Morning appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1877-1906, 1886-09-01
CONVICT CONTRACT LABOR

Contract Association in Chlcag,
recently, marks the beginning of ;
new method for the relief Of Dotf
the honest workingmau and tn,
manufacturer, from the burden:
placed on them by this infamou,
system of flooding the home mar
ke.s with the products Of convict
labor. La every prison and pcni
Tertiary in the land, conyicts arc
employed In the manufacture OF
some staple commodity, the income
from which is applied to the eX'
penses of the prisons. and the sur
plus put into the State Treasury
when surplus remains. Some OF
these institutions are driving a
Furnishing business, and pay large
dividends to the State. as In the
case of the Detroit House of Cor
rection. in Detroit. which not only
utilities the labor Of the criminal
element Of the State, but bids
eagerly for the custody Of prisoners
from all the Territories and Mill
tary Posts in order to swell It's rev
enues from their labor, and pay the
surplus into the State Treasury as
a help to the taxpayers OF the
State. To prove just how this sys-
tenn of labor benefits any State, the
work of the prison in question is
perhaps the best to explain. On
an average, 1920 men are confined
there. two thirds of whom are from
localities outside of the State, and
for years the prison has yielded an
nually, a revenue over all expenses.
Of some $4,000 to the State, which
reduced to a per capita for all the
taxpayers, would be an animal sum
Of few cents. To obtain this
great relief 300 honest and up
right mechanics are without work
at the trades practiced there, and
the markets for the articles manu-
featured there are .utted with this
cheap product, and the prices are
forced down to figure where the
manufacturer must reduce the
wages of his men in order to keep
any footing in the market. Not
the least of the bad effects of this
system. is the forcing out Of work
Of many men in ,hc cities where
these prisons are situated, and by
degrees of want and rrivation
forcing them into criminal rrac-
tees for living, which too often
bring them inside the walls of the
very prisons which have caused
their downfall.
Commenting on this the SAT-
Lake Democrat says,
In all large metropolitan com
munities there is a settled per
ccntage Of the criminal element,
ana the existence Of prisons as
places Of confinement and punish
,nent are a necessity. but the labor
performed in them need not con-
fiict with the interests OF the work
ing classes. who lead honorable
lives and feed the blood channels
of the community in which they
live. The recen: studies and
CHANCES Of opinions on the subject
Of PcnoloGy, which have occurred
IN various States, tends to prove
that the effect of all prison labor
which conflicts with that Of men
in the ordinary walks Of hfe, is
of untold evil TO work
ing men, while it brings 10 Offset
ting good to the convicts. Chica-
Cos convention advocated very
plausible idea for the employment
Of prison labor, which seems to be
well worthy Of trial Every
State and Territory has its road
laws, by which citizens are bound
to pay road tax Or work il out on
the roads at a stipulated price per
day. Now If national law could
be framed, providing for the con-
struction of military roads in net
work all over the countryside
roads to be made wide and level. |
and IN every respect highways Of |
the first class--the conyicts Of the |
various States could be employed |
upon them within the lines of the
State in which they are imprisoned, |
and thus lie compelled to labor for
punishment. while the country at
large would be benefited and tho