The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1881-08-25
A Relic Of Bondage and Infamy
That Should be
Abolished.
1t DegradeS the Criminal and Pauperizes
the Honest WOl hngman; and
DemOialiZes Honest
Manufacturers.
Let This Monopoly be AbOliShedi The State
Secure the Profits; the COnyIcts be
Benefited and Honest La
Dor Protected.

"REsoLvED, That the abuse Of the present con.
tract system In our State prison, by which the
products Of criminal labor are brought into COM
petition with the products Of honest labor, to the
great injury OF lhe latter, is vicious and unWiBe,
and hhould be corrected" s"-L cmOcrattc Platform.
"The condemnation Of the contract system In
our State prison BY the Ohio Democratic platform
In contemplate bit Of demAgORery, o petty Of.
tempt to capture the votes Of few manufactuT.
erS. The system Of convict labor iB not only
profitable TO the State but humane In the prlEon.
erS i pays the expeneeH Of the PenitentiATy,
and also gives the conViCts occupation. Nothing
could be worse for them than enforced idleneSs
In their cells. Nothing Could be better than
labor which employs both mind and body. Do
the Democrats want the State 10 keep these
prisoners lole, thus dem0rGliEing them, and tax
the people for their support The proposition is
reciculous one. II 10 the duty OF the State 10
look out for itB CWn Interests, and keep down
taxation, and In no way can more be done fox
this purpose than BY employing conVicts in
profitable Industry. The only change which
should be made In the contract system should be
10 make sure that tho State as well as the con.
tractor gets itS proper share Of the prohu."-
Cae1 eIdnd Leader.
THE change that should be made" Is to pro.
tect the honest people Of the State from the evils
OF our PenitentiaTy contract system
The people Of Ohio keep up Peniteptiarv N
secure criminals that they may not prey upon
society. The object should not be that they nav
be used while So confined, 10 benefit few con.
tractors TO the II jury Of honest lRborers, This,
however, is the result Of the present system. The
Democracy d sire change.
Efforts have been made In the LeRislature
heretofore to abolish the contract system In ihe
PenitenuAryi but me contract influence was too
strong ana these Efforts failed. The panic of '7S
and the labor troubles which followed in the an.
ensuing years brought the convict Contract ava,
tenn forward for discussion among mechanica ana
Manufacturers A number OF able mechsnica
were sent 10 he LegiBlatuIe and AMONG ne
number was Hon. John Fehreubstch. of SIeTa.
lard, now Government Inspector Of Steam boaiSSt
Cincinnati. BE championed the cause of hSnsSt
labor as against the products Of criminal labor
On ms mTuon, H COZ co committee was appointed to I'M
VestigAte this subject composed Of three Republi.
cans and Two Democrats, They examined many
Witnesses from all sections Of the State who waia
engaged In all branches Of mRnufacturin0 In
1877 lhls committee laid before he House The fol.
lAboIs: '''
CONTRACT CONVICT LABOR.
MI Fehlenbatch, on behalf of the specIaI cor,.
mittee n Prison Labor, submitted the ioIioWjng
report;
Hon, Charles Il, Grosvenor, Speaker Of the Bonse
OF Representatives
Under authority Of House Resolution M 1oA
the undersigned were appointed a LperiaI com,
mitlee TO invealigRte ard report upon the follow.
l, The Effect Of contract convict labor upon tho
manufacturing interest Of the State W
2. The elect OF contract convict labor upon tho
interest OF free labor. 0
8. The feet OF contract convict labor upon tho
reformation Of the conViCts. 'N'
4. The proh@ OF prison contraction and their
advantages over other manufacturers
b. The feasibility Of AbOlishing the contract
ByB EN-, and the adoption Of a system WheTehv
the profits OF convict labor shall accrue tn tbe
State, county or city having control Of any penal
institution. PSNNA
Your committee has given the subject ratteras
much conhoerallcn as their legislative duties
would permit feeling confident now that mil
justice can not be done this very important mat.
ter through an investigation conducted daring
the sittiDgs Of the Legislature. However enonoS
information has been obtained 80 as 10 leaye no
doubt In the minds OF your COMMITTEES as IN the
feasibility Of conducting our penal institnlionS
NJ der system hioh does not It Quire the farn.
ing out OF prisoners 10 contractors.
