The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1879-02-14
ANTT.CoXyICT LABOR
Meeting NJ the Court House Last Night
Music. Speeches nnd RESOLUTIONS.

heeltuk NJ tuc guutt N0uAe ASlkt NlBut
Music, speeches ana Resolutions.
The opponents i the present system Of
convict labor assembled, in mass meeting
last night, at the Court House, to take
some action expressive Of their opinion Of
the bill relating to convict labornow pend
ing in the House Of Delegates. The
Wheeling City Band was brought into
requisition to advertise the meeting, and
played several airs OIL hestreet, attracting
o large crowd, which filed into the Court
room and filledit in every part "a
Uncle JOhA Boring, Of the Fourth
Ward, was called 10 the chair, and 9Er.
Charles r. Hamilton chosen Secretary.
Mr.. Samuel A. Kcpner, foreman of she
Register news room, was the first speaker.
llepointed with pride to the good already
done in the movement against convict
labor, and besought his hearers to coli
tinue to work for the abolition OF tho
present system, and their lahors would be-
crowned with victory. Mr.. Kepner did
not undertake to discuss the question be-
fore the meeting, leaving that for other
speakers present, MS he desired to hear
what counsels they might have TO give.
The meeting had been called by the
workingmen for consultation and action,
anl DO trusted that The action Of the meet.
ing would be satisfactory to all honest
workingmcn.
Mn. JOHN FLANAGAN,
Pittsburghmouldc followed in speech
Of considerable length. lie considered the
convict labor question aquestion oil Justice
aud right. The present system Of employ.
Ing convict labor Is building upa worse
system OF slavery than that which existed
before the war. Tile effect Of the employ.
ment Of convict labor, as opposed to the
honest nottingham, was alludedt TO by the
speaker. Illustrative OF this, the speaker
referred to the experience OF tho working.
men OF Cincinnati, where a large work.
house was erected, and the contract system
adopted, thereby throwing many honest
workingmen on the world az tramps.
Every man working in an institution OF
the kind displaces an honest mechanic.
Each convict hired by contractors Is as.
signed task to perform, which taxes him
to his utmost. The Ienitentiary officials
see that he performs his tusk, and il he
falls to do SO, woe betide him, Here
the speaker read extracts show.
Ing tho cost OF producing stoves and
stoVewarc by the contract system, and
the low price at which the product may
be sold. The amount Of work u prisoner
Is required to do, Mr.. Flanagan maintain
ed, would tax the best workman that
ever learned the trade.
In support Of his assertion that prison,
ers, under tho contract system, arc re.
Quired to perform heavy tasks, Mr.. llana.
gan read extracts from tho report Of a
legislative committee that investigated the
workings OF the contract system In vogue
at the Columbus Penitentiary, showing
the cruel and lnllum0n treatment 10 which
those prisoners were subjected who failed
10 perform their allotted tasks. Is this
calculated to reform Criminafa he asked.
Does 1t tend to warm his heart toward
sopietyP M, when the convict gains his
liberty lie Is al Isllmaeljte; his hand Is
against every man, and every mans hand
is against hin.
Mr., Flanagan maintained that II would
be hettGr TO take the prisoners In the Peni.
tentitary at Noundsyillp, board them at
lrstplass hotels, and pay their bills, than
that they should BIO allowed 10 conc in
conflict with honest labor. He promised,
on the part VI the workingmen, that they
would cheerfully ray their portion for the
maintenance Of the conyicts.
Tho speaker reviewed the contract sys-
ten as in operation in New York, Penn
sylvania, Massachusetts, Kentucky, Tenn
essee and Indiana. At Albany, \. A., in
one large foundry there are employed us
moulders nine hundred poByiGts and
one hundred citizens. Thus In
that city alone nine hundred
stove m0HllRrs had been deprived Of
work, by this unjust System, and forced
10 become tramps and thieves. Is 1t pny
wonder, asked the speaker, that we have
assembled here tonight 10 ask Tho I.egisla-
ture, now assembled in this city, to repeal
this law which makes Migrants out Of
workingmen? Labor pays for the ma
gbipery Of Government labor produces
all. The taxes arc paid by labor and by
labor alone. Therefore DO mi Hat ont
the shops and the factories; repeal tie
obnoxious law, which tlemorali1es socie-
", demoralizes tho prisoners themselves,
dem0ralizes the wnrktngmGn, and donor
allies every element Of The universe,
SIR. JOHN y. IlpRBAEp
was loudly called for, and In response
came forward and made few remarks,
which were listened to with close interest,
and provoked considerable applause.
NF Hubbard, rs everybody knows, is g
vigorous speaker, and taIkst0 the point
every time, and his littlespGaGh last night
stirred his hearers up to q high pitch OF
enthusiasm. lie explained, In Opening,
that he had been called upon during the
afternoon while Mt his sawmill by a com.
mlttee who requested him to be present at
the meeting and make speech. lie had
not expected to speak, and hal made no
preparation, hut he had no hesitation
whatever iu stating to his iellow.citizens
that convict labor ought not 10 come into
competition e!ther with the labor OF The
skilled artizan or that Of the poorest labor.
or OF the land. The question OF convict
labor wusa very deep and broad one, and
required more consideration than he had
found time to give 1t. Although some Of
the public institutions in which the CON
tract system is in operation are known as
rcformatory institutions, Mr., Hubbard
held that there was not the slightest
reform in them for anybody II moth.
ing better could lie done with tho
convicts than TO shut them up like
y lot OF wild animals, and support themin
tdlenCas, he was in favor Of SO doing. But
he thought There was o remedy. lis sug.
gcstion was that the convlcts DO PLACED on
farm and required to raise the necessary
means for their own. support-nothing |