St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-08-29
FROM SHOP AND MILL.
ANTI.CONvICT LABOR
A General Discussion and am Assoc
citation to Deal with the Questions


A General Discussion and an Assoc
citation to Deal with the Questions
Involved.
A very important movement in the inter-
est of workingmen was given impetus and
organization at Chicago on Thursday in
the gathering of a number of prominent
manufacturers for considering the problem
of convict labor. These gentlemen met in
response to call sent out by w. L. Lewis
of Racine. Wis, and brought out twenty
FIVE well-known manufacturers. The OBJ
iect of the meeting was to consider what
means could be used to abolish the
present system of convict labor and
to devise means of employing
prisoners in penitentiaries without putting
goods on the market at a less price and to
the detriment OF honest labor A report
from the warden OF the penitentiary at Au-
burn, n. Y. gave the workings there of
the state account system" by which boots
and shoes are manufactured by the convicts
and are In demand i'll the market, but are
never sold below the market price of honest
labor goods. From reports received at the
meeting it seemed that the boot and shoe,
the wagon making and the stocking manu-
featuring interests were most affected by
convict labor. While this is by no means
the full scope of the convict labor question,
it seems the manufacturers think these
branches of their business are the ones
which need looking after. The great num-
Der of trades which are contending against
convict labor, congratulate themselves that
the wealthy manufacturers have taken up
the cudgel on their side. An organization
was formed called the National
ANTI-CONVICT CONTRACT ASSOCIATION
whose object is ''to the thorough investga-
ton of the subjects OF convict labor, for the
purpose of discerning and securing the
adoption of that method Of employing
prison population in the various states
which shall be least hindersome and op-
pressive to free labor and the manufac-
turing interests of the country,
all proper conditions considered"
The following officers were chosen:
G. t. Lewis, Racine. Wis, president;
Christopher Holz. Chicago, first vice-pres-
dent; state vice-presidents: Iowa, F. j
Upton; Kentucky. Charles L.. Bradley;
Missouri, c. Berge; Minnesota, II. NJ.
Kinney. Winona; Michigan, j. I'll. Whitney.
The executive committee was authorized to
appoint vice presidents for the states, and
T. A. Flower, George l.. Redfeld, G.
Studebaker, III. G. Wright and G. H. Lee
were maze COlllnlllJ6G 10 IOrQ ulaI6 a
method of employing convict labor less OPP
pressive to the industrial labor of the coun-
try than the present system, 10 report next
January.
WHO WE'RE THERE.
The complete list of those present is as
follows:
j. NJ. Studebaker, South Bend, Ind; M.
Rosenfield, Moline ILL.,; Matt j. Simpelaar,
deputy commissioner, Milwaukee; Chrie topher
Holz As West Monroe street, Chicago: ]. G..
Berge, president Seymour Manufacturing
company, St. Louis; A. J. Webster, Menasha,
Wis; d. j. Morey, Racine Wagon and Car
riage company, Chicago, ILL.,; w. K. Hoag-
land, president and general manager Peru
City Plow company, Peru, La Sale county,
ILL.,; Joseph Miller of The Miller Boot and
Shoe Company, Racine, Wis.,; j. l.
Case, threshing machine manufacturer,
Racine, C. H. Lee, Racine; L..
l.. Tabor, Tabor Mill, Wis; c.
Deere, Moline, ILL.,: N. S. Ketcham, president
Ketchaui Wagon company, Marshalltown La. !;
H. E. Redmond Champaign, ILL.,; A. n.
Duke, Indiana Manufacturing company,
Peru, Ind; Frederick S. Newell, Kenosha,
Wis, of the Balm Wagon company: George
s. Redfield, president National Tubular Axle
company, Chicago and McKeesport Pa; F..
W. Starbuck, Racine. Wis; @. II More. Fond
du Lac, Wis, representative of the Bell
Wagon works; J. II. Whiting, secretary and
general manager Flint Wagon works, Flint,
Mich; A. o. Wright, secretary state board
of charities and reform, Madison, Wis; M.
keppel, Red Wing, Mimi; j. w. Hinton,
proprietor Northwestern Tariff bureau. Mil
waukee, Wis; John M. Driver, Racine, Dri-
yer Manufacturing company.