moment.
All civilized people agreed that the exposure Of
convcts upon public high ways degraded and br;tazed
the citizens who saw them well the conviots.
As for Mr.. Yates's idea that he was going to pre-
vert the competit"o Of convcts with other laborrs
that also was mistake. Nothing could prevent that
competition In some form. Mr.. Yates provided that
the convics should make the clotlng shoes and other
necessary articles for the inmates Of the state prisons
penentiares ard State charitable IN
sttutons; but did he not perceive that when he did
this he provided competition OF the deadiest nature
for the clothing manufacturers and shoenakers who
formerly supplied the State prisons perMtentiaes and
slate charitable Institutions with clothing and shoes
Competition could not be avoided but
the Republican party was trying to
make 1t small as possible, by providing that only
B small proportion OF the convcts should be kept
,u ployed at any trade. Mr.. Yaess suggestion that
couvcts should make articles, and that then those
articles should be destroyed. could not be accepted
No man would chop wood all day with the back of
his axe Every man, convict or freeman, desired to
bee some result of his labor.
Mr. Crosby, also, denounced Judge Yatoss amend.
rnent. 1--WE have millions Of taxpayers on one side,
aid he and on the other few labor agtators
Mr. Yates is trying 10 satisfy the labor agators He