The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1876-04-08
GRAND MASS MEETING
of The
W0rkingmen Of Chicago
CONVICT LABOR.
CONVICT LABOR.
Formation Of a Labor League

The convict lahur system IN our State prisons
a large ana enthusiastic meeting was held ol
saturday evening. April st. in the new Ar
bci.er Hall 90 pcsllaiues street. The meet
iur was called % order BY Mr. Mctiilvery
wuu proposed Mr. Brown, of the Typo
graphical Union. 4 chairman, and A. W
Bccchrr As secretary.
Tn, .hairman. on taking his seat, sand tina
On, Nl- pleased that there were So many per
sons ivy, VIZ "A 40 took an interest IN this op
position to th, leasing y convict labor. II,
ue,d that the .ocp-rs trade had been ruined
bN convict labor and the cigarmakers ha,
lri uu better. Shuemakers and stone
cutters Ian also felt the effects Of prison
labor Politicians claimed the peniteutIary
1913 "A trophy of victory, and it was made de-
rot INV scaIauags ard bummers, who were
given office, iu It, ana the contractors were
bi-i tor political purposes. They should Pr
pose every candidate for office vino Was not
opposed VI convict labor. lie thought labor
Should la eleaate,i AHA ~ vas opposed "a
,aiue,, cheap labor. which had thrown good
mechanic. uut Of employment va the Pacific
..t-t Tn, P,ultcut.ar, Rin,.s were com
posed " thy ,martest politician, whom they
haI to contend With. a. Thought honest
manufacturers were also interested IN sup
pressing tins great wrou- lpou the aborers
aud the State
The resolutions previously adopted AZ a
dele gate meeting, and published IA the Ap-
NuyArE 81 March 18th was read by the sec
rotary.
49,. ILL.,. III. ~ WY. .i,..,..,.. ~.
M lne STONE ,u''eis mon "neN -ir' NC
NuIlu- from the bodl oi the nan, presented
the following resolution
Resolved. That Ne will not vgte fora, candidate
Orr any office snu his upt uutHell promised ID pre-
'gAi t' ~ 's1'7I''',e "1d' % ~H'th ne may or
,br am mn r,t', y made IAN, Nil nj 10
abolish the Aiors, IA evils"
Mr. McGlvery, President Of the Stone
Cutter, Union. was then introduced. Who
,;lb. ,....,... ,-.+,., ..., H. .b..r.f..r.
il...t. .....Il ...i..
uo"'N- SPe''i' i'"' rs I" ~ 'heIe lS a piAlu
"orhinSWdn- 40 enter ms protest against
that ueianous system OF contract prison
labor He then entered into a discussion 81
the resolution. as read hy the secr.t,rv
u.L.llh. .,I..+tt... s..,,.;...,. 81. ii
,.1
o'en 5eiy ul""H uf'" ~ 'oh'icts "hlch
had dem"raiized II Al ever the country.
Couylcts should be punished by hard labor.
! 4
,u buIks bpt we're nt allowed lah,r- savin,,
machinery as M this country. and !, tbaS
did not compete With honest labor H.
held that the employment % convicts. as
nm opposition to the honest wnrkingnap
WAS a nefarlans practice. Pepitentiarv
cunvicts we're generally men who we're be-
yond reformation. and were forced INTO
trades 10 their decentralization. Eight
trades supported the Peuiteutiary and CON
victs. while all the other industries IN the
State benefited by a. While money has
been drawn to Joliet honest eorkmen and
their families were actually suffering for
the nrcessaries of life in this city. He
took the ground that the cunvlcts were
only forced to trade, and they conse-
Iuently we're mere automatous. Who had
10 interest Ia the trade they learned He
NlNN.
Saiu ~ 81 ~ S''iio Nh 'Si9 "SlS oculS
created IN JO4let every four years who
,,,..r. an lutiu,r and ruuuIn,, that branch H.
=, u, II,
held mat thty cuulu not compete with
their labor They were euuals under the
M, ~. So. ,,.s,, I.nt H. ,b..,,,,,,l,,.
Ia" ~ iiSt iioH' WV tlOg IhehseNes'
would have to support the Constitution
l..l ...,.+l tL.,,. tb.ir Il.~4. M
"HlOh si"'i'O" N'''' ''o' i'''-tl' ny
worklngmen were controlled Oy rev pot
house politicians Re hoped that the
""rAhShleh "oulu rlse against caucus and
party, aud would. only look TOR honest men
He wanted the wOrklngmen to organic,
and demand a fair show AS against the con
victs of the State Thirty-hve hundred
men la this city had 90 bear the burden of
supporting the couvicts Of this State
lie sand they were great in this conntrv
for making laws. vet the mechanic was
often cheated ont AZ his inst dues or had
M ug,it ~ M tbra. ,saIs mil on,,aa1
,f,.r a,,,,aat ,as d.ciia5 Tba - H.,
,,.... r,,.r.l,, = .qa,n, Iau ,.L;,I, ii
sT.- .-.,I U,.tN.,,Lt - t-l'II
ny y - 80 - 49, 'ii'uiu
hot oe drought illto suoh az uneven coh-
test with capital.
MI olnheons' o. the Caplhet MAKERS
Union, offered the following resolutions
t,sd That the urasept condition ~ ths ,orL;r,
, I ~ oni,raxth 4 til pr,.sent sY.tsn ~ nra
ducon which has rendered the workingmen ,Iaves 10
,,taI ANA instrnments Of Dr,.uetion worked fr IN
- h.ns6t ~ r-ViIsyad consumer. m, -. ,,arI,
49, = i,,'ird '
psoi,.i TIA. onr ,,oIiticat inae,e,fsrc. 4; 4. ,o.r
f.r.. Al ieny ~ v.e are slaves N caf,itaI
Ra,l,aI That cor eration i III ,,l,. ,.,,,, ~,
i,,,;,,' - ,,bib ishor Iii ~ Nv a,s,',, "
X soisei Tbat Nj sorkinpmen oryanixe N tr.i,.
unions for the purpose OF accomplishing the independ
enee o. lAo'r from cap1'a,.
Mr. ODonnell, of the Marble Cutters
Union, WAS the next speaker introduced.
After referring to the nature Of his Organlza-
tiou and in what way they would he effected
by convict labor, he said that the marble
workers had organized perfectly Employers
and employed-and that they would not
work on any building in which anything
made by convicts had been used, OF allow
man to work with them who had learned his
trade at the penItentiary asa convict.