Democratic Sentinel, Volume 8, Number 28, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 August 1884 — WHAT HE’S DONE. [ARTICLE]

WHAT HE’S DONE.

Grover Cleveland’s Record an Open Book for the Inquiring Multitude. Six Important Labor Measures Signed and Two Little Jokers Vetoed by the Governor. The Contract Labor, Tenement House, Cigar, and Hat Bills Among the Number Approved. The Car-Drivers' Bill a Delusion and a Sure, ami the Lien Daw a Palpable Fraud. [New York telegram.] In refusing to sign what was known as the “ Car-Drivers' bill, limiting the hours of labor of street-car drivers and conductors to twelve hours for a day’s work. Gov. Cleveland put his reasons on record. While the bill made twelve hours a day’s work for drivers and conductors, it did not in any way prohibit the makiug of a contract between the corporations and its employes requiring any number of hours' work. The Governor called attention to this point, and further remarked in his brief veto message on the bill that it was plain that if the men worked fewer hours the proposed law did not acd could aot prevent a reduction in their pay. He concluded his objection by saying, “I can not think that this bill is in the interest of the workingmen.” The fact that the bill did not prevent the making of contracts between the companies and men whereby the latter, by the exercise of pressure, could be induced to waive their rights and agree to work any number of hours, practically made the bill powerless to benefit the drivers and conductors. Even if the companies had not chosen that course to prevent the law from going into operation, supposing Gov. Cleveland had signed the bill, there was nothing in it to prevent the men’s wages from being materially reduced. The pay of a driver on a Harlem line is, say, $2 per day. The round trip from the Bridge to the City Hall and back takes three hours and twenty minutes. Five round trips occupy between sixteen and seventeen hours, constituting the average day’s work. These five round trips aveiage 40 cents per trip. If the Governor had signed that bill the company would have divided up the pay into tiips, and, without reducing the rate of wages, have paid 40 cents per trip. Three and a half round trips woutd have consumed the twelve hours to which his day’s work would have been limited, and for this service he would have received only $1.40. To make his full $2 he would still have been compelled to make five trips, which would have required him to work over hours. That this would have been the practical operation of the bill, had it become a law, the strike on the cross-town line of street cars in this city on Saturday last is most convincing proof. The men on the cross-town lines are paid by the trip, being allowed the princely sum of 14 cents per trip. The trips, it seems, have been lessened in distance, whereupon the company promptly cut the men down in pay, the cut being in exact proportion to the time the men would otherwise have gained by the shorter trip. A strike was the result. The only effect the shortening of the number of working hours could have had on the employes of those lines would have been to lessen the number of times they could eirn fourteen cents. Would the company have increased the pay per trip in order to make up the deficiency? Gov. Cleveland saw that this bill, alleged to be in the interest of the poorly paid ear-drivers and conductors, was of practical benefit only to the car companies: therefore, he vetoed it. The mechanics’ lien till, as it was introduced in the Legislature, was intended to give machanics power to secure their wages by the means of liens. Before it obtained final passage it was so amended th it its original purpose was either obscured or lost. It was for the reason that it was utterly worthless to accomplish the object intended that the Governor condemned it. In his veto message he said: “This bill, in distinct terms, repeals a number of mechanics’ lien laws, including one especially applicable to New York. It gives all parties having claims four months after performance of work or furnishing of material to file a lien. It allows, on proceedings to force the lien, the same costs as in foreclosure cases. This would be quite onerous, and, I think, should not be allowed.” The clause of the bill allowing four months for the filing of liens for the performance of work or furnishing of material practically destroyed all chanoe of the workingman’s getting his money. It put the bills of all parties having claims on an equal footing, thus destroying the original purpose of the law, which was to make the mechanic’s claim for wages a preferred one. The clause allowing the same costs on proceedings to enforce the l ; en as in the foreclosure of mortgages rendered it impossible for a mechanic to collect a small claim. It wa3 palpably a scheme to make increased lawyers’ fees and to diminish the protection given the mechanic. The worst feature about the bill, however, was the clause repealing existing mechanics’ lien laws, some of which were far more advantageous to the workingman th m the new law. Mr. Thayer, of Troy, President of the New York State Workingmen's Association, sa'd recently that Gov. Cleveland acted wisely and with the interest of the woikingmen in view when he defeated the mechanics’ lien bill.