THE CONTRACT sYsTLM vs. OUR MANuFAcrURRRs
As 70 the effect Of the contract system upon our
manufacturing Interests, we need but refer Won to
the testimony Of many Of our leading mRnuSacS
tarers In various parts Of the State, not one M
whom favored the system, but were nearly unSnis
NOUS In their opposition to continuation Of II.
Their opposition 10 this system IN manv In;
stances. was 90 decided and urdutyocsI that
political parties must speak out against this Svs
tenn with no uncertain sound II they Wish the n,
auenoe and support Of this very useful and in.
f1uential portion Of our people, We do moi &nu.
der at the feeling cf opposition mapifested h.
ward the contract system by our manufacturer
when II 10 the cause Of crippling their busineSS
throwing many Of their WOrkmen out of employ.
ment, and greatly reducing the wages Of those
remaining The evidence shows that outside
manufacturers have been driven into bSnF.
Tuptcy, some compelled TO make assiRnment1
while others are enabled to keep their ahops nm.
ming only BY paying their Workmen wages little.
mai eknO Os.s
tractors OF prison labor
Again, we find that manufacturers have In
many instances been driven to the discharge OF
their workmen, and clOsing their shops outside
and taking contracts In PeniIentarles and Work.
houPes, because they were unable to compete
with contract convict labor. Take, for example.
the case Of Miles Greenwood, at Cincinnati Who
carried on q very large manufaot ring estsbliEh-
ment In that city, employing large number Of
mechanics, and distributing annually many
Thousands Of dollars, which added wealth and
prosperity to the city. Through the ruinou9
competition brought at ont by prison contractors,
the large foundry, OF Greenwood, empty Rs IL
stands t0'day, 10 unimpeachablee evidence against
the contract system. Greenwood was one OF the
original contractors Of labor at the Cincinnati
Work.house, but Ia utterly opposed 10 the system
Of letting the labor Of prisoners to contractors,
When asked why he closed his shops al Cinoin.
natl and took q contract ct the Work. k.house, he
replied, II took the contract In seIi.defense''
Mr.. g. A. Haynes testified that the company, OF
which he was member, employed In the
neiRhborhOod Of one thousand men; that II was
an utter impossibility for them to continue the
struggle against the ruinous competition caused
by the employment Of convict labor; and when
asked whether he favored or oppoaed the CON.
tract system, he replied, i am opposed 10 the
system; but II has become q question with me
whether shall continue a. have, or pocket my
principles, sell out my buBineBs 20 into New Jer.
Bey and take . contract In the PenltentaFy,"
Again, Mr.. L. P. Brown, Of Cleveland, who mas
tnUn ae,A
an average, eighty men, In the manufacture Of
hRmeA, was compelled 10 make an assignment and
close up his shops.
From the testimony taken, your committee "a
decidedly OF the opinion that the system which
enabled the prilOn contractor to 20 into the
market and undersell all other manufacturers
was the principal cause Of forcing Mr. Brown
into making an assignment. He however, re.
Eumed operations again, and, unless some change
takes place In our prtson management, will Be
forced into final closing out, There are many
others OF which your committee could speak hut
think 1t unnecessary, IS the testimony ACCOM-
panying this report will sutf Ce 10 show that the
time has come when change is urgently de-
mRnded.
CONTRACT LABOR ITS EFFECT UPON FREE LABOR.
Upon the second proposition contained in the
rest luton, under which your committee was an.
pointed, but little need be said. The interests Of
the manufacturer ard the labOrer are so closely
allied, that whatever tends to iDjure the one
must necessarily OF crate i1juriously to the other
II Our manufacturers suffer from any cause, the
men they employ, as a natural consC auenpe
must suffer in corresponding degree. The ruth
Of this proposition he's been vividly demonstrated
In our examination OF the subject both At Cin.
cinnau and Cleveland, The testimony shows
conclusively that the contract system, carried on
in our penal institutions, Is directly responsible
for large percentage Of the reductions which
have taken place In the wages OF thousandR az
our mechanics during the past four years. Near.
ly every manufacturer who testified befoFe your
committee attributed Q large percentage OF tho
reductions In wages 70 the system which enabled
msSnuiActgIeEI man who have paiSon contracts, and