St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-02-28

the governor,an passed the bill as amended.
The house eoncurred in the senate resolu-
ton memoriahzing congress for an adjust
ment of cases in dispute in connection with
the Southern Minnesota railroad land grant.
The vote by which the state park bill was
defeated Thursday was reconsidered yester-
day, amended SO as to appropriate 81, 900 in
stead OF 5000, and in that shape passed
Personal EXPLANATION.
Mr.. Lienau rose to question Of privilege
yesterday morning, and read from the Pio-
neer Press as follows:
Mr.. Lienau, it is to be noted, wishes to abol-
| ish the Office Of public examiner And why! Let
us see why. soon after the Office was created
II became the duty of the public examiner TO IN
yestlgate the books, transactions and methods
OF the Offices of the treasurer and auditor OF
Ramsey county. The developments were ola
somewhat startling character Irregularities OF
such nature We e disclosed tina; indictments by
the grand jury were only avoided by nasty re-
endorsement of missing funds. A regular sys-
TEN of faYoritism in the collection of taxes was
isclosed. The officers concerned were Demo-
Gratis. The local Democratic organ commenced a
furious warfare on the public examiner for this
faithful discharge of his duty, which resulted in
/ a complete purgation and reform Of the admins
tration of these and other county offices. Mr..
Iienau was member Of the court house ring at
| the time That is what's the matter with
Len2u.
In response Mr.. Lienau said in the first place
he was not noted for wishing to abolish the
Office of public examiner. When that Office
was created he was a senator from Carver
county and voted for the bill. Furthermore,
when the bill was up giving the examiner an
additional clerk he had both used his inhu-
ence in its favor and voted for it. Again he
L. IL
auditor OF county treasurer OF Ramsey, nor
was he, or had he been, a member Of any
Ramsey county ring. In brief. he said, there
was not a word Of truth in the article, but
he was sorry to say it was about as near the
truth as that paper usually got. "And that
is what is the matter with Mr.. Lienau."
CONVICT LABOR.
The bill Of Mr.. Myers to prohibit convict
labor being brought into competition with
the artisan labor OF the state, coming up on
third reading, Mr.. Pratt of Saltwater took
the floor in opposition TO it. lie said he had
no more interest in the present contract sys-
TEN than any other of the citizens of the
state, and all he proposed to do was to
present few facts for members to consider.
Up to last year the prison of New York had
been managed under q system very similar
to that in use here. As thus managed the
prison had for years paid surplus into the
state treasury, while the deficit last year, IN
der the operation Of law Of the
same general features as the one
uuder consideration was between
/ 5000. 900 and $500, 600. Several Years
/ agosSisconsin did away with the contract
system and carried on its state prison as is
proposed, and so badly did the new plan
work that in three years it went back to
the contract system. The same experience
has been had in Ohio, and Of all the states
that had tried other than the contract system
success had alone been achieved in Michi
gan, all others having suffered losses. Re-
ferring to the management Of the Saltwater
prison, Mr. Pratt said the average earnings
OF the state convicts, based on an average Of
332, and notwithstanding the loss Of time by
the fire, was S3S.9S per capita above all eX-
penses except for salaries of officers. This
would give
THE AGGREGATE EARNINGS
OF 100 convicts at So, 1913, aud for 700 the con-
templated capacity Of the prison would give
q surplus over expenses, other than salaries
Of officers, OF ST., 1856. The salaries of the
! officers now aggregate s24,3 92, and as is
Z
more in this direction to care for 700 than
! for 300. 1t will be seen that with 700 con-
victs the prison would be nearly or quite
/ self-supporting. He did not justify bringing
convict labor in competition with the artisan
labor of the state, but held that as now en-
ployed it came in less direct competition
with such labor, than did the Michigan instl-
tuition managed directly by the state author
tiles In the one item of the Jackson wagon
alone, he claimed the Michigan prison did
the mechanics Of Minnesota very
MUCH GRE TER INJURY
than did their own sthe prison. The Michi-
gan prison also made large numbers Of
shovels, spades, etc, and also house
hold furniture, all Of which were brought in
direct competition with the artisan labor Of
that and adjoining states. At saltwater the
principal manufacture was that o! thrcshers,
upon which an average Of 300 10 400 me
chanics were employed, the ir works aud that
Of the eouvicts not competing with outside
labor. At one time the contractors were
large manufacturers Of -four barrels, but upon
representations that such workwa uujustly
competing with the labor Of other points. it
was abandoned. Now there was but one
shop in which work was done that came in
finish shop, in which there wire employed
some forty-fye conyicts and twenty-iy citi-
zcus, and lac believed that branch OF manu-
facture was soon to be abandoned. But
whether IL was 10 be OF not, the house, before
voting for the pending bill, should first sat
isfy itself that the law proposed would
give the state anything better. II not, he
submitted the present system should not be
interfered with, at least until the expira-
ton Of
TIE EXISTING CONTRACT.
Mr.. Duraut said the prison plant consisted
Of valuable buildings and machinery The
principal manufactures were railroad cars
in the machine shops The hardwood finished
work sold up % May last was 1900 At
one time there were ON the pay rolls Of the
contractors over l.. POO citizens employed at
good wages. There are now 2Sq citizens and
81 couy.cts. The capital stock OF the COM
pany was 81. 800, 900. The effect OF the bill
under consideration would uaralyze that
company. The total sales of products last
wear we're between $1,000, 900 and 81. BOD, 600
The sales OF the jobbing department, 10
which is included the hardwood finish
product were about S5O.O00, OF railroad cars
Sl50,0oO-the only mandatory Of the kind
in the Northwest-aud of threShing machines
81. 100 600 The amount of orders Tor hard
work products, since Nav last. amounted %
less than $40, 600. The fact was IL was a
nucleus around which large manufacturing
interest was being built up, which hostile
legislation would paralyze. Pass the bill aud
there would have to be an entire change in
the policy Of the state as 20 the care OF its
couvicts The convict labor had 10 bc en-
pluyed. and be believed that in no way could
that labor To- brought into less injurious com
petition with the artisan labor Of the state.
aud therefore he claimed the bin should not
Dee passed.
Nr Myers said &c seemed to him 70 require
ers, nnN e., ,.,- b., nm .f,. -.s. .-s- 10