Louisiana capitolian., 1880-03-27
FUSS AND FEATHERS.

Quite n little breeze was raised last
week by the report that the State
House was to be rebuilt by convict
labor. There was something in the
paper about it, as some ono said,
which made it positive that it would
be so. Parties jumped at this conclu-
sion with both feet, without stopping
to read the proviso relating to the
matter.
Although we published it in black
and white in our last issue, just as it
is in the appropriation bill, some way
or other it escaped the notice of those
who complained most.
For the information of the public
we again reproduce the clause upon
which the alarm was sounded, and we
invite careful attention in its pcrusal.
Here il is:
Provided that the Contractor shall
have the right to employ, ut tho usual
rates, the lessee of tho State Penitentiary
in the construction of any Of the ncccs-
sary repairs contemplated by this bill I;
the compensation allowed the said lessee
to be credited upon any amount which
he, the said lessee, may at this time owe
the State of Louisiana.
This proviso was introduced by
Judge Harris, of De Soto, at the
time that the appropriation bill
was about to pass to its third reading,
with the view of collecting from the
lessee of the Pcnitcntiary the amount
which he owes the State. Our Rep
resentaiivcs caused the same to be
read over, when, upon tho advice Of
other Representatives,, friends of
Baton Rouge, who saw at once that
the clause would be imperative, con-
cludcd to let it pass without running
the risk of cndangcring the bill by
raising another intcrminablc discus
sion.
The plain English of the proviso
gives the Contractor u right that he
would have without it, rs we'll as plan
ters and others, of employing convict
labor, with this difference that the
lessee wouldn't receive a cent for the
work of his men. He would have to
take them away from other employ
mcnt, for which he receives the cash
for the sole object of paying his in
debtedncss to the State. In thcmcan-
time he would be paying out of his
own pocket the expense of guarding
and maintaining the prisoners.
In brief neither the Contractor nor
the lessee, by the arrangement con-
tcmplatcd in this clause, would re-
ccivc cent Of remuneration for this
species of labor.
1t seems to us, that it requires but
very little reflection to any ordinary
thinker to arrive at the conclusion
that this proviso is really an impcdi-
ment, and will eIlectually prevent the
employment of convict labor. .
The beauty of the thing is that some
yood aud kind friends of the editor of
this paper, so we have learned, have
actually attempted to use this absurd
scareeuw, as an electionecring blud-
gcon against him, in his candidacy for
Mayor, and have gone so far as to
saddle him with the responsibility of
what they allege will result so disas-
trously to the laboring men and me-
chanics of this city.
The fact that with otIcns we have
been struggling for over two years for
the return of the Capital to Baton
Rouge, this in the face of a powerful
opposition in front, whilst q steady
fire from some of the "hOmc folks"
has been poured upon lis, at every
step of the way, has not abated in the
least, their innate love for crying
down every effort made in behalf of
our community. The nearer we arc
to complete success, the more is their
anger excited. That which they
wouldn't or couldn't do themselves,
must not succeed by the instrument
tality Of others.
Such is human nature everywhere.
Like true philosopher, however, We
arc prepared to grin and bear it.
Especially when we consider that a
candidate is very fortunate, when he
is charged with nothing worse than
horse stealing, barn burning, killing
his grandmother running away with
his neishbor's daughter, aged fourteen
years.
So faras the employment ofconvicts
outside the walls, we have but to
point to the record of the Constitu-
tionas Convention, where we voted
against that principle, to dispel the
charge that We favor it.
But we must emphatically protest
against anv accusation that we control
the General Assembly in their legis-
latlon. In this particular we plead
Nv, IL l,,o ,,,, ,,o1