The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1889-02-28
Five Gents.
FEanlInOn, the Gauge.


"The senate committee on prison labor
have reported favorably Oh bill, which, if
passed. will result in return to the con-
tract system, . and it will be dole in
spite of the fact that the refOrmatOry feature
of prison confinement is almost entirely
eliminated when the cOnvictS are sold to a
contractor who has no other interest in them
except to get the largest amount of money
possible out Of them" Who is to blame,
| when the convict is given over to the con.
tractor? Could not the state regulate this
contract system, 50 as to retain sufficient
control of the convict for all refOrlnative
purposes? 1t seems to me that if the state
| really meant business, such system would
be possible. 1t would indeed. be strange
if the contractors would not try to get the
| largest amount of money possible out of
the convicts. Is it not the same with all
contractors and employers in and out OF
prison? If the state had the working OF
The prisoners. would she d fer in this re-
spect. The convict advocates of public
account would leave money out of the
| question and so would |, but look up all
that has been said by outsiders, on both
Sides and you will find that MammOn is
the grand principle of debate, and that
reform" ''Outside competition" ETC., are
only catch vote issues. The prevailing idea
among the imaginative cOnvictS is. that
| under the pubic account system. the con-
vict will receive all he earns and pay for
his own support. This sounds we'll but
what does it mean. 1t does not mean as
some think, that each individual would pay
for his board and clothes. but that the con-
vict would pay the running expenses Of the
prison, salaries of officials. fuel. light,
board and clothing for self and the drOnes.
unable to earn the same. and then, provided
there was nothing else, he might retain the
balance. Thanks! l for one. prefer nothing:
for my labor, for under that system l would
have to remit my wages to the prison for
two or three years after leaving here, in
order to square accounts with the state.
but you could learn trade under the
public account SYSTEM" l forgot about
that,
Believe me or not but study it out for
yourself, and you will find that the god of
the present age is MammOn. Public account
is beautiful in theory and could it be so prac-
ticed l would be the first to advocate it's
adoption, but will never say word in its
favor as long as the lawmakers have any
idea of making the penal institutions pay.
Even the cOnvictS who advocate the public
account plan in THE MIRROR recognize
that money" is their best argument, e. G:
cit is inconsistent with all sense and reason
that convict labor should bet Utilized for
the purpose of enriching the Golfers of the
contractors or mUnOpOlieS to the detriment of
the state treasury" If the writer's heart
trembleS over the prospective vacuty of the
state treasury, he will be pleased to learn
that q. S. Labor Commissioner Wright, to
whom Tammany refers us for a full digest
OF the subject tells us that. financially con-
Sidered the contract system is far better for
the state than either the public account or
piece price plan. Another writer opposed
to the contract system recognizes money
as his best argument, but fails to lay the
wrong in his case. at the right door. He
says: While did so per cent. more work
in one day than did citizen. who worked
by my side and received 81, per day, the
state never received one cent for my labor
because | was OH the intirm list" Who is
to blame for this state of affairs? Is it not
the state? If this man was too intirm to be
paid. he was too intirm to be worked on the
contract: it. and not the contractors was to
be cenSured for the irregularity.
Don't make any mistake as regards my
position. l am not in love with the con-
tract SYSTEM but as carried on in this state,
l fail to see its evils. admit that the public
account theory" is very beautiful; but it
has ever been true, that in practice we fall
far short of our ideal: and there is no reason
to believe that the labor question will prove
an exception to the rule. PHOENIX.