The state chronicle. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1883-1893, 1889-05-03
CONVICT LABOR.
AN ARGUMENT AGAINST USING 1T
IN MAKING SHOES
A Reply to 4 Asricola's Article and a Pro-
test A against the Plan Pursued hy the
Penitentiary Board


more Shoe and Leather Co. However. |
had no Intention of taking part in the dis
cuSslon till | read the communication in
your issue of April 18th, from Agrcola
have been hoping that some one more
apie tran myself and accustomed 10 the
discussion of public issues would answer
nlm, as he deserves to be. But as TO one
has as yet, that [ know Of, | Will attempt
to call attention to a few facts concerning
the shoe industry in North Carolina.
The North Carolina shoe is a speciality
and as such has won meritcd reputation
III our State, and this reputation has been
won with honest free labor. By making
and keeping these shoes q speciality by viz
tue OF their quality, the competition with
the cheap Massachusetts work is largely
evaded, bat there is strict competition be
tween the home factories. There is a much
better profit to the manufacturer and re
tan merchant III cheap shoes than there is
IN better grades, but our State factories
90 not dare make them. Our people DO
not mind being swindled by cheap North
ern work, but they will not tolerate il tor
moment in our home factories nave
heard on good authority that the largest
and most prosperous shoe factory ever
operated in this State lost its trade and
closed down within six mon hs after il
thus the North Carolina manufacturer
must make an honest, reliable shoe Al
such shoes are made on short profits un-
less there is q special advantage gained Dv
convict labor. Not only does the North
Carolina manufacturer make them Oh q
small profit but the North Carolina mar-
chant makes less on them than on anv
other grade Of shoes he sells For the evi-
denca of this statement | refer your read
erS to the merchants of our State who
handle them. There are several reasons
for this. Principal among which is lack
OF diversity in style coupled with The uni
form quality has made the homo-tanuod
shoe staple article wherever it mas been
introduced. Then where is the profit in
the North Carolina shoe! There is a prof
IL 1t to the manufacturer, the mechanic
the merchant, bat the largest profit is to
th> man who wears it. Tie farmers who
buy most Of these shoes get the biggest
profit N them
Honest competition between the several
factories in North Carolina has reduced
prices as low as the manufacturer can 20
and do justice 10 the laboring men, with
their present capacity
All the principal factories in the State
are now preparing to increase their pro
duction by introducing nore and better
machinery. And jnst in the dst&n of their
prosperity there comes Z CRY from the
East, ''The Big Radical White Elephant"
Is not self sustaining, and as q remedy r@e
cOGv!cts mnst be nired 10 wealthy cor
poratlon Il fifty cents per day and fine
DrlCk ffa Tory With ample rooms for of er5-
ton ana storage thrown III Wrh the~
advantages what is to hinder the Wrro1st
Shoe ana Leather Company from clo-lu.
every other shoe factory IN North Carroll
na and having = monopoly OF a specially
which honest capital and labor O oLrotal
has created1 Then would the convict fac
cory be apt to be run in the interest of
the farmers and mechanics of North Car
olina?'
Let rs see How was it when W. i
Wetmore 4 Co, operated with go. victs 4
few years ago, and had a monopoly OF Tie
home made shoe. The very same style
and grade Of shoes solo by that firm then
are sold by the factories IL North Carroll
Ma to-day, that are using well paid honest
labor from ten TO fifteen CeDtS less pc"
pair. Says Agr!cola, Il viii ventlr3 the
assertion that there are not one Thousand
shoemakers in North Carolina, and fer
fear OF offending these our authorities are
afraid to permit the making Of shoes in
the P2niteutiary Oh a large scale, which
would benefit the other ,499 900 North
Carolinians." That is to say the mechan-
les of North Carolina should hold them
selves and their trades IL readiness to go
West or go TO work at so cents per DAY at
! he bid Of the authorities Of the Big Rad
ical White ELEPHANT
Again, says Agricola, ''If the whole If
the convicts in the PeDitentary we're put
TO making shoes and we're to make seven
pair each per day, they would furnish the
people of North Caroline with only two
noJt Il h, Hr
would then have pretty fair shoe trade
in North Carolina. Why not do iJ.and
disregard the Knights Of Labor threats
which the politician 50 much breads, sell
the shoes at low prices and to North Caro-
linians and thus benefit orr ''hOnC indus
tries the farmers, mechanics. labOrers
and all North Carolnians." Thus bene-
fit home industries " Had that expression
come from one of the convictS we could
have understood it. That is to say, take
d mans trade away from hinl and sell him
saoes at monopoly prices as recompeDa3
| for his loss. That theory of benfittIng
! home industries reminds me Of the man
who educated his horse to live without
eating, ard whe0 asked how he succeeded
said ''buily, if he hadn't died just as he
| was lacnt."
| The logic and practical outcome Of one
successful farmers advice 10 the State, if
| carried INTO effect, is simply this: To make
farm hands of the one thousand shoe
makers III North Carolina and mechanics
| of the one thousand rasCals in the Peui-
tentiary. The shoe industry in North
Carolina is now in its infancy, but bids
fair, if it is not checked by unjust comQe
titlon, to become d more important and
profitable one. Since the PenItentary
was vacated by w. H. Wetmore 81 Co,
several shoe factories have been started IN
this State with capacities ranging from
twelve to three hundred pairs per day.
And in the face Of this fact | ask is there
any economy, any reason, any justice III
such doctrine as is advocated by Agrcola.
and is being practically carried out by the
State l know it is advocated that the
| shoes made Ia the Penitentiarv are to be
sold out of the State, but | do not believe
there is any such stipnlations il the con
tract, and the company is at liberty to sell
their shoes wherever they can.
Again, to the conv'cts. Agricola in
forms US they wee not all lawyers,
preachers, nor gentlemen Of leisure before
they became wards of the STATE" but
''some few at least were farmers, ruechan-
les, &c, did they not compete with honest
free labor!" Yes, but did they not 90 il
at honest free labor prices? Where is the
mechanic outside of the walls of the Peni-
tentiary that works for fifty cents per day
CnDtjDuaS 4 ACrricoia sTIs not r.,JlrN4I bUT i