The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1885-01-01
IC0NVICTV vs. HONEST LABOR
SOME IDEAS ON THE PROBLEM.
A Correspondent Who Cannot Understand
Why the state should Employ Its
feions, but Is Seeking
Light on the subject

EAsTLAND, Dec. 2S.-l Editor HlRAIDl
"A copy oi your paIel hot into my pos
I session recently ana read it. am not
a millionaire, hence do lot take daily
papers, except when no one is looking,
but like the HLRAID al d read il hen
/ can get it. Ills good paper, and |
particularly like Its anxiety 10 have the
convlct-lahor question setlltd To project
the interests of honest laborels-a set
tiemeht, ny The way much more easily
proposed iDan made. The couyicts are
hard lot, and the problem of their dis
position so as TO leave honest laborerS
1reer from competition with them still
harder. IL is deep water Tor the best OF
us. have studied the subject in other
states for years, and find 1T more and
III oie embarrassing as my studies pro-
coed.
Common justice to honest labor
ers demands that honest laborers be
protected from competition in the labor
market Wi h Iel0us. Moreover, labor is
100 honorable and useful To be thus de-
graded. IL would seem, too, that the
needy labOrer who is thriving, always
against fearful odds, To live honestly,
should be preferred 10 convlcts by both
public and private employers. and Tut
Tor the greed OF money getting he would
De, since this course would materially
assist in di ninishing the number OF
convlctS 70 he employed. IL being a law
of nature that every man must cav and
be clothed, it becomes probable that
every honest laborer denied employ
ment VIII go over 10 the ranks OF the
convlcts 10 escape physical suicide
torit Is not so much antipathy To labor
as lack OF Labor ana Inadequate pay
which make men, ordinarily well dis
posed, reckless ana criminal.
But you say 'Lo deal justly with honest
labor the state must create employ ment
Tor these convicts; IN other words, must
set on foot some enterprise that wouid
not otherwi'e be Developed" What
Tor? To give employment To peniten-
tiary cOnvicts! But upon that "new
enterprise 80 set on foUC' and hundreds,
nay, thousands of unemployed honest
men apply tor work, whose families
need the piJtance their labrrS would
bring, what then? Are they To- he tod /:
mo none man need apply; This enter
prise was designed hy the great state of
Texas Tor the employment Of thieves.
She ls not concerned about her honest
citizens" True, coal can be nlned
cheapy by convict labor, If only money
is valued. Railroads can be tuiit and
"iAu ny tub Sdtllt klIlI
OF LABOR; but honest men can do this
work, a so, and the price OF coal can be-
made cheaper without chrapening la
Dor. Let the railroads he bull BY the
state, ana let her own aud control ihem
or establish rates Of transpo' tation, and
the thing is done. AS things
are managed low, the expense OF dis
tribution consumes the profits of pro-
duction. Labor is unTewarded and
penniless, while railroad companies
build up colossal fortunes IN u few
years. This, however is not to the
point. How Is conv ct labor to be en-
ployed without bringing II into compe-
titiOD viii honest labor? That is the
question. l answer, IL cannot he. The
number o. cOnvic to be employed may
be reduced: | BY reducing the mum
Der of lelonies. BY enacting a law
prohibiting the employment of convict
LABOR ~ reduced wages. 3 ~ estab-
fishing and enforcing honest charges
for distributing the products of labor.
4 BY preierring honest labor To crimi.
nails whenever there occurs Il scarcity
of labor or u surplus of ldbOrers. These
things, with adequate wages for labor
performed, will encourage honest labor
To pelsevere on honest methods, thus
lesseung the number of convicts to be
employed. More cannot be done.
MEDDLER.