The Indianapolis journal., 1885-07-21
The War Department Displeases the Small
Contractors and Their Employees
by New Ruling.
Investigating the Character Records
of Some Recent Appointees.
Further Appointments by the President-The
Smith COurt-Martial - immigration
Statistics-Personal and General.
CONVICT LABOR.
Secretary Manning's Ruling that He Can
Take No Note of Its Use.

Secretary Mannings Ruling that He Can
Take No Note of Its Use.
Special to the Indianapolis Journal.
WASHINGTON, July 20.-Convict labor, which
has been abolished in several of the States, bids
fair to become national issue which will prove
very embarrassing to the present administration.
Recently bids were opened for the supply and
setting of stone for an additional story in the
Peoria, ILL.,, public building Peter G. SVaub,
of Buffalo, was the contractor who secured the
original contract before the limit Of cost was
expended by Congress. Recently it has been
the custom to award additional contracts of
this kind to the original contractor providing
satisfactory arrangement can be made with
him. This course was not adopted this time,
but proposals asked and opened several
weeks ago. it was found that a firm who are
contractors for the labor of the Illinois State
prison were the lowest bidders, and that Straub
was about 10 per cent, higher. Straub and other
bidders at once entered a protest against award
ing the contract to those whose bids were lowest,
because, they asserted, prison labor, at the rate
of sixty-four cents a day, was to be used
in cutting the stone, whereas they,
the other bidders, employed free la
Dor, at from 50 to $3.50 per day.
Secretary Manning took the papers, and after
consulting with Solicitor McCue, the law officer of
the Treasury, decided that the government had
right to inquire into the character Of the labor
employed by contractor, provided they com
piled with the requirements of the law. He,
therefore, directed that the contract be awarded
to Brainard & Co., the contractor for the Illinois
prison labor. Very naturally this action has
been condemned by nearly all the labor organi-
cations in the country, and the Secretary fnds
himself in the serious predcamento Of antagonism
to the laboring men. 1t is said that some plan
will be adopted by which he hopes to wipe
out the bad impression, but it is difficult 10
imagine how this Can be done unless tho contract
is annuled.
Another branch of the administration has also
got itself into bad odor with the contractors
throughout the country, and incidentally with
their employees, by the advertisement which has
recently been issued, asking proposals for build
ing the new Army Medical Museum, authorized
by the last Congress. The reason for this is that
the specifications ytipulate that the successful
bidder shall not be entitled to any
portion of the payment for the work
QOne OF material 1ufnlSneU untll the contract Is
half completed. Usually the government pays
as fast as work is done, reserving only 10 per
cent. to cover the shortcomings Of the contract
in case there be any. 1t will readily be seen
that in the building of the Army Medical Mu-
scum, under the specifications, no contractor
who has not large financial resources can ex-
pect to compete with the wealthy concerns and
1t is doubtful if the government can he benefit
ted by shutting off large class of
builders who would otherwise enter into compe
ttion for the work. In fact, it looks like this
action on the part Of the War Department was
directly in the interest of the big concerns, who
have practically unlimited resources and are not
dependent upon the payments received from the
government TO pay the wages of the employees.
1t is certainly bad precedent to establish, and
one that cannot prove beneficial to the public
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