The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1881-09-01

backed up by petitions from Trades
Unions and mechanics from all sections
Of the State; but the subject, grave and
important as it was to the inter ests Of
honest labor, was consigned to an OBJ
scare place, ina the Appendix Of the
House Journal and was thus ignored by
a Republican Legislature. Now, the
Democrats OF Ohio, always the friends Of
labor, propose, II intrusted with power,
to remedy this great wrong, and the Re-
publican press are attempting to cry
down the attempt to effect this very com.
mendable reformation. Y,,ri
Correspondence Of the Enquirer.l
COLUMBUS, OHIO, July q, 1881.
The following is an extract from an in.
telview in yesterdays Enquirer with
General Grosvenor, of Athens, and else.
where: .'.N'i
swell, the temperance question, Gen.
eral, is not the only one. The Demo.
cratic platform dwells upon several
other matters of consequence"
"Yes," said Grosvenor; "but I don't
think some of them will amount to
much. There is the contract system in
the Psnitentisry, for instance. I don't
think any man dare go on the stump in
a doubtful county and advocate aboli-
ton of the co ltraCt system. Nothing is
offered in the place Of it. There are
about seventeen hundred ConviCtsin in the
Penitentiary, and it costs about 5000 per
capita, annually, to keep them. That's
over $500 000 The contract system
must continue, or else the Convicts
must be supported in idleness, at an ex
pense that will stare the tax payers vic.
lently in the face. 1t won't change the
situation practically, to put all the con.
victs at work in State shops. The srti.
Cles they make, whether under State di
rection or by contract, must eventually
come in competition with outside manu-.
facture. The matter can not be helped,
and the Democratic Legislative record
on the subject is just as bad, from an
anti-coltraCt stand point, as the Repub
lican record. Even il the Legislature
should be Democratic, the contract sys-
tenn will not be interfered with"
This statement, and similar ones, be.
ing made by the Republican press, are
best answered by a Republican, Hon.
John Fehrenbateh, who was member
of the Legislature when Mr.. Grosvenor
was speaker, and was fought in all his
efforts to reform this evil. '...
The following interview is from the
Cincinnati Enquirer: t ,y.a pay
The Gozsae and other Republican
journals are sneeriDg at the plank in the
Democratic platform relating to the abo.
lition of the convict contact system as
piece of nonsense. This whole subject
has been thoroughly investigated by a
Republican Committee in the Legisla-
ture Of 1873 Hon. ] Jhn Fehrenbatch,
Government Inspector, was member
of the Legislature from Cleveland at the
time, and was Chairman of the Commit
tee. A reporter OF the ENQUIRER met him
yesterday, and said:
SWELL what do you think of the con.
vict labor contract sy stem by this time ?"
II think, as I have always thought
upon this system, that it is an outrage
upon the honest mechanics and manu-.
facturers Of Ohio. My views are upon
record in the House Journal of 1877"
"Do you think the system ought to be
abolished ?"
"By all means. It is degrading TO the
criminal, pre- yents his reformation, and
enriches the contractor at the expense
of honest men. 1t is nothing but sys
tenn Of slavery, for the convict is sold to
the highest bidder"
"Do you think it can be abolished
without increasing the burdens Of taxa
tion2"
Certainly. The State ought to assume
control of the Convicts, and place the
product Of their labor upon the market
in such way as not to injure any branch
Of industry. The contract system has
been abolished in the Cleveland Work
House with excellent results. The con.
tract system is carried on in the CinCin-
natl Work House, and 70 per cent, OF the
inmates are returned to the Cincinnati
institution, and only 20 ner cent. to that
1t Cleveland, and the Cleveland Work
House is self.sustaining. The most un-
ust feature is the great advantage the
prison contractor and manufacturer at
Columb bus has over the outside manufac.
surer. The shops, power, ETC., are furn.
shed for nothing, He pays nc taxes,
and gets man for sixty or seventy
cents day, who can turn out as much
abor as mechanic who gets $50 per day.
You can see how the convict contractor
can beat and undersell all competitors. |
I is remarkable fact that every con;
tractor for prison labor has accumulated
q fortune in few years. One Of the
most palatial mansions just completed
in Columbus, was built out of the profits
Of unfortunate Convicts," .rlastIe4o.
"You think, then, that the State could
conduct the manufacturing with proft2"
"Yes. The prison could be run at less
expense than now. By paying good
salary a first. class man could be obtain'
cd. But to be successful, the prison
would have to be lifted out of politics.
[ have studied atl the prison systems Of
the world. 1t only degrades and hard.
ems men instead Of making them better.
Il the State takes chasge OF the manufaci
turing every convict ought to share In |
the profits of his own labor "a a refornl-
asorv uleasuFe,n') bus hll1d y1q1o. 8qljl
'aThis is an Issue, then, not TO be
laughed at out Of Court2" olldi iad' VsdI
.HJust 90; and the party that sincerely
advocates a reform Of this great abuse
can carry 0hio"dl 5ig 500 q
The Democracy will dare to discuss
this question In every close county In
theiS State, because the manufacturers and
the mechanics have suffered from its
baneful inHusneea The Democrats have
something 10 propose In Its stead. They 4
propose that our penal system shall be
cheapened BY having the profits Of con
vict labor paid into tie State Treasury
instead ofinto the pockets Of the convict
slave contractors. To-day the State fnfn-
ishes the men at forty and seventy cents
aday; itlurnisheB the buildingg and the
power; it furnishes everything but the
materials The contractor pays no taxes;
thalcontTantof haa NO large capital ins