The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1888-09-12
A Mechanics Ideas.

"A Mecnam1c7S IGeaSs
have never ventilated my brain in THE
MIRROR but in one short paragraph. One
of my reasons for not doing so was fear of
incompetency, and another reason is, l have
been here so long that l am little cranky.
But this is no bar to writing on the contract
system. Observer is responsible for the
rash act. So, l mount my fendish anar-
chistc hobby and attack Observer right
where he llves-in his aerial castle. Now,
Observer. what do you want this third party
here for? l mean the contractors. What
did they ever do for the convict? l have
seen them charge S11 for single days
work that l did for outside parties. Did
they thank me for it? No; they paid the
state forty five cents and the state paid me
nine, providing behaved myself. This is
one of the beauties of the late lamented
system; and if a man earned five dollars a
day for ten years, and then failed to keep it
up, the foreman under whom he worked
would want him put in the dungeon till he
learned to attend to business. The contract
system places the convict between two
fires. 1t makes species of wild boar of
| HiIll-HC ID cNcIy uOuy mcdC, tlIu IL uC
stops to gather few acOrnS to prOlOng
life. he is sure to be depredating Oh some
ones private ground. The nobility turn
out en- masse and the first thing he knows
he is in the cooler. A man may be able to
do half a mans work, he is sent to shop,
the foreman takes in the situation and
gives the man the meaneSt job he has, so
he will have to be sicklisted till he is able
to do a full days work. The chances for
learning trade are not as good under the
contract system. Citizens come in here and
fill the soft places, and insist on cOnvictS
being their helpers, even if the convict be
four times as good workman. They succeed
in this because the foreman has more power
over them. He can discharge them at will
but he can't always get the convict in the
hole when he wants to. So, to eaven up he
gives the convict the mean work. In fact
l do not know of any advantages for the
convict under the system, lest it is the op-
pOrtunity to steal the stub of candle to
write such a scrap as this by.
| Now. Observer, let us look to the states
interest little. Suppose. as you predict
the state account system does fail. can it
be any worse for the state than the old sys-
tenn. that has not paid expenses by forty
five or fifty thousand dollars per year for
the past fourteen years? Suppose the new
system does not do any better than the
first, there is chance to improve. The
old system offered no chance to improve.
The price of labor was fixed, and the only
chance for the Warden was to make every
man work every day, and cut off his food.
light and clothing. if he did what was eX-
pected of him by the people of the state.
The new arrangement ought to change all
| that and give the state at least the same
| interest in the convict that a farmer has to
keep his horse in condition to earn the most
money, and be better natured about it.
You say the present undertaking will be a
failure. Perhaps it will. 1t is now day
old and can hardly be accused of meddling.
for do not know whether it has been de-
termined what business to go into, but have
heard Sash, Door and Blinds mentioned and
that is the business | would have selected.
1t is a good trade for the convict to learn,
and this the best locality in the state for
that business. Logs may be purchased in
| the water but few steps from the gate,
drawn out and piled up for winter use, and
sawed into such lumber as we want in the
| yard. We can make our own saw mill,
and have good foundation for it near the
| big engine. The dust and slabs will fur
nish fuel for electric light and heating
PURPOSES and thus save that enormous eX-
pense 1t will drive no small concerns out
of business for the large lumber firms have
done that already, and if the state gives
them rub who cares. The Chair, Table
and Bedstead business is good trade.
There are four railroads running out of
this city through the hardwood forests.