The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1879-02-13
The Criminal Labor Question.
The Graphic Gives About the Gisi oft.

First Workman-No; what say is that no
criminal ought to be allowed to work. Cause
II he works he works CHEAP, aud it knocks
down your wages and mine.
Second WOrkman-Wal, L dunno-you
see
First Workman (quite warm)-There amt
no "see" about IL! tell you 1t degrades every
human mans labor to have states-p risoD
bird doing the same sort of thing for quarter
OF the wages. 1t ought to be forbid by law!
Second Workman-Wal, L dunno; you see,
if
First Workman deeply excited) )-Nonsense
with your 'if' and "buts" and mebbys; It's
easy enough to see. If a lot o. chaps work for
you? Not much Don't it bring you right in.
70 competition with degraded culprit labor?
Don't it? Sayl Don't it? Why don't you
speak and say something?
First Workman (furious)-No, 1t amt truel
There amt word Of truth in it! You know
| ez well ez do that
Second Workman tbrlstling up and inter-
rupting)-Look rel You yawp every min
ute. 'Spose you jest shet your fly-trap tem-po-
ra-ri-o-ly and give me chance to saw q word
First Workman (tOning dOwn)-Very well,
Of you RELY think you've got anything to say
thet amounts to anything, jest spill IT,
prisoners don't work an support themselves,
somebody's got to work to sport 'em.
First Workman-Wal, capital III support
'em.
Second Workman-And who sports capital?
FIRST ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS sports
itself.
Second Workmpn (lsying his hand on the f.
WIS shoulder) THAT'S where you make your
mistake, Labor sports capital.
First Workman-How do you make that
out?
Second Workman-If the states prison don't
sport itself, it is s'ported by taxes Whenever
property. .holder pays tax he adds to the
price of what he sells enough to reimbuss him.
and labor eventooally pays every cent
First Workman-It GEMS TO me that it.
Second Workman tnow thoroughly aroused)
Seems" They amt no "lf' bout it! Any
fool can see it! Somebody's got to pay that
pris'ner board. Ell he don't earn his own
board, you an I've got to pay it out'n our
wages.
First Workman-P' 'raps you're right. Ef
that's SO, he might Jest ez we'll 90 to work.
Second Workman-And keep to work.
Seems to me labor is degraded more by lowing
lot of rogues to shirk for the privilege of pay
in their board, than by maxim 'em work at
some price or other
First Workman-Bat they work for less
wages than we kin.
Second Workman-But there's very few of
'em, and ez they work to pay the expense of
Keeping of themselves shet up, don't see ez 1t
makes much difference whether they earn .
cent day or $5 lay ez fur ez we are con-
cerned.
First Workman-But they shouldn't be let
out on contract.
Second Workman-Certin they should They
should be made to work aud their services
should bs let out to them that'll pay the most
for 1t.
First Workman-Then spos'n they earn
more q they cost?
Second Workmal-In that impossible case
the surplus should be turned right into the
State treasury.
First Workman-Ain't it demoralizin' and
undigni6ed for respectable folks to let their
gov'nment be s'ported By the GRIM nal classes?
Second Workman-No, sir! 1t amt! What
awful stuff hev you got into your head? The
more work you can git out of criminals the bet
ter! That's all they're good fur whilst they're
bein' punished. Why, IF 'twarn't fur the Grim
'oal classes there wouldn't be no need Of gov'-
ment. Did you ever think OF that? They
ought to sport it.
First Workman-That does look sort % raa-
sOn'ble after ALL Why, that amt wot that fell
Ter said down to the union.
Second W0rkman-Don't let anybody fool
ye! Make all prs'ners work jest ez much ez
possible. It'll do 'em good. Make 'em earn
ez much ez they kin, either under the superin-
tendent or outside contracts. And remember
that every cent a prisoner earns is Jest SO much
in the pockets of the laborin' men.