New-York tribune., 1890-01-17
H4NDS orr me PERSONS.

Among the measures already introduced ~
Albany is one providing that the products oi
the labor of c0nyc,S shall not be brought INT"
competition with the products of free labor
Commenting upon thi, bill. "Thc Troy Press
an influential Democratic journal published at
the home OF the chairman of the Democratic
Committee, makes these remarks:
This prison labor question is not scttcG The
Juggling legislation Of last year leave, IL OPEN and tr
people are now awakened 90 the knowledge Of tie fact
that the men who helped introduce the present system
Of convict labor while fan Of prcic-on- 20 the CON
trary knew that IL would interfere with and hamper
am Industry ou which thou-id, of people depend iol
their living More lc,i-lation }, now in order
it j, to be hoped that the Prison Committee,
will report adversely upon all such legislation.
and that they Will be unanimously sustained
by the Senate and Assembly in 50 doing. The
report Of the superintendent Of Prisons, which
we lately printed. prove, conclusiycy that 'ho
new policy instituted under the law passed "'
the last session of the Legislature Is working
10 the advantage of all concerned. II does
well by the cOnyictS. it protects free labor, ana
il guard, the interests Of the state. In the
nature Of things no prison system can possibly
be devised which Will give perfect satisfaction
10 every one. The system now in force com
mend, itself to students OF the prison problem
and to prison officials. 1t is certainly the part
of common sense at least to give it fair trial
before tinkeling al it,.
The bill Of la,, year makes ample provisions
for accomplishing the object which thIs new
bill has in VicW--tO minimize the competition
of prison labor with free labor II is provided
in the bill Of 1889 that no contract shall bc
entered into By which the labor or time Of any
prisoner shall be Jet to contractors, and that
{" the total number Of prisoners employed AT one
time in manufacturing one kind Of goods which
are manufactured elsewhere in the state shall
not exceed per ccntum Of the number oi all
persons within the State employed in man
uiacturing the same kind of goods
eAccpt in industries in which not to exceed
fifty free laborcrS are cmpIoycd.' II Is FUR
thcr provided, with the same end III vlcW' mat
the prisoners shall manufacture such articles
as arc commonly needed in the public inStltu-
tionS Of this State. I'm addition there Is the
general provision that the Superintendent
"shalI select diversified lines OF industry with
reference to interfering as little as possible
with the same lines OF industry carried on by
the citizens of this State
III Is cleaf from all thlS thdt uhuer the eAiSi-
ing law outside labor can have no reason 10
complain of prison labor. The people demand
that the prisoners be kept employed, and that
the prisons be managed so that they shall not
be what they have been of latc-a heavy pub
lie burden. Since the cOnyict-la system
was abolished by a popular vote the prisons
have been a source of general dissatisfaction
They have been managed in way which
pleased nobody, which dcmorazed the prison
crS, and which has taken hundreds Of thou
sands Of dollars out OF the State Treasury
At last, however, we have practical law
which promises the best results all around. 1t