Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-03-30
CONVICT IDLENEss AND FREE LABOR

All Intelligent correspondents OF the
RECORD UNION discusses with remarkable
lucidity the problem of prison labor,
largely from the standpoint of the con-
clusions of Herbert Spencer, but with
original force and clearness. The writer
defines the issue between the RECORD
UNION and the Trades Unions, and COM
mends the attitude of the RECORD UNION.
He furnishes text for the correction OF
some Misrepresentation in the following:
With the moral side of the question, which
colors the editorial of the RECoRp-U MON the
Trades Unions do not concern themselves,
clamoring for the adoption of their resolutions
on economical grounds alone.
There is a very large class of we'll
meaning men who are constantly pluming
themselves upon being practical, and de-
nouncing those who see beyond the limits
OF their vision as impractical The So
called practical man who declares that he
has nothing to do with the moral issues
presented by any question, that he is tax
ing practical view, simply proves the
limitation of his range OF vision. Such
an one may, without further inquiry, be
set down as having seen the material side
Of the question. A practical fruit-grower
may be said to be one who digs in the
earth, roots up weeds, prunes trees-but
there are other aspects Of fruit-growing
than lis industrial phase. There is
merchandising side of the ac-
count there are questions of
competition between fruit as food use and
fruit as a luxury; there are broad ques-
tons of dietetics, relative to the superior
value OF fruit as human food, and on and
beyond this there are political and social
questions which intertwine themselves
with the question of fruit-growing and
wine-growing, and their practicability as
found in the latest analysis The men
who, therefore, plume themselves as hav
ing mastered the practical phases of the
question, simply prove that they have OBJ
tanned but limited and partial view of
subject. To justify these structures, let
us take the matters under consideration,
not because the correspondent from whose
article the quotation is made comes within
the list Of those who do not concern them
selves with the moral phase of this cues
tion, hnt because he has formulated with
considerable clearness the supposed issue
between the penologists and the State
Jailer.
The Trades Unions are represented to
be clamoring for the adoption of their
resolutions on economical grounds alone.
The shoemaker, the stone-cutter, the cab
inet-maker, the carpenter, and all other
artisans are members of society. The
value Of their labor is dependent upon the
moral condition of society in which they
live. This is not a theory; il is fact, as
practical, as hard, as obdurate and as rigid
as block OF granite 1t will be contro-
verified only by people who have but a
partial view OF the subject. The preva-
lenee Of crime the uncertainty of titles,
the instability of government. the bad adj
ninistrstion of government, legislative
extravaganza, executive habbiness, yenal-
ity, bossism, and all other forms of crime
against society entail loss Of value
each Individual member of society. \
mans labor is worth more 10 him in high
stale IF civilization than in low state.
With the advancement of civilization the
value Of industrial skill rises, and with its
recession it recedes. The cost of main
tanning government is charged against the
actus! labor of the country; by this we
mean the manual labor Of the country
Lei Us make this clear. If it costs the
State Of California 100000 year to
maintain It's prisons under the present
State .jailer policy, that is to say, the
policy Of corralling the convicted erimi-
nails Of sogaetv and holding them in con-
finement-if it costs 100000 per year the
actual manual labor pays it. To the
superficial view property pays it, but
obvious appearances must always be read
backwards To uninformed observation
the earth is the center OF the universe, and
the sun and stars revolye around it, but
the supposition that the cost of maintain
ing criminals is charged against the tax
able property of the State is quite as far
from the truth as the old geocentric sys-
tenn of astronomy. The merchant charges
to the value of his goods the rent, the gas,
the clerks hire, the State, county
and municipal taxes, and the wearer
OF his goods pays these taxes in
the purchase price Of the article.
The retail merchant pays the wholesale
merchants taxes in the payment of the
first cost, and the purchaser OF suit of
clothes finds charged TO that suit of clothes
the taxes of the manufacturer, the jobber,
and the retailer. The manufacturer
charges against the profit and loss of his
account his State, county and municipal
taxes. If the cost of the wares he is pro-
ducing will not carry this load, he takes it
out of labor by reduction of the rate of
wages. In short, the manufacturer charges
ali the cost Of doing business to the wares
he produces, and the payment of taxes is a
part Of the cost, just as much part as the
material used in the manufacture of the
wares, or as the labor bill paid, or as the
rent, or as the interest on the capital en-
ployed. Hence, when the wares go forth
10 the consumer, they 90 forth loaded with
the taxes the manufacturer has paid. The
occupations among men which cannot es-
cape this taxation are those pursued by
the employed class. 1t is charged to them
inevitably in one of two ways: either by
reduction Of the rate of their wages, or an
advance in the price Of everything they
consume The rate of taxes influences the
rent rate, influences the rate OF interest,
the cost of wearing apparel, the cost OF
lessons, the cost of education; in fact the
entire cost of living has charged against 1t
L