New-York tribune., 1841-11-15
THE TRIBU N E.
For the Trihur
For the Tribune.
Thoughts on the State Prison Question
IN III

The color Oh your sPeStaCie sia-ses' WI Lui'Oi
rs..e,h my powers of guessing. In your three sew
~. notices of my articles on the State Prison
Question, you seem determined TO represent me a
., the wrong side; as wrong beaded; as handlin:
he arguments OF the Mechanics with unfairness
If working with lawyer-lke skill and ingenuity, Il
ursve that they are asking something unreasona
BIZ. &c. &c. And yet in your last notice you are
constrained 10 say, that admit =" the present 'ys
TEN of Prison Labor TO be wrong" although you
qualify your remark by the prefix, that | am
nioiccd" te this May inquire who or what has
srced me TO this conclusion Are not my opin-
gns voluntarily stated And if SO, and CONFORM
ing too to your own, (Which, OF course. are on the
night side,) now In common fairness, can you rep
resen, ma as ON the wrong sde7 Not one SEN
renee that 7 have written can, am sure, be con-
.trued contrary to this admission F~it to place
pyself right with your rcaders-to whom you have
Been pleased strongly to commend nay articles
allow me, with much brevity possible, to ask
heir attention to my 'Ohole train of thought. Not
mat will admit that there is ambiguity in wha,
AVE written; for as my object has been dis,inc,
!, my own mind, SO have cndeavored to state it
clearly. And what little more design writing on
this subject, | desire may be considered in con-
nec,ion with what l have already written.
have long noticed in the publications of the
mechanics generally, on this controvertcd point,
that they pertiBaciously press the notion that Ia
Dor is O privileges" which is, Fundamentally an
error of the rankest kind. Their conclusion from
is, that felons should kot be permitted to labor
Il was TO refute this position, that penned my
frs, article. Incidentally, ] touched on the con-
.iderations that should govern in selecting employ
ment for convicts. To my main argument, the ed
iiolial comment was, that " we (the editors) have
nsvcr met three persons who were in faver Of
keeping felons as gentlemen of leisure and sup
porting them by tax on honest industry"
To justify myself against the demurrer thus en-
tered on behalf Of "the mechanics" | prepared
ny second article. In this, | undertook to prove
The correctness Of my position, by quotations from
me publications. of the mechanics themselves; and
think so successfully, that the impartial reader
will JOIN Issue with me against the editor, that
hey g the mechanics according to their own
towng (not that of the editor. be it Observed
% "ask something unreasonable" TO wit-that by
The commission of crime, the felon shall be con-
sidered as having Cancelled the exercise of every
function Of his former privileges" (let it not be
iurgotten that the privilege Of labor is the bur
then OF this proes) that g the products of ielon
labor shall not come at all into market in COM
pstitiea with the products of the honest and free
mechanics of the State (then they must not labor
81 all, or the preducta of their labor must be
ihrowa away; that, in fine, property shall pay
their support" and how can 1t be made TO do this
but by taxation on honest Industry 2" for prop
ery is but the result Of honest Industry. This Is
all official; i, is from their authorised publications
OF the Highest class; it is not the plea which their
volunteer champion in the editorial chair, advan-
ces for them If there is here any unfair hand
ling of the arguments of the mechanics, any
drawing OF blood it is not my doiEy; they have
bunglsd the Job" for themselves, and cut their
own fingers.
You do not think it very material, MIR. Editor
how man arrives at his conclusions. This re-
minds me Of pSdes,rian whom | used TO sec IN
our streets, when boy. His habit was to draw
an air line for himself, between the beginning and
,he end of his walk, and all intervening obstacles
had 10 give way al his approach. The wood
sawyers the passengers, and even the very VI
chns, generally thought, believe, that his mode
Ot arriving at conclusions was by means lmrna-
terial. And It's even so on moral questions Tor
Tie sake Of Graduating evil, it is not right 10
ldvance premises which are so broad as TO endan
ger Others. Thus our friends, az the mechanics,
IN aiming to remedy the evils Of the present Prison
System strike directly at the root of all telen la
oor as my quotations have irrcfu,ably established
Il is for their own interest to be mere cautious
and 10 limit their demands and so to enforce them
TOO, as that they may be sustained in them by the
community.
word now as to another form OF the demands
OF the mechanics this is that all mechanical
trades shall be abolished from the Prisons. Any
who will take the trouble TO look 1T their recent
Publications., will find this claim very distinctly
and frequently advanced; in this form | heard
Mr.. Bradford and Mr.. Cummerford state II, AZ the
late meeting in Military Hall; this is substantially
Ute editorial version of it in the Tribune OF Oct.
Gath; (the language of the editor is, " the me
ehalics affirm that feons ought not TO be taught
valuable trades in the Prsons. y That their de-
n2nds have, in fact, this extent, is also evident
from their dissatisfaction with the law OF 1883 ;
which even goes SO lar as to provide that no me-
'hanical trade shall hereafter be taught 90 con-
vets in the State Prisons of this STATE exsept the
making of those articles of which the chief sup
ply for the consumption of the country is imported
from foreign countries" Let Us examine this de-
muud i, must be required, either
First, as a right; or
Second, as boon; or
Third. disregardias the considerations of right
AID favor, it must be sought as gran, which the
demandanis have the political power to enforce.
AS 10 the question of right: how did the
mechanics" come int the possession of 1T All
our rights, as members Of society," are either FIRST
those not surrendered by individuals at the forna-
aOn Of the political compact, and so reserved TO
iher SUCCESSORS under the compact; or second,
'AOse granted by the terms OF the compac; itself,
etin pursuance of its general provisions New
then, the demand for the suppression OF the exer-
Csc Of all Cor any mechanical trades BY telons,
eIesspposes the existence of right in one class
81 l-b<1 rs