The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1890-10-30
Prison Sunday.

congregations upon the various phases of
the prison reform question. 1t is to be sup
posed that these talks to the people will do
much to awaken more general and active
interest in the prison and prisoners. At
the Peoples church in St. Paul four prom
inent gentlemen, ex-GOv. A. r. McGill,
Judge John F. Norrsh. Labor Commits
delivered short addresses. The main ques-
tiOns discussed were: THE Contract Sys-
TEN versus the State Account" 1.-THE Eff
feet of Convict Labor Upon Free Labor;'
vcts?" The following is the portion of ex-
Gov. McGlPs address as it is given in the
Pioneer Press:
GOV. MGILL'S ADDRESS.
! Prisoners have as well defined rights as
freemen." said the speaker. Not as
many. to be sure, but nevertheless rights.
They have the right to be punished accord
ing to law for the crimes they have COM
mtted. This does not seem great priv
iege. but it is one. The immutable laws of
justice forbid their cruel and inhuman
treatment. and there is nothing in the laws
Of man to warrant it. All laws are sup
posed to be founded in justice. Therefore,
prisoners have the lawful right to just treat
ment. This does not imply that they are
to be fOndled and petted. by any means.
have but little sympathy with that gush-
ing sentimentality SO often evinced by
amiable people for criminals. simply be-
cause they are criminals. Crime should be
punished and must be if we would preserve
public morality and decOrum. Let the
punishment be certain-Swift if you please
but not cruel or unjust. Prisoners detect
cruelty as readily as other people, and re,
sent it as warmly. Notwithstanding their
crimes they retain an appreciative sense of
juStice-in fact have sometimes thought
that this sense is made more acute by their
Imprisonment and the contemplation of
their nisdeeds.
But the contract system, as has already
been said. is bad one. i. e., the system
which sells the labor of prisoners to outside
parties who buy it for what money there is
in it. We all admit nowadays that slavery
is an evil. no matter what our political af-
filiatOn may be. But this selling of pris
oners is slavery with good many added
horrors. My own judgment is that the
system should be abolished throughout the
entire cOuntry-in every state. In some
states the evils as above set out have been
very much mitgated. In Minnesota. for
instance, no special cruelties have resulted
from it. but the system was repealed here
notwithstanding, by our state legislature at
the session of 1887. out Of Difference to the
demands of the labor organizations of the
state.
The conditions in Minnesota and in the
South are very different, and much better
results could be obtained here than there
under the same system. If sufficiently OBJ
jectiOnable, therefore, here to call for its
abOlshment how loud must be the call
there. The question is whether our South
ern friends will hear the call. l take the
ground that punishment is something that
cannot properly be delegated. Labor is a
part of the punishment of prisoners and is
imposed by the same sentence which de-
prives them of liberty. The state stands in
the attitude of guardian and is responsible
for their care and treatment as well as for
their punishment. Its duty to them is one
it cannot in honor shirk. The prisoner
who has been sold by the state-fOr the
selling of his labor and the delivery of his
person is tantamOunt to sale of his being
feels that he has been wrOnged. that the
state has been unjust to him and that in
stead of reaching to him a helping hand to
lift him back to respectable citizenship has
loosed its obligation to him and tried to
shirk it's just responsibility. No doubt
right at this point may be found the reason
with many prisoners for abandoning we'll
considered resolutions to reform and lead
better lives. You may say the reason is
not good one. No matter; if it operated
to prevent reform it should be removed.
The state should be big enough and strong
enough and just enough to impose its own
punshments instead of farming them out
to the highest bidder.
The opposition to the contract system by