The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1885-10-15

submlt'ed TO u popular vote, the major
ity In favor OF change beiug about
10000, All that remains to be done
now IL TO devise 0me other plan. No
State needs u change worse than New
York, Que lrm Perry Il Coz have 700
mtn working M mOulders making n owes
III the three prlsOns OF that State, NJ an
average price Of 90 cents per day per
man. How can any llrm outside com
pete with Perry Il Co, aud pay living
wages. IL II not enough that our mo
chancs aud labOTera have TO competewlth
lhrlr own children, much less such a
ayatrmY
California forblds their employment
In aly Of tho industrial branches by ita
constitution, In ONO, after several
years agitation, the convict slave sya'
i'm" hts come 10 grief ny legal eract
ment. All honor 10 Stark cOunty'a Sena'
tor aud Representatives that they spoke
Al voted for lts abolition, The preVi
Ous Republican Legislature, although
petltlOnpd from every city aud county
In the state, failed to paaa tho bill Can.
ton sent q petition Of 1000 names Of
voters IN February, 1882, Of which the
following is portion:
I'VE respectfully claim that az con.
Quoted at present II In injurious both 10
outside manufacturers and m chanica;
10 the f0,mer, In that they are compelled
TO place their wares or merchandise on
the maIke at such a llgute ~ 10 com
pete with the productions OF convict
labor; 10 the latter, In that this selling
price necessarily Implies low wagep, 40
an TO compete with the wages OF the
convict" BY way OF illustration | will
cite the whole the wholesale manuiac'
turera OF saddlery hardware, Peter Hay.
den u Son, OF Columbus, Ohio,
who have had for years
past. not In Ohio only, but In New Jer.
sey and Pennsylvania from 100 10 800
prison slaves Ia each State, at prices
ranging from 80 to 70 cents per day per
man. Peter Hayden, a few years ago,
was supposed 10 DO worth from $4,000
900 to $l5.0O0000. Can Elbel, Gillian x
Co., OF thls city, compete with Mr.. Hay
den In saddlerY hardwarep Such wat
the case q few years ago when the writer
was corresponding with tho editor OF the
II chnicNal Journal on this subject.
AnO her illustration brought homo Il
tho manufacturers and mechanics Of 0uI
city may be cited In the threahing ma
chine called the minnesota Chief" a
"Chiettain," made by conylcts In the
Minnesota Penitentlaly, aud one OF y
Aultman'a competitors for the trade IN
that great wheat country, ana m TIN
price frequently sells u machine without
regard 10 the merits OF Othrra. one IN moi
~ u lnsa to understand which Of the tive
machines, the "Now Buckeye" or "Uhief
tain" could 6e slld cheapest and still |
fair pptcentage made | Will cite Il rev
more branches In which m0nufac urin.
t., or wls. carried on In ONO tlll quit
fereutly, and lheae statistics were cOpieC
from the records: Brown, Hinman \
Co manufacturers OF all kinds Of agrl
cultural implements, such ~ shoyels
rake9, hO'a, p'ch forks, ecythe snaths
aud all similar wares, own ono hundred
and forty slaYes, For atty " them they
pay 90 cents, and for ninety, 70 cents pei
man pr day TO the State. Ayers, NIL
hon Dunn ~ Co. make buggy wheels
shafts. aud oil other parts OF blgglos and
carriage; their slayea num1er one hun
drad and lltty; for seventy they pay 4
cents, for thirty, 70 cents per day 10 thC
Sate
HUI & Monypeny, do q general coop
erage business, and have forty llyt
slaves. FOR lfteen they pay 10 cts, fol
lltteen 70 eta, FIR ll'teen 70 cts,, per day
y. e, Bailey ~ Co., chair makers have
thirty ak slaves. The Columbus Bolt
works have eighty slaves, The Patton
manufacturing company, turns out all
kinds OF hollow ware, has one hundred
aud aixty.Aye slaves. Mithoil. Evans 4
Co., make baby wagons, and run u gang
Of thirty slaves
George W, Atkinson, the extensive
cigar manufactures has charge OF llfty
Ave slaves, atty OF them being worth
90 cts. aud Ave 81 cts, the Ave being
tha highest priced Of the nine hundred
aud 0rly ak slaves owned by the tel
llrm OF contractors. II will readily bl
reen that these slaves, or rather theiI
compulsory labor conpotes with almos
every branch Of skilled labor In thl
State, ~ we'll M In Columbus, cuts
down wages, and takes away the prolI
OF outside manufacturers.
80 intent we're tho contractors OF
making money that they forced thI
state TO have the ciDders aud debri
hauled away from their shops, WardeI
Thomas righ,eously came tbeConclu iOI
that these naughty contractore did mol
buy the State OF Ohio, when they bough
the c0nylcts, and refused 10 comply will
their demands. The contractors wen
TO the Board and the Board sustained
the Warden. Ever since then they hayI
been In sack.cloth and ashes, because
II cuts down their profits n dollar OF
two each day 10 haul away tho clnders
II needs no further explanation 10 show
the palsylng effects this system hat
upon honest capital aud honest laboI
alike. The people Of Ohio. no doubt i'm
agine that the Penltenliary In u place
where criminals are reformed or pun
ished Ina civilized manner for thoil
crimes. This has not been the case, but
ono where gangs OF helplo1s slaves Hrt
driven TO death and desperation, 10 thI
end that contractors may grow rich not
Vbll Nv WV NAHNhtN w NNOil NlAlhAh ~
hOnored slaves, but OF wOrklngmen and
mechanics il Ohio, or whore ever theiI
slave trade wares are sold,
The arty,sixth General Assembly oI
Ohio abolished the old Convict slnyt
sy6tem" on one.half OF Tho petitions
sent In during Governor Fosters term
although the Republican platform
called for the Same, they were "refer
red" whatever that means. Some OF The
old contracts have from one To ilve years
TO run, Some Of tho contracts extended
purposely just prior TO passage of The
bill abolisbing contract labor In the O
o. Yet ~ fast ~ they expire the prls
oners are turned over 10 the State au.
thoritiea, 10 be worked on tho piece plan
or on State tccount Both the Republl.
can and Democratic platforms for years
have called for u chbnge; no sooner IN II
done thnn some of tho Republican ora
tors and papers raise the cry Of "extrav'
agance," regardless Of their platforms
- a.. A.