The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1881-02-10

The Convict Labor ED.

before the Legislature on this. subject
The object Of the bill Ia to abolish the sya
tenn Of hiring the conyiCts to contractor
that now prevails in the Penitentiary, AM
re-establish the old system Of working tn
conviGts under the direction OF the Boar
Of Directors" at such branches Of busi
ness and in the manufacture Of such art
Clss as the Board may determine. 1t
also provided in the bill that "the Boar
Of Directors may hire all the conyicts, o
as many Of them as may be deemeC
proper, for stated periods, to the Count!
Court Of any county Of the State, to b.
worked in building and repairing roads
but the State ia not to pay the cost Of sub
sistence or guarding the convicts while 81
hired out" Judging from the argument
Of those who are opposed 70 what is called
the contract system," 1t must be con
cluded that the mechanical industries o
the prison affect the same industries
throughout the State; and had the etieC
OF bringing in competition the "Cheap
unskilled labor" OF the prison with thai
Of like kind on the outside. Suppose THU
10 be- the case, who Is 1t that Is affected
except the few mechanics and capitalist
who are engaged in the same business or
the outside as that carried on in the
prison, and what right have they to com
plain? As 1t is proposed 10 deal with thiI
question fairly, let not the mechanic BE-
startled at this enquiry. In the first place
| It does not necessarily follow that low
priced labor Is always the most profitable
10 those who employ 1t, | have heard
men say who have had good opportunities
Of knowing that one lAbOrer who gets 9
fair remuneration for his work will per
form as much labor In one day as two
average ConviCts. But suppose there Is d
large profit In their labor, which Is claimed
by some to be the case, be II great OF
small, 1t must arise from the sale Of their
manufactured productions; the higher
these productions are sold the more profit
they yield and the less injury is suffered
from their competition. So the lower they
are sold, the less profit Ia made and the
cheaper goods are obtained by the maker.
II would hardly be supposed that con.
tractors for convict labor are 90 different
from other business men as To ask and
take less for their goods than ready mar.
ket will afford.
They will, no doubt, In grading their
prices for their goods, take Into considera.
ton the cost Of their production, their
capacity To produce, the demand and
many other matters that business men
seldom overlook, and so regulate them as
10 yield the greatest profit
II wagon can be manufactured by con-
yiCt labor OF o price OF $50 and yield
to the contractor small profit, will he sell
1t for $50 when he can as easily get
Sl002 II Is not to be supposed he would.
But should he do 80, then should the wag.
on maker complain because some poor
farmer or WAGNER has saved $50 In the
purchase OF q wagonP As there happens
10 be q great many more people In West
Virginia who use wagons than there are
who manufacture them, the argument
that because O thousand men have saved
to themselves $50 piece IN the purchase
OF wagons, that some manu-.
iaCturers on the outside have lost
corresponding amount Of profit, Is not a
good one, as hundreds Of poor men are
more needy for the $50 they would save
In the price OF q wagon than the wagon.
maker Ia for the profits he would net from
It's sale.
When, for the reason OF this real or cup.
posed competition Of the cheap produc.
tons Of convict labor, 1t is sought to
strike down the manufactures where 1t
obtains, II amounts to declaration by the
Legislature 10 the farmers and aboring
men Of the State that they are unworthy
Of the benefits arising from cheap labor,
and must pay the highest PRICES, that out.
eide mechanics and manufae urers may
make more money. Would not this be
legislating for the benefit Of the few at the
expense Of the many2 II would certainly
be aHording 0 protection 10 the few and
denying to the many the beneits OF an In.
stilution they are taxed to maintain.
II all the disastrous consequences pre-.
dicted by the opponents to tho present
system are 10 happen to skilled labor and
capital, the people OF the State at large
will have the consolation OF knowing that
their interests have been promoted there.
by. The argument must resolve itself
into this, that 10 the extent the few com.
plain the many have reason to be sat
isled.
The proposition 10 work the convIcts In
opening and repairing public roads seems
to be the most foolish and impracticable
proposition that could be imagined.
The bill does not provide the manner OF
hiring them out, no word 90 TO the com.
penBation to the State, how they are to be
kept nor anything Of the sort, except the
counties who hire them are to Bubsist
them and pay the guards.
In the absence Of 0 portable prison,
provided with necessary supplies, one
would have to be constructed at each
place Of operation, or else the farmers
along the route on which the convlcts
were being worked would be compelled to
open their houses, furnish the supplies
and charge the bill to the county. Our
farmers would certainly not like to be com.
2alled 10 take In twenty-five or thirty con.
Wet boardera. Suppose they are hired by
some OF the southeastern contracts OF the
State, and have 10 travel as for 10 places
assigned them as some Of our members Of
the Legislature do ip order 10 get to the
Capital, what Is II going 10 eOst tq tieps.
port them2 And who Ia 10 pay the bill
How many guards would 1t require to at.
tend and watch over forty OF these men In
some Of the "wild catN sections Of our
stAtep Say there are $50 convlptS TO hire
out, and they are distributed among ten
different counties, where 10 the superin.
tendent 10 be, where the CommipRary, the
physician, the chaplain, the clerk, and
other officers Of the prlson7 Many poor
men throughout the State, who rely
upon their daily labor 10 support
themselves and families, might say
to their county authorities, Why have
you brought out these Conyicts TO do this
work. Why are they not kept where they
belong2 The answer will be, Wehire them
for twenty-five cents 4 day and our law al.
lows us 10 do It. But, they say, we can't
atotd 10 work for that price II will starve
our wives and children, and we cannot
and will not come In competition with
such labor. YOU must have these men
taken back to the Penitentiary. The
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