Grand Rapids morning telegram., 1885-02-25
LABOR In THE PRISONS.
SHALL 1T BE DONE BY coNTRAcT9
Opinions OF Numerous Citizens on
the Bills 10 Abolish Con-
tract Labor.

has called upon stfcrai citizens, 10 obtain
their opinions, of the proposed abolishment
of the contract system of employing convict
labor in the penal institutions of the state,
and more especially of the Egan bill which
WAS passed by the House last week, abolish
ing the system az the State House of Cor
rection al Ionia. He first called upon Mr..
Edward q. Raymond, who YVES associated
with ex-Warden Grafton and for time with
Warden Watkins IN the management of the
lonia institution. Mr.. Raymond said:
think the Egan bill is cumbersome and i'm
practicable; especially the section which
provides for the keeping an account of the
earnings of each convict, the sale of the pro-
ducts and the disposal OF the surplus. above
his actual expense to the state. Ii the idea
Is 10 relieve free labor from damaging COM
petition with convict labor it's advocates viii
certainly be disappointed, because while il
abolishes competition with certain classes of
labor, il brings the convict system into
direct competition with others.
Under the present arrangement
the products of the Ionia House
petition with other products of the State.
Most of them are shipped out of the State
and only affect home manufacturers as they
drift back. There are two points to be con-
sidered in the management of such an in
stitution. First, il should be reformatory;
and second. it should be self-sustaining.
Under the provisions of the Egan bill il
would fail in both requirements. Ii the
State is to employ the labor directly il will
have to furnish all the necessary machinery,
and when it becomes necessary TO change
the style of goods new plant will be re-
quired, thus making a continual expense.
United States District Attorney Stone
was next seen and said: II have not given
the subject particnlar attention. but if the
object is to do away with competition with
convict labor / think there is some better
way to accomplish it than that proposed by
the Egan bill. Its provisions are imprac-
ticable and will require too much red tape 10
carry them into effect. If it becomes a law
it will not have the effect hoped by its advo-
Gates. 1t will be Numbering sort of thing
to manage"
Hon. NJ. q. Burch said, 81 have had but
little time for reflection upon the matter If
there is reasonable ground TO believe that
the institutions can be made self-sustaining,
without the contract system, think il well
enoughto try the experiment. / don't be-
lieve in supporting convicts in idleness, nor
in making the proposed system of non-con-
tract labor a burden of expense upon the
people if the experiment doesn't prove sue
cessful. Ii is not necessary TO talk about the
disposition of surplus products because. nm
der the proposed system, / don't think there
will be any great surplus"
Mr.. Isaac S. Dygert, prominent member
of the Knights of Labor, talked very earn
estly and expressed his views as follows:
''The system of employing convict labor un-
der contract must be abolished. / am in
favor of the Egan bill, or any other that will
abolish the system. / don't care anything
about the provisions for employing the pris-
oners by the State direct for the present.
Let them be idle If necessary or set them TO
breaking stone or building country roads. or
anything else where they will not compete
with honest free labor But abolish the con-
tract system at once, Internationally. Stop
the labor at any rate and find out what to do
with them afterward. 1t will not take more
than a year or two to find out what can be
done with them. and for that time the labor
ing men can well afford TO pay their share of
the taxes necessary for their support. Ii is
all nonsense to say that free labor does not
suffer from competition with convict labor.
There are instances in this city where men
have suffered reduction of wages and have
even been driven out of employment 10y the
contract system of this State. 1t is not only
the laborers, but the manufacturers
have suffered as well. The Chair
Company, Rindge Bertcsh 4 Company, and
the Felt Boat Company have suffered most
John l.. Shaw and others, of the Felt Boot
Company. have asked, or intimated. at least
that they would like TO see the Knights of
Labor boycott prison made goods. They
say that If they were not obliged 10 compete
with firm that moved Its entire plant from
Massachusetts, to Baltimore, in order that II
might have the benefit of convict labor. the
company h IRE would raise wages fifty cents
per day. Tie Chair Company is
obliged to compete with fhs Detroit
House of Correction and Rindge Bertsch A.
Co. with the IOsia shOps.H
William NJ. Hathaway was next seen and
said Il think the idea Of aboii-ln tie
present system i all night, bDt whether the
Eyan bill will work OF not can only be de-
termIned boy experiment. / object 10 the
contract system first because II comes into
unfair competition with free labor. and.
second. because II results in gross abuses IN
the treatment Of prisoners. And then. IN
stead Of damaging ali free labor, Il w0rks
against only that IN certsln industries. The
people can well afford 70 pay additional tax
g (it viii be g very slight addition 81 r0undl
TO help lift the burden from the industries
which now suffer. / think the State viii
eventually make profit by employing the
labor ne provided in the Exan bili or II
some other msnner. Even the slight IN
crease IN tarstion vii be bot temporary"
Mr.. Christian y rtsch of Riu1Ze. Berfcsh
A Co, SAID The aboiishment of The con
tracf labor systems would have hut VERY
little effect on or business; 10 more CON
parsfively than would half sn fnch q add
tlonal snow on the hesviesf fsil vs have had
this winter. We are handling but very ftw
prison made Shoes We can hBt fhoae made
BY free labor Oh 5etter terms"
Mr. kIudge. # tbe same firm. agreed uifh
has partner. and sad tssf he vas convinced
that Contractors a rsr7ar5u 1eftor did rsea