The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1879-01-27

AtNAAV1N
meeting at the Court House on Saturday
evening. There was q large audience
present, the Court room being crowded
during the entire evening. i9tf NJ
Mi: Frederick Goodtellow, Of the Sixth
Ward, presided, and Mr.. Charles T. Ham.
tlton. recorded the proceedings Of the
meeting. 19If liT75 ~ ''S
Nr.g A. Kepner, foreman Of the Regiae,
news room, was the tist speaker. Atr. Keep.
ner, in heginninghl his remarks, asserted that
the audience had not assembled at the
beck Of politicians, for the purpose Of pull.
ing the wires in the interest oil some hun.
cry candidate, but because the. State Is do.
ing tlagrant wrong 10 her thousands Of
toltng sons, andto enter their solemn Ind
emphatic protest against It. The system
OF convict labor now In operation IN the
penitentiaFy Mt Moundsville thespeaker de.
clarcd q fagrant outrage on all who toll
Tor q living outside OF prison bars, and a
burning shame on the honor OF the Com.
monwcalth. This meeting had been call.
ed that those opposed To the employment
OF cheap convict labor might act intelli.
gently In tho matter, so that when their
petition goes into tho Legislature the Leg.
stature may know how 10 act upon Il.
1 The speaker then turned his attention to
the manner In which the State was doing
an injury to free labor. In determining
this question.he maintained that the State
hui two classes OF persons to deal with di.
rectly. Between these two classes tho
State must walk, seeing that no injustice
ts done to any OF the parties concerned.
Composing one Of these classes are
the men who furnish the bone and sinew
for oil the productive industries Of the
State, who pay the bulk ofthe taxes, obey
the laws and strive TO make an honest
living by hard labor. The other class
which the State has to deal with IN
this question Is the criminals; the men
who, by the commission OF crime, have
forfeited their citizenship and are under
the penalty OF violated law. The duty Of
the State to these two classes Is plain.
She Is bound to protect the ono in life,
property and the pursuit OF happiness;
she Is bound to punish the other Tor their
crimes and put them where they cannot
iniure society. Instead OF this, however,
Mr.: Kepner asserted, tho State Is clothing
and feeding the criminals and using them
us Instruments for iniuring tho very class
she should protect-taking from honest
labor its due reward, by putting criminals
in competition with it. Here he read ex-
tracts from the report Of the directors Of
the Moundsville Penitentiary showing the
ruinous rates at which convict labor Ia
hired. 7.[5'..i =. :
That this system OF convict labor is an
injury to free labor, said Mr.. Kepner, is
plain. The criminal Is an individual
placed by his crimes outside Of society; he
Is surrounded by none Of the circum-
stances that surround the citizen; he has
no family to support; he does not even
support himself; his food and clothing
arc furnished him; and, so far as the cir.
cumstances OF life outside OF prison bars
are concerned, he Is dead. This mans labor
Is brought into competition with that OF
the free mechanic who has to encounter
all the trials, necessities and competitions
Of life. It costs Ct cents per day TO feed
the criminal, while it costs the average
laboring free man, for himself and family
for food, dollar u day-thus making a
sixteen-fold advantage in favor OF prison
labor. This labor is let out to contractors
at nominal sum, and thus the free me-
chanic is placed ut disadvantage.
Mr.. kepner believed there was but one
!SmSol AOh Gle GAlStLug Stdte OIL uualfS ~
Moundsville, and that Is the total aboli-
ton OF the system Of selling convict labor
to contractors. The present system being
a wrong one, the first duty Of the State Is
to abolish that wrong and then provide q
way for employing the convicts. First,
lot the State be just to her citizens, and
then say what shall be done with her
criminals. 1t is claimed that to abolish the
system will increase taxation; but the
speaker commended that as the laboring
man is taxed to protect capital and pro.
perty, capitaland property should then be
taxed to protect labor, and that therefore
tho small increase In taxation that would
follow the abolition OF the system would
not be unjust. There are now employed
202 convicts, hired out to contractors at an
average price OF twenty-eight cents per
day, which brings an income to the Pcni-
Tertiary OF about 1900. This sum would
have to he met by additional taxation.
In closing his Interesting address, Mr..
Kepner said:
1--WE will appeal to this Legislature in
the confident belief that Justice will be
done. We believe the members arc most
" in sympathy with the rights Of labor.
Many OF them know what work is, and
uan thoroughly appreciate the situation.
We shall ask you to do us simple Justice:
and If We don't get 1t this time, we will
fight on until We do get It. We will arouse
the laboring men throughout tho State.
and they will 60 To the laIlot-hox and send
nan 10 the next Legislature who will know
our rights, and knowing, will dare to main
tain them. That may be some time in the
future, but the system IS doomed. Itis
not popular with any plezs al parsons,
The petitions circulated in Wheeling and
Vicinity have received upwards Of fiyo
thousand signatures from all GLASSES, trades
and professions, an indication that bring
ing the labor OF criminals into competition
with honest labor will be stamped out in
West Virginia, as surely as her mountain
peaks point to heaven"
Mr.. Kepner was followed by Hon. A. A.
Rock, member Of the House Of Delegates
from kanawha county; Hon, ThoS, II,
Harvey, member Of the House from Cabeil
county, Hon, Martin Hill, OF Kanawha
county, Col. Henry Hubbard and ]. D.
Ewing, Esq, OF Wheeling; and Hon. B. P,
Gooch, OF Summers county, in brief adj.
dresses Asthemain arguments advanced
were the same as given in Mr., kepnsr's
admirable address, No DO not give q syn
APPS, st the remarks made by the distin-
guished gentlemen, all OF whom are clever
speakers,and who were vociferociously up.
plauded by the large audience,
Atthe close Of the speaking the following
reSol Qtlon5 were unanimously adopted:
BY Mr.. Hamilton:
Reso!rei, That this meeting do, in body,
petition the Legislature to abolish entirely
the present system Of convict labor, rs car,
ried on in this State,
ResplgFd, ThRtthis meeting return sincere
thanks to tho speakers Of the meeting.
By Mr.. Kepner:-
Resolred, By the laboring mon Of Wheel.
ing and vicinity, that the Senators and
Delegates representing Chic county in
the Legislature pt West Virginia, be re-
qHested to use their utmost endcavors to
nhOliSb fha EVHlat,, 1T na,,sak I.I... -.