The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1881-10-06
By the Legislature Over Forty-Six
Years Ago,
So WOrded as to Deceive the People
of the State,
And Only by Implication Giving Outside
Spectators the Power to
Hire convicts.
rcinclnnati Enquirer. ]

rCincinnAn Enquirer.l
The employment of convict labor in
the manufacture of articles coming in
to direct conflict with the mechanical
industry Of Ohio has been frequently
agitated, and at times entered into pol
itics, and is now again in the political
field as plank in political platform
of one of the parties, and in the present
canvass will be a factor which may aid
the party advocating its abolition, or,
by the aid of the great wealth of the
contractors controlling, enriched by
convict labor, may injure it. 1t is not
a new question, because for fOrty-Odd
years it has been more or less agitated.
Its final settlement, after its lengthen-
ed struggle, fairly
BELONGS TO "OLD-TIME POLITICS"
One of the political parties--the one
adverse to that demanding its abolition
or rather it's leading men, make it
new question, dating back but few
years to its origin, when those men de-
nOuncing it brought it back into active
operation, while their opponents date
it back near half century, with its
malign influence each year growing
greater. 1t is a history of its origin
that this sketch is devoted.
The first Ohio Penitentiary, with
buildings at that time large enough for
a sparse population, was soon found to
be insufficient, and new one had to be
erected, larger and better suited for
present purposes. In its erection, in
1882, 1888 and 1884, portion of the
INMATES WERE EMPLOYED,
And in 1885 it had been so far COM
pleted as to dispense with portion of
it's convict labor. Previous to it's erec-
tion the cOnvicts, under the direction
of the Warden, manufactured articles,
which were sold at a store in the pris
on. At the time the new prison was so
far completed as to be made available
there was no hiring convict labor, and,
judging from surrounding circumstan-
ces, was, no doubt, so unpopular an is
sue that the directors did not dare pro-
or the Legislature directly authorize it.
But law was passed February q, 1875,
which contained the provision that the
cOnvicts shall, as far as may be consist
ent with their age, sex and ability be
KEPT AT HARD LABOR,
lin such manner as the Warden shall
deem most proper and most beneficial
and advantageous to the State, under
such rules and regulations as the Direc-
tors may from time to time prescribe"
This clause enabled the Directors to do
that indirectly which both the Legisla-
ture and Directors dared not do directly
hire out the labor of convicts. A re-
port to the Legislature of 1847, from the
standing committee on the Penitentiary,
indirectly admits this fact, and
further states the law was
drawn up by the Directors of the Peni-
tentiary. The Directors then were
Charles Anthony, of Springfield, Samuel
f. McCracken, of Lancaster, and Joseph
Olds, of Circleville-two Wings and one
Democrat-and the Legislative report of
the session of 1847-48 from the Peniten-
tiary Committee is signed aud written
by General Charles Anthony, which JUS
titled the manner in which the convict
labor system was fastene1 on the State,
by implications and not by positive law.
AS soon as the law was passed the
FIRST CONTRACT FOR CONVICT LABOR
Was made by the Directors on the last
of June following, when Peter Hayden,
who had been contractor for convict
labor at Sing Sing Prison, in New York,
secured contract for labor which was
soon followed by similar contracts, and
these being reported to the Legislature
and no law or joint resolution passed to
forbid it, the Directors felt themselves
sustained, and thus the system was fas-
tened on the State.
In 1847, the session before Mr.. An
thony made his report justifying and
explaining how the hiring out of con-
vict laber became fastened on the State
the Directors, B. +. Gard, HOratiO j. Cox
and Joseph Ridgeway, all in politics
Whig, as was also Lawrence Dewy, the
Warden, reported the following CON
tracts then made and in existence: Pc
ter Hayden, of Columbus, two hundred
hands, to manufacture saddle-trees
names, coach and harness plating and