Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1910-02-17

those interested in the welfare of their
fellow man, i'll keeping with the Cod
given law. but viii also earn the praise
of the trades unions and every tax
payer in the county,
This is the sheriff's reply:
II the keepers are prison-made
prisoners they are not made prisoners
by the sheriff. Because they work
twelve hours a day certain politicians
have been passing around a bit of sup.
posed forcible argument about my in
sincerity. If the sheriff was as much
Of a friend of labor they say, why
does he make the keepers at the Jail
work twelve hours? Party differences
make the sheriff forget his labor prin-
ciples,' some of them add. Well, being
d s~ticller for good | never
say anything while the other fellow is
talking. That is not proper While |
disregard the of the poll
ticians n their l%ieutenants / cannot
pigeonhole the letter. 1t comes from
prominent men interested in a matter
that they are not ready they declare
to make public, and therefore caution
ne not 10 make known their names.
When / asked them if | could make
the letter public they said ii would be
ill-advised. Why sheriff, it might hurt
you politically they said, and you
know we did not intend it that way
You will be accused of insincerity by
eight-hour advocates they declared.
Il told them sincerity was the armor-
plate worn by this sheriff, and public
matters are public and hat / was not
afraid of getting hurt. The investiga-
tors or the politicians we're not the
Pearys or the Cooks, either, in the
prison-made prisoners discovery. /
know the hardships put on the keepers.
i know they work twelve hours a day.
! know. co.. that some of them work
fifteen hours n they know my SYM
pathy is with them. True, | have the
power to change the hours to eight.
Blu to my critics l would say, would 1t
be wise or just to employ more keepers
and have them probably work for moth
ing?
Means More Keepers.
THE adoption of an eight-hour system
would mean another shift of men. The
Board of Freeholders would be required
to pass upon the salaries of the new
men and the Board of Freeholders
would hold up the wages. The Free
holders lave done this with salaries
due men in my department whom /
appointed for the improvement of the
department. and because of this atti-
tude of the Freeholders ii would be
foolish for me to reduce the hours of
the keepers M appoint more men
without some guarantee that the board
would pay them. SO it is up to the
Freeholders and | refer my critics to
them.
The sentiments of the letter regard
ing the situation my men at the Jail
are in are mine. / have long felt that
some change in the hours of these men
should be made No person working
for the county is compelled to endure
more in a day than a keeper. [
realize this, fully. and the bridge
tender hours in the face of circum-
stances was a good one for the in
v~estigators to call attention to. | wish
the public to know that it is not be-
cause the keepers are Republicans that
| have given them no relief. The rea-
son is that the freeholders are only too
ready to hold up n salary-increase
no matter how important, and
then make political capital, or try to,
at least, by throwing a wrong light on
the recommendations thai I might
make. SO far as having changed my
mind o the good of eight hours
workmen ! need make no apology to
the laboring man in this or any other
case. They know me. The politicians
will rave to work twenty -four hours a
day to make their keepers story do me
harm for one minute"
L