Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-02-25
LEGISLATIVE INVESTIGATIONS.
Inquiry Into the Workings of the Stat,
Prison aad Certain State Officers


Inquiry Into the Workings of the State
Prison aad Certain State Officers.
The principal granite quarries of the State
are those at Rocklin, Pine and Penryn. in
Placer county, and that at the Branch Prison
at Folsom, in this county. Senator Filcher,
of Placer county, in the interest of his
constituency, introduced the following,
which was referred to the Committee on
State Prisons and Prison Buildings:
Section l: For the period of six years, from
and after July ], 1888, il shall be unlawful Tor
the State of California, for any person or per-
sons having charge or supervision of any iusti-
tuition under control of the State TO SELL or al
low TO be sold, or to use allow TO be used ex-
6eept for State purposes. or on structures owned
by or under the control of the State any granite
from any quarry owned or controlled by the
| State.
Section .. Any person or officer of the State
who violates the provisions of this Act shall be
deemed guilty OF Il misdemeanor and on con-
viction thereof shall be punished by a fine not
| exceeding 500. or by Imprisonment not ex-
ceeding six months, or by both such fine and
imprisonment.
One evening last week the committee
took testimony from the interested quarry
owners. 1t was then stated that the War
den at the Folsom prison had made con-
tract with NJ. J. Kelly, of San Francisco, to
deliver him the entire product of the quarry
at price which gave him monopoly, and
at which the owners of quarrieS who en-
ployed free labor could not compete
Several witnesses were sworn and testi-
fled to what they knew of the Folsom
quarry and the management of the same
by General McComb
David Blower testified that he worked at
the quarry at Folsom for some eight or
nine months, and during that time shipped
| LOCO feet OF curblng to San Francisco 10 N
J. Kelly. His contract with Mr.. Kelly was
"a cents per foot delivered on the car in the
yard, or 50 cents delivered in San Fran
cisco. Kelly deceived him by promising
to take all he could quarry in two years.
and afterwards going back OH his word
He gave Lis word of honor 60 take it all.
and afterwards ignored his obligation.
General McComb was the next witness
called. The Chairman of the committee
Senator Reddy, briefly outlined the resul,
of the former meeting and the testimony
rejecting upon the prison management
Mr. Hathaway, one of the complaining
quarrymen, and in whose interest the bill
was introduced by Senator Filcher, was
represented before the committee by ex-
Attorney-G General 10 Hamilton who pro-
ceeded to ask General McComb number
of questions relative to the prices at which
he sold the product of convict labor, and as
to whether or not he did not know that il
was driving free white labor from that
important industry. The General replied
that he did, at one time, desire TO lave an
understanding with those interested i'll the
Quarries referred to by General Hamilton,
| and for that purpose visited the quarries in
company with Mr. Hathaway He found
the quarrieS idle, ana failed to make any
arrangements regarding prices, although it
| was his desire 10 do so. Had no conSulta-
ton with any one except mir. Carlaw
and Mr.. Hathaway. He did not pretend
! to be q skilled workmen IN the quarry, but
| thought, so far as management of the bust
ness was concerned, he was fully COM
petent. He had opened the quarries and
found sale for the granite quarried at the
best prices he could get. He fixed the price
for curbstone at 60 cents and cross
walks at % cents per foot, delivered on the
cars in the yard. He found that for those
prices he could not sell the granite and was
| compelled to out it down to 40 cents for
| curbing and 50 cents for crossWalks.
| QuestiOn-DOu't you put your work in
competition with free labor?
| Answer-N ell, as TO that | have this to
say: The same class of goods were sold
cheaper before had charge of the QUAR-,
| than they have since.
| QueStion-Do you think the men who
pay 50, 81 or 80 Il day for skilled labor can
compete with you; are they not absolutely
at your mercy?
Some of the members Of the committee
| objected to the question. They said they
did not wish 10 hear n long debate as to the
question of free or prison labor. What
| they desired was to have General McComb
go ahead and tell them just what had been
accomplished, what his contracts with Mr.
Kelly were, etc. He said he sold the rock
| 10 Mr.. Kelly of San Francisco. with whom
he had contracted 100, 600 feet for 40 cents
foot. He had no offers from any one else
That was the best price he could get when
he was making efforts 10 dispose of it. He
sold to any one who desired to purchase
at the same price. The prices at which
he sold the granite were remunerative
He could tell by what an honest laborer ac-
cOmpliShed i'll one day what the result Of
his labor was worth. He said, so far as the
prison was concerned, they turned out but
a small portion OF the granite used in the
State. But 200 workmen We're employed
in the quarry. and many of them are en-
gagged in getting out blocks for the State
Capitol fence and completing the prison
| walls. During the past year and a half the
pross receipts for quarry work has been
I $33, 600. The prices they had been
getting he regarded as good They
had of course to open the quarry and
get into where they could get solid blocks,
free from niger heads, etc. The quarry is
now finely opened, and in his opinion the
most valuable on the coast. Ii vii! more
than pay for the support of all the men en-
gagged.
Senator Reddy-suppose you would form
a syndicate with other quarries and put up
the price of building material. Would it
not stop improvement and throw out of
employment many laborers Of various
kinds?
Answer-It would undoubtedly, in many
instances.
Question-Would not the result of an
arrangement of that kind be to prevent the
States selling any of the product?
Answer think it would.
The General then said there was no pub
lie buildings going up in the State, and to
abandon the quarries at this time would be
All abandonment OF the purpose for which
the present site of the prison was selected
Senator Fiicher thought the State Capitol
fence and the prison walls should be COM
pleted before any stone was sold from the
prison. He asked General McComb how
long it would take to finish both of them.
1
the Zoo feet of fence, and he thought the
walls could be completed within the same
time. He was selling paving blocks for u
cents each at the prison. a convict could
make about so day. That was very cheap,
but basalt block was bringing but $50 to $40
per thousand in San Francisco, and they
were preferred. The blocks on the cars at
Folsom cost l ! cents. Add y cents freight,
and they cost cents at the Bay or $40 a
thousand.
The contract between ar. Kelly and
General McComb was then produced and
read Mr. Doble and Mr.. Mcdonald, two
San Francisco contractors testified to the
relative prices of basalt and granite blocks
for paving purposes Their testimony was
corroborative OF General McCornb They
had bought curbing Of Kelly for 65 cents
Basalt blocks were as low as $50 So No
one was laying granite payements at pres
ent.
At 10 o'clock the committee concluded
they had received information enough on
the subject and adjourned. 1t is under
stood that they will recommend that the
bill do not pass.
INVESTIGATION OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE.
The Senate Special Committee to investi-
gate the charges made as to irregularities
in the office of the Secretary of State held