Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1881-08-18
Shoe Manufacturing in the Pc nj
tentiary.

-
tentiary.
correspondent of tho Neps and Courier
states that MIR. Dibert. of Trenton, N. j..
Inns opened his shoe mauufuotory in tho pcni,
tontiary at Columbia. By tho contract en-
tered into wiki the Board of Directors last
May ho leased from tho State for fve years
100 consicts ut so cents per duy for
grown men and 81 cents for women and boys
lie at onco set to work to got his machinery
and to begin work us soon rs possible with rs
many hands as he could get, and though all
his machinery has not como yet, he began
work with about sixty hands on the first of
this month. lie expects when properly UNI
der tho way to turn out 1000 pairs Of boots
and shoes per day, Of at least fifty varieties
and styles, ranging from tho fine calf skin
boots to the best brogans."
The capital invested is $4,000, md the
consumr ton of leather will be about 100
hides day. AT present he is supplied from
Philadelphia, New York and Boston, but
hopes to be able to secure supplies at home
and is corresponding with tanners in this
name Of tho establishment will be "Tho Pail
motto Shoe Mnnufactory." and the contractor
will through statesmen diposc Of as much Of his
stock US hc can in The South. lie proposes to
give up his business in Now Jersey and remove
with his family to Columbia.
This is step in tho right direction and we
trust is bat tho beginning Of the industrial
enterprises to be opened and run by convict
labor. This shoe mandatory will stimulate
individual enterprises in tho business of
tanning in the upper counties Of this State
Hero we have good water powers on small
streams sufficient to run all tho machinery
needed in tanning while around them for
miles arc found oaks from which the best of
barks can be obtained. With n cash market
Mt home the capacity Of our tanncries should
be doubled and other tanncrics opened An
impetus given to ono branch Of industry cir
culatcs money and gives activity to every inr
dustry.
We hope to sec q large manufactory Of
wagons, buggies and all kinds of wooden
utensils and farm implements opencd in the
Pcnitentiary by some cntcrprising person.
Our Southern timber is less porous and more
tough and durable than that Of the North
and rs the supply is almost incxhaus,blc and
accessible largely by rail. wo think such an
enterprise would be both profitable to the
contractor aud to The State. If then to this
be added all kinds Of blacksmthing. VIC
would expect to see the penitcntiary become
not only profit to the State. but fulfilling its
purpose as penal and reformatory inst;tu-
Ton IN the fullest sense. Whilcl doing this
1t would bring and retain here thousands of
dollars now sent abroad for shodly articles
put op at the North, and in this way would
stimulate largely our agricultural industries
md private enterprises of all kinds.
On the convict tho effect would be truly
retormatory. Being plnccd under strict sur-
vcillance and required to work regularly, hc
would acquire regular habits of labor and
being put at some trade he would become pro-
fcicnt in it and when discharged would find
employment and good wages readily, if his
conduct warranted confidence. We have
taken this position for years, but in Radical
days the negro Legislature opposed all uch
as putting convict labor in CONNIE
tition with FREQ labor injuring tho mechanic
and other iaborcrs This is all bosh, espc-
cla'ty when every city and country sore il
filled more or less with articles manufactured
by convict labor Of other States. Such n
position is as simple az to advocate law to
prevent bringing for sale into this State any
boots, shoes, plowe, buckets, wagons, horse
shoes or oshcf articles, because tie solc Of
such compctes with the homo mcchanic We
buy such things abroad by tho hundreds Of
thousands of dollars worth and tho NOR. we
can manufacture here tho more money wc
can keep at homo. Let our Legislature and
the Board Of Directors Of the Pcnitcntiary
invite and encourage the opening of ali kinds
OF industries within tho walls of tho Pcni
tcntiary. Whether it pays as we'll nov os
hiring out convicts on farms or not, in the
end it will pay better and becomes permn.
mont source OF revenue. In this way con.
Vlcts are properly punished, are given good
trade, are taught habits of industry and when
released can mako an honest living. Tbev
arc likely to do this in most cases while If
put on railroads and driven about like beasts
with ball and chain, they aro hardened in
cr'mo and rarely como to any good.
The public meeting held at Walhalla Inst
Saturday August 18th, was not as
largely attended as its Importance demanded.
but those present manifested deep interest
in its object. In this view it was success
nd xvVsl -.