The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1884-01-07
Chairman sabin and tie Workingmsu
From the Chicago Herald

The politicians pay great deal of at
tention TO the laboring man. He is in
their minds continually when they wani
nythlng. When he wants something
they do not know him. or they put him
of on one pretence or another Now that
we are on the eve of presidential contest
the workingman has become an important
! factor IN politics and society once more.
| lie VIII soon be called upon to swell the
crowds at political meetings, TO march in
professions, and, more important than all
| else, 20 vote.
The republican national committee at
Its recent meeting awoke to the fact that
the laboring man is very desirable per
son to cultivate, and in its call for ma
tional convention it took pains to sav that
it wanted "all who are IN favor of digni
lying and ennobling American labor to
attend. 1t then elected Dwight NJ. Sabin,
OF Minnesota, its chairman. As such he
viii be the head of the party during the
next campaign. In so far as any one man
can represent the active principles of the
party he will do 80. The candidate will
be in measure removed from the strife.
The chairman becomes the rough and
tumble fighting chieftain of the party.
Sabin was elected because he is rich.
What has he done to dignity and ennoble
American labor9
lie has made his money by hiring the
labor ofsMirnesota convicts. He has n
contract with the state by which he leases
the penitentiary, machinery and every
IN, irc
years. taking the labor of the convicts at
forty five cents day. The product of
this labor enters the market in competi.
tion with the wares turned out by work
shops manned by honest men. At forty
five cents day for their labor, Sabin Il
Co. can afford to undersell any manufac-
turer who is compelled to depend upon
free labor. They make the market, and
honest workingmen must meet their f1p
ures in some way or go out of business
The tendency OF such system is to
cheaper labor, because the convict work
shops may be operated at enormous profits
and still sell their manufactured articles
much lower than any others.
In almost every large manufacturing
establishment in the country there are
certain things in daily use which are not
made in the shop, but are bought from
state prison contractors like Dwight M
Sabin. Why7 Because they cannot be
made so cheaply as they can be purchased.
If every wagon shop in the country had
to make its own carriage boxes, for
instance. there would be work for hun
dreds of honest artisans, hut in some of |
the prisons this article is produced so
cheap that employees of honest labor
cannot compete with it. Convict labor
not only enriches the men who use it, but |
it impoverishes the free artisans whose
path it crosses. 1t IS monstrous wrong
to permit it to be used as it is today in |
most of the states.
Mr. Sabin, as one of the wealthiest of
prison contractors, has been placed in a
position where hel 5 legitimate subject
for criticism. Made suddenly rich BY
pitting the product Of slave labor against
That of free labor, he has been selected.
On account of his wealth, as party
eader. The pretense that he or the men
who have put him forward have any sin
'erc desire to dignity and ennoble Ameri-l
IAN labor will deceive no one.