The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1881-01-13
G!e Gmteliqe1asn
TmE cOAyIcr LAnoR QuEATIoN
The Other Side OF h Question Pre-.
AsnIed.

AAE oNNAl AAhSA NSEsAAuNs
The Other side OF the Question Pre-.
scented.
Edition. IutGliEOncer.
Without following your editorial Of
Tuesday last in detail, l beg leave to refer
you to certain facts that are essential to a
proper understanding of this important
question. As you arc no doubt aware,
the per cent OF convict labor to Iree labor
in the State Of West Virginia is almost in.
initesHimally small. The figures Of the
census show that it does not exceed The
che thirty.second OF one per cent. There.
fore the competition between them
cannot in the nature Of things be very
Close oil severe. The pressure Ui the form
or on the latter Is really more a matter Of
Imagination than OF actual fact.
You speak Of a carriage and wagon fac
tory in Wheeling that went under oome
time ego. There were two Of them thai
quit business, II | recollect tight, One
was situated in the Second ward, and too
continuance. The other was situated near
The postCt flee, the proprietOrs Of which
got rich and quit because they did not care
TO keep In the business any longer. Both
stopped before the Webster wagon factory
at Moundsville was started, aud | don't
see the connection between their fall and
the rise OF the latter. The Webster com.
pAny employs about thiTty.hye free labor.
ers and ioremen in the different depart.
ments OF their business in the peni Ell.
tary, They purchase and pay for large
quantities OF lumber, manufactured from
the trees that grow on our soil-tTees that
used to be cut down and rolled into log
heaps and burned; but that are now con.
verted into marketable timber. The far.
meTs now realize something for clearing
their land, which enables them to pay
their taxes. And, in addition to this i'm
portsnt consideration, there are more men
employed o~utside-iree lAborers--by this
company, preparing lumber for the con.
Germ, than these COnViCts- all tOld-in the
West Virginia penitentiary,
You have another Wagon Works In
Wheeling,.o oil no small dimensions. They
do not seem to ''squeaI" over the sit.
uatiOn, judging from appearances, in the
way OF extensive additions and improve.
ments made to their establishment during
the last summer. | should say that they
are not seriously inteIiered with by con.
ViCt labor,
Mr.. Pollock, OF your city, employs q GER.
tain amount 81 convict labor in the manu-.
taCture OF cigars. He has a considerable
trade with Canada, Ruslis and Prussia and
other foreign countries. This trade he has
hunted up aud enjoys. | will venture
that his sa,es OF %PeniteRtiary made cigars
In the city OF Wheeling will net amount to
enough TO pay his city taxes.
The whip factory Of Weaver & Burdelt
employs about sixty conViC's and about
htty'three free. lRborers and tax PAYERS
OF course II you stsp the works you drive
these free laborers out OF the Slate to a
more Congenial field Of employment.
do not know OF any broom factory Of
importance In the State except the one In
The Penitentiary. Their brooms are first
class and sold at fair prices to consumers,
jobbers and retailers. They provide n
ready market for all the broom corn raised
in'this State, besides large quantities from
Tennessee and other Southern States.
1t Ia not the custom OF this country In
taking an apprentlCeto learn at rade to pay
him "%jour's" wages for at least three or 1--WE
years. spent three years and a hall At
trade for which / got my board and wash
ing and S35 per year, and having been
raised in q community where they had
had free schools III existence for many
wears, l bad the advantage Of knowing the
difference between y TSElrRnd q draw.
knife, II Is different with a large majority Of
the ConviGtsin our PenitentiaTy. They come
here wild as q HsbrA, and ii takes two to
three years to educate them to the use Of
tools, or up to 4 point where any con.
tractor can possibly realize u very large
profit from their labor.
The plan Of letting out convict labor
upon the roads OF our State would be at.
tended with all sorts Of risks Of escapes,
starvation and cruelty. The plan has
been tried in Old Virginia, and the result
was q failure. Take a gang Of twenty five
conviCta out on the roads and you will 70.
Quire at least ak good guSrda for day and
night service at q cost Of 81 80 per day, nr
80 per day In all. These same ConviCta
are now hired to q contractor at, say 40
cents per day, and the cost Of boarding
them to the State Is say 10 centa per dAy,
obey are fed at less than 7 cents whereas
luo bhuIo uleu Wuulu UoHt NJ Ibhbt SlG w
per day for labor and board and
10 for the guards, making a total Of
S2l so. In the way Of expenses, saying
nothing about escapes, rewards and trans.
portatiOn TO aud from the field Of employ.
ment, and saying nothing also about the
loss Of time during the winter months |
will venture the assertion that 10 able.
bodied Irlshmen, at 81 80 per day each,
will turn on more aud better road work
than your % c%onviCts and guards would
produce. Then, too, how are our poor
tenants to pay their obnoxious 81 so road
tax II they do not work It ont.
More might be said on this subject, hut
| deem the shove suggestions sufficient for
the present to show that the agitation to
do away with convict labor in the Penitan.
liary ie, rs things now stand, impractical.
hin In Tia ntiuFA JuSTIcr