The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1876-04-22
FAIR PROPOSITION.

On Saturday evening, April 8, the skilled
mechanics Of Chicago met in mass meeting
"A full account of which we published i'm
our last issue-to protest against the sys-
tenn of convict labor as at present carried |
out in the Illinois State Penitentiary. The |
resolutions adopted and action taken speak |
for themselves, and will doubtless com.
mand the unqualified appreciation of every
honorable employer in the land. 1t is not
our intention, however, in the present in
stance. to enter into general argument in
favor Of its abolition; our opinions hereto
fore expressed, with no uncertain sound,
rendering such a course unnecessary, but
to offer simple proposition for the pur-
pose Of testing the sincerity Of those who
insist that no injustice is inflicted on koa-
est workingmen by its operation, and that
the income derived by the State overrides
all humanitarian or philanthr0pic consid-
erations. As matter Of course, we &C
cept the proposition that it is poor rule
which won't work both ways; that what
is sauce for the goose is sauce for the
ganger; that If no injustice is suf-
fered by the stonecutters, shoemakers
or coopers, by compelling them not
only to bear the brunt Of the crime Of
the State, and allowing any unprincipled
scoundrel to purchase their labor at 30 or
80 cents per day, and then throw the
products Of such labor ON the markets,
which renders competition impossible, no
injustice be done the professional
community by the adoption of a scheme
charging it's sphere Of action, which will
prove equally ethcacious in providinga self
sustaining revenue.
1t is tact which is generally conceded
that no class i'll the community are SO much
in need Of the grace Of God in their hearts,
outside Of our professional politicians, as
the convicts in our penitentiaries Now,
il will ultimately cost far less to establish
a theological seminary at Joliet, where
graduates for the university may be turned
out to order, than the machinery now en-
ployed to turn out botches in mechanical
pursuits has cost. 1t has also been dem
onstrated--at least SO far as declaration
can-that large number of our burglars.
etc, like our murderers, experience a
change Of heart after their doom has been
sealed. Hundreds OF our miscreants, il
their statements are to be credited, have
jumped from the drop t, glory; and as the
evidence Of the chaplain at Joliet justifes
the statement, there will be no difficulty
IN securing cOnvlcts enough to fill the va
cancies occurring from time to time, without
resortIng to the CONSUMPTION Of the God
less. Now, it is estimated that every
seventh sermon preached is either stoler
or repeated, and as there are dozen cler
gymen in Illinois to one stonecutter. OF
cooper, no objection to the change pro
posed can be consistently offered. Then
TO carry out the programme, let an adver
tisement be placed in the Times or Tribune
or both, under the head, "CoNvIcT LABol
TO LET, announcing that the services o
400 or 800 prisoners, who are anxious t,
graduate for the ministry, can be secured
Tor 90 or % cents per day. No doub
some enterprising speculator would jumI
at the chance, and be willing, for futur,
results, to waive any immediate return
Ia comparatively short time, 400 ser
mons, original at that, could easily b,
produced and disposed Of every week
fifty cents per working day amounts to 3;
per week, while the contractor would hav,
little difficulty in disposing Of them on al
average of SO because smart uncon
verified rogue should make an equally smart
converted minister Of the gospel leaving
a clear profit of 81, 800 per week. Such q
course would commend itself from al
economical standpoint. The services Of
our seven, eight, nine and ten thousand
clergymen would be dispensed with, be.
cause, If they declined to compete with
cOncict labor, at the rate Of three, or even
ten dollars sermon, or accept reduction
of salary, there are hundreds VINO would,
as the penltentlary would furnish them
with the sinews Of war. By ali means,
then, let us have theological seminary at
Joliet, and practically test how our
ciergymen, when the matter is brought
home to them, like to compete with con-
tract PRISON labor