Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1891-12-30

small revenue.
The states, at least some of them
exercise toward their convicts tn,
greatest possible consideration. TIL,
penitentiaries are palaces, such as poor
men, who obey the law, cannot expect
to inhabit The inmates of these pa
latial institutions are provided with an
abundance of wholesome food, vel
cooked and served at regular hours
They are in many instances supplied
with books; the most skillful physicians
are employed TO look after their health
and ministers of the gospel are called
to attend to their spiritual wants
Regular hours are observed, cleanli
ness commanded, and sanitary science
is called upon to protect the criminals
against disease.
We have on our tables the reports OF
two penitentiaries, having 1919 prison
ers- OF these 1,230 are employed in
various manufacturing establishments,
and the wages the contractors pay for
their labor is given as follows:
In tine manufacture of hollow ware
$50 men were employed, 100 at 60 cents
a day. 100 at IS cents a day and so at
40 Osnts day.
100 men were employed at SIS cents a
day.
In the manufacture of brush and
wire goods 100 men were employed at
43 cents day.
In the manufacture of cooperage 1875
men were employed at 90 cents day,
and % at 90 cents day.
In the manufacture of chairs, frames
and furniture $50 men were employed
at 90 cents a day, and so at So cents a
day.
In the manufacture of boots and
shoes $50 men were employed at So
cents day.
In the manufacture of knitted fabrics
200 men were employed at 4s cents a
day.
In the manufacture of harness 25
men were employed at As cents dav
and rs at 4S cents day. There are
seven different prices paid, ranging
from 40 cents to 80 cents day, as fol-
lows: go, So, So, 4S, As and 40, the aver
age being 40 81 cents day.
The cost of maintaining the convicts
is set down at about 80 cents a day;
hence, the profit per day for each man
is say II cents day for the state. 1t
will be seen, therefore, that the profit
to the state would be $50, 700 year.
Assuming that tho labor performed
by these prisoners at 40 cents a day is
worth outside of prison walls 81. 25 a
day, it is seen that the contractors OBJ
tain convict labor at 76 cents a day less
than honest labor is worth 1t follows.
therefore, that while those who employ
honest workingmen equal to the num-
Der of the employed convicts of the
penitentiaries referred to, viz: |, 23O at
Sl.25 day each, or 1887. so day for
the whole number, the prison contract
ors would pay 40 cents day, each, or
for l, $50, $500 20 a day, a clear gain to
the contractors of 81, O34 80 a day, and
for year of 800 working days, $50 400.
With such a margin of profit it is
seen how prison manufactured wares
can be placed upon the market in COM
petition with goods manufactured by
honest men, and while making a profit
for the contractors utterly destroy the
trade of honest men and force them in
to idlenessL
Here it is seen that the state and the
contractors make a clear profit off con-
Wet labor in one year, amounting to
1871, 100, the state receiving $50, 700 and
the contractors $40, 400, the total rep
resenting a profit resulting from the
reduction of wages.
In support of this policy a variety of
reasons are assigned: First, that the
state needs the revenue to tighten the
burdens of taxation; second, that the
health of convicts demand that they
should be employed.
Manifestly the state needs revenue,
blu there can arise no contingency
which warrants the manufacture of
goods by convicts, which forces honest
men into idleness. want beggary and
crime, which is just what a state does
when it hires out its convicts at 40 cents
a day to perform labor worth to an
honest man Ito put it low 81. 25 day.
A state that pursues such a policy
| multiplies criminals and populates its
penal institutions. 1t is a policy that
wrecks honest homes, breaks up fam
lilies, makes tramps of husbands and
fathers, and creates conditions for
mothers and children worse than death.
We are not unmindful of the floods of
| sympathetic gush bestowed upon GRIM
inals, relating to their health and spirit
ual condition. We are not unmindful
of what pseudo philanthropists say and
do for the reformation of criminals.
Nor are we unmindful of the fact, HUI
initiating as it is, that while weak-eyed
and weak-kneed philanthropy expends
itself upon criminals, it is seldom heard
| advocating the rights of honest men
who are the victims of heartless en-
ployers, and who are compelled to
work for wages which affords them
less comforts than fall to the lot of
criminals.
If the question is asked, who should
be idle, the convict or the honest work.
ingman who is trying, amidst the sacri-
hces which poverty entails, to rear his
family as becomes an American citizenp
we say every time and thousand
times, the criminal. If some one is to
be kept healthy by work, in the name
of justice let it be the honest man.
We do not object to reforming crimi-
mails, but we object to reforming pol
icy which creates more criminals than
it reforms There is little hope for a
criminal, but there are boundless pos
sibilities in this favored land for honest
men, and the state should do nothing
which directly or remotely places OBJ
stacles In the way of an honest, law
abiding career. To do this-to make
crime PAYS economic infamy, an ex.
hibition of mercenary greed that
blotches to detestation a civilization
forever boasting of its Christian adorn-
mentS
Suppose, by some inscrutahle decree,
the 45,233 criminals in the penitentia-
ries of the United States should all die
in one day; would the nation mournP
Would flags float at half-mastP Would
gloom, like a pail, cover the land? We
do not surmise that such would be the
record. Just so many enemies of soci-