The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1883-01-27
coxyIcrLARoR.
somc Romarls on The nOundsvllio Pen.
itentiAFy.
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AtA4At ArAAhsA W AAN AHf-ANNhAetif
siR-Another effort Is being made tn
Legislature to discontinue the contract syl
ten OF employing the eonyicts in the peni
Tertiary. A bill to the same effect was In
troduced at the last session; and after tax
ing into consideration Investigations ant
reports made In the States where convlc
labor had been employed both by the StatI
aud under the contract system, and hearing
the statements Of various persons who be-
lieved their interests jeopardlEed by The
contract system, tue Committee on the
Penitentlafy failed to report bill TO The
House with recommendation TO pass. Tht
subject was discussed ut length 10 the
House, aud little or no innovation upon
the present system was made. Unless the
present Legislature can offer some plan far
better than has been offered heretofore
something practicable and sufficiently plain
as 10 he cOnyincing TO the average intel
llsence Of the public, II would be well
10 see 10 the present condition and man
agement Of the pcnitentiary, and spend no
time In an effort 10 enact Law, that by
all probability, would incur m expense
that the Stats could not alI0rl and the poo.
pie would not approve.
One argument advanced In favor Of a
change Is that the present system brings
the convict labor in competition with
other labor; but no argument has been OF.
fered showing that the competition would
be destroyed, werC the State TO engage In
manufacturing, or otherwise give employ.
ment 10 the c0nvicts. To employ part Ol
the labor 10 do the public printing, as has
been suggested, would prove unsatislac.
tory and Improbable, and would bring
the convict labor In direct competition
with and lessen the demand for the labor
Of the professional printer. For the State
TO engage In manufacturing iron, glass,
cigars, wagons or other articles, would not
lessen the present competition; for TO
make the labor OF convicls Temunerative,
the greater number Of them would have 10
be employed in one industry, the one that
would be- most likely 10 return the best
profits. We do not know that the State
contemplAteS the building OF public works
sufficient to give employment for any
length OF time 10 our force OF convicts; but
II so, 10 employ the convict labor would
come in direct competition with and pre-.
vent the employment Of other labor. To
give the convicls out TO farmers would
compete with the farm labOrer, though We
do not believe that our farmers would want
to engage such help, were the State to fur.
nlSh one or two guards Tor each convict. |
To hire them out to townships and coun.
ties to work on the roads,or to Incorporated
towns and cities TO work on the streets,
would deprive many poor men OF employ.
ment who depend upon the kind Of labor
for their support,
The two hundred conviCts In the peni.
Tertiary, Us now employed under the pres.
ent contract system, cannot, we believe,
iniure any OF the manufacturing
industries carried on In the State, or have
any considerable bearing in regulating the
price Of labor. The terms Of service Of the
conviCts, perhaps, will not average five
years, and they cannot be Chased as skilled
laborers. Two years ago forty Of them
were employed, under contract, in manu-
featuring cigars. The cigas were the
kind extensively manufactured in Wheel
ing and the surrounding towns, but were
mostly shipped to markets remote from
this section. The cigars manufactured by
the convicts could have but little
bearing upon the market, either
as regarded over production or com.
petition. Wagons, We are informed,
lre manufactured In Ohio and sold in this
State in competition to the wagons manu-
iactured in the penitentiary. Thegreater
number Of wagons made by the convict
labor are shipped to Southern markets, aud
must be sold IN competition with those
by the. large. factories in
Indiana and other sections Of the country,
aud any wagon mandatory IN this State
would have TO compete with these factories,
both rs to the local and Southern markets.
Like competition would apply to broooms,
whips, or other articles manufactured by