St. Paul daily globe., 1886-06-01
Well Known Speakers Discuss the Con-
vict-Labor System at a Large
Mass Meeting.
Estimates for School Expenses Submitted
to the Board of Education
Last Session. ;"
West Side Citizens Favor the Ontario
System of Making Improve
ment Assessments.
Delightful Music at the Press Club
Concert Guests of a Day.
Social Round UP.
THE VOICE OF LABOR
Against the Prison Ring and Con-
tract Prison Labor.

tract Prison Labor.
A large crowd of laboring men assem-
bled at Market hall last evening to listen to
addresses giving expression to the sentI-
ment of organized labor on the question OF
contract prison labor. Several speakers OF
both cities had been announced to speak,
but the only persons appearing on the stage
were Hon. W. Ii. Ggimshaw of Mlnneapo-
lis. G. \. Lafavette. A. L.. Robinson and
Thomas Ward of st. Paul. Thomas Ward
was chosen chairman and the first address
was made by A. l.. Robinson, who gave
vigorous expression to earnest sentiments
on the question. He characterized the
prison ring as leech on the state and
safeguard to public robbery. Hon. w. I'll.
Grimshaw of Minneapolis followed In
well-received address.
This question, he said, was one or the vital
issues of the day. There were over 2,OOo,OOO
idle men in the United States; wages are de-
creasiug and pauperism and crime increasing,
largely from the evil effects of convict and
contract labor There were many ways by
which convict labor could be employed ana
still not be brought into competition with the
honest industry of the state. All the con-
Victs of the country could restore the Ever
glades of Florida or dig the bed of the Misss-
Sppi twenty feet deeper. Organization was
the staff of the workingmau as well as the
chain which bound together mOnopolies, and
was the
GIBRALTAR OF CAPITAL.
Men should be sent TO congress who were alb
sOlutely opposed to convict labor. The labor
ing element should lobby for its bills as hard
as the railroad man. He suggested that
committee be appointed to see all architects
and endeavor TO persuade them to nave IL
clause introduced in all building contracts
providing that no prison work should be used
n N piOht-hOur
said that there were a few things that must be
accomplished before the republic would be
the glorious institution intended by It's
builders. These were the! abolition OF con-
Wet contract labor, governmental manage
ment OF railroads, the abolition of child labor,
the election of senators by the people, the
establishment of the eight-hour system and a
init to the amount of land that can be owned
by one person.
The second address of the evening was
made by q. A. Lafayette, who read the
names of those announced TO speak. and
called attention to the number of them
present On the question of the evening
he said that he did not favor keeping a
convict in idlenesS, but ii he could not
otherwise be kept from competition with
honest industry let them be idle. The
election of Senator Sabin was libel upon
the state The state prison ring was doing
what no other prison ring ever dared to do.
and that was to establish its agencies in all
the principal cities of the state.
SECRET AGENTS
were making contracts for the hardwood
finish of fine residences and offices. At the
last session of the legislature the prison
committee did not report back to the house
because it had received and accepted GER
tain promises and statements from Mr..
Brown, the receiver of the Car COM
pany. One of these promises was
that the competition with custom
work should be stopped. The
promise had been wholly disregarded. He
substantiated these statements by letter
from o. J. Evans of Minneapolis, MEN,
Der of that committee. The plan he sug
gested as substitute for the present one
was to have them pursue different indus
tries and let the proceeds go to the support
of the charitable Institutions of the st ate.
If there is a surplus of products put them
on the market at current prices. There
was nothing that could excuse the bringing
of convict labor into competition with the
honest labor of the state.
A few remarks were made by J. G. Co
heen and after the announcement that Aid
kan, one of the intended speakers, was
absent on pressing business. the meeting ad-
iOurueQ