The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1878-04-16
At.hselin9 9cglatct,
TnE CONVICT LABOR QUESTION
AmAnswer 10 the Letter of ~
,orrssnond-nee OF the Register.

NIFlt I'm, hhb WI 20 NcllS i VIII IT.
and touch on some points not particular
~ mentioned in your article in reply, ii
| saturday mornings issue. Mr.. 3. start
| ont with the idea. tina. the laborng elias
by their manifestations lately, have be
! come somewhat alarmed. You have hI
the nail on the head this time Mr.. b., bu
not until our interests had becI
iavadCd, or were about TO be, die
we wake up, and now that TIT
ball has been set a rolling, We intend &
llyat it out on this line if il takes Us al
! summer. Ii convict labor, the way II i
! employed, is blessing instead Of q curse
| then all this hue of excitement over thE
| q Iestion had better be dropped. But
We are one among many, VINO thlna
otherwise. OF course, not until our poui
| tentiaries were beginning 10 assume
alarming signs of mOnopolizing certain
! branches Of trade did the working Class
realize the danger of competition IN the
| labor market. And We would inform
Sir. B that Just so long Is our own peal.
| teutary was working the CCuvlCts on that
| branch Of industry which did not directly
cOalesce with our Individual interest, Jus.
so long were We silent upon the subject
| but as the clouds thicKened and became
portentous Of q msddening storm, we set
| about the task of eHlistlng the sympathy
OF the press and people. As long rs
| they confined their ConYiCts to toe MAX
| ing of few hundred thousands OF cigars,
or gross, or so of whips, as q body, We
| took but little notice OF the traffic. To
be sure, those who were engaged m that
| branch of manufacture, and their em-
| ployees may have 10, ked with some sus-
pIcion and soiicitudo al this oUcrouch-
meut upon their respective trades,
but not until the proposed
contract, which, no doubt, has
oocn signed and sealed-thGt OF putting
INTO successful operation an extensive
.ourdry, where stoves and al kinds O.
castings will be turned ont aud sold
among our own merchants, TO the deLr,-
mont of that class OF mechanics along
! the Oh!o vGlley-Gid We gel our eve,
| open. Mr. Il. makes no G..GsiOn TO this
KIND of contract being mace. Why he
! -n.u.d smother this Is more than We can
! iglue, without it was TO cover UP bIa
cc,loual arguments g. for We thlGk HIN
extremely sectiCusi-aud for one we do
| not think tina. such selIslLcss Is meritJ-
nous in people born and bred
under u Government SO magnlI-
eeat in its tendencies. de speaks
about Mr.. Pollock sending his
goods mostly to the West and Csnadas
Now we would ask him, Does not LhN,
same class Of goods, manufactured out
side o, the penitentary, go TO the same
sect o. OF country? And il Mr. Pollock
gets these cigars made cheaper, Is D. not
/ plausible 10 suppose tLaL he can and VIII
| lnlcrso.l those who gre paying higher
price tor their labor? Ii such Is no. the
/ gssg thec, il argues that there Is no com
petition in this class OF business. In
oun-r words, that the demand is greater
han the supply. This we know Is not
| be case. Almost al business has
.ompealoa ut the present time. The
| torekeoqer adyeTIIses tina. be can sell
certain prints, muslils and wooden goods
cheaper than anyone else, and perhaps
he can, .or he may have been q shrewder
merchant; or ne may hire his help
..eaper; or he may be- general econO-
mizsr. Now, If that man Pollock or
nat firm Miller u food can manipulate
} .ueir business affairs so rs 20 uudursel.
hose outside OF the penitentlary walls,
! lCD, rs q natural consequence, some o.
! hcse firms will have % suspend or else
bring their employees down TO penj.cn-
lsry prices It Is absurd 10 claim
lat The insignificant number Of
persons employed at convict labor
ms had no effect upon outside labor. Al
| Troy, New York, alone, they maHutac.
-Irc enough stoves to supply great part
| lt the Eastern market, and the cOnse.
lIence las been glut in the stove mar
| Net. Thousands of stove moiders have
| been thrown out of employment, but not
one convict IN twenty of those Troy
/ stove makers has laid of day for teGr OF
overproduction. Mol Trayeltho United
states over and take q peep if you please
! into those reform institutions which the
| .a"anthropisgs beast so mUcl or.
and you will fud that no
ono goes TO bed hungry for
wan. or work. The other side of the
picture presents a different aspect.
| There, where peace and plenty rclgaet,
! where sorrow al one time hsd not crePt,
| there You may find at this writing, many
| sr honest mechanic eating his hard crust
Of brcad, with the fear that tomorrow
his may be snatched from his lips. And
.a's is what this glorious prison reform
bias helped TO do for you and me. We
WILL not attempt TO follow Mr.. b.
through all Of his propositions. As The
arrest amount OF them are TOO feeble to
notice As Al officer Of that Institution,
we will give him credit for bs!sterlag uf
IN q very weak way, the states side OF
.hs question.
We agree with Mr. b. that there are
other great causes which 90 lar towards
grinding down labor-in other words "a
combination OF causos-smong which Is
the hiring out OF convict labor, sud when
B admitted this lac begged the question,
and admitting this 10 be one among '.a
numerous causes which initiates ~ 80
outside honest labor, then it behooves us
all. rs phianthropists and humanitarians,
10 look to the suppression OF that evil.
| [. an open question though, and enc
to which controversy should be invited,
| but one in which the lab2ring popula-
ton, along with the manufacturer, WI.
be = unit If it should ever come up tor =
| anal decision by the "lodus operaads OF
/ the ballot box.
Hoping that the power oipet'tion vii.
prevail and that il may be kept a.0o.
/ .rym politics, I subscribe myself,
NIUILANT.
DIVORCED AND REUNITED.