Workmen's advocate. (New Haven, Conn.) 1883-1891, 1886-04-04
CON NICT L A BOR.
A CURSE TO HONEST WORK.
lNGMEN.
COnyicts Should be Made Harmless.
Competing with Thieyes-A Cap.
italistic Scheme -- Assist.
ing Thieves to Steal
from WOrkmen.

One of the problems in the labor
movement is the question of convict
labor. 1t is question that comes
home to men in various callings. and
one that Organized Labor must settle
in the interest of the people. Grim
inals, products of false social
system. should be made harmless,
instead of being pittcd against hon
est toilers in disastrous competition.
Take the thief, for instance; while
he is not necessarily dangerous to
poor people, his victims are found
among the rich. He is captured and
imprisoned. 1t is argued that he
should not be kept in idleness, and
ways and means are devised to make
him "earn his living" The prison
authorities sell his labor to some
capitalist at a price varying from
sixth to half the amount paid to
free men. Then, from being a men
ace to the owners of property the
thief becomes a menace to the work
ers. With the assistance of the
State, he steals from them the
chance Of earning aaliving. And
what has the State accomplished? ?
1t has struck a blow against its very
existence. 1t has again shown that
it is the tool of Capital, existing for
the benefit of Capital and to the
detriment of Labor.
1t is said that the New Haven
Folding Chair Co. utilizes convict
labor. This firm is notorious for
paying low wages to it's employees,
Does society gain anything by per
mittIng Il skin-tllnt concern to en-
ploy conyicts in the manufacture Of
commodities? No; but the employ
ers of convict labor are actually en-
powered to degrade still lower the
star I'd Of living of an already un-
d. ID class of workmcn. And
.hese poor people should turn
,nleyes and 60 to prison, tins firm
would actually get benefit from
the degradation Of its former en-
ployes.
If it becomes a question of idle
ness and destitution for honest men
and work and comfortable quarters
for thieves, or work and wages for
honest men and idleness and neglect
for thieves, why, it seems but
natural that the Government should
favor good citizens. But such a
question is not raised. Convicts
could still be made useful and not
compete with honest labor. There
might be great public Improvements
undertaken; roads and docks could
be built that will never be dreamed
Of under the present system; and as
some people are set upon building
fOrtresses along our coasts. the labor
Of convicts could be used for this pur
pose. Such employments would not
interfere with honest labor, for it is
Il aquestion whether the public works
mentioned would ever be undertake
at all, as long as the present system
of individual competition remains
The arguments used by capitalists
against the selling of convict labor
by contract are not prompted by
any other feeling than that of
short-sighted selfishness. OF course,
the abolition of convict contract
labor would be but Il small gain
compared with other aims of Organ
lied Labor; but as a measure for
present agitation and enactment 1t is
more important than appears on the
surface; for it is not only the in
dustries actually placed in competi-
ton to prison labor that suffer, but
the standard of living of all workers
is more or less affected by the degra-
dation of a single branch. There
fore let us carry on the agitation
against convict labor, while We dc
not forget the rest of the pro-
gramme.