The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1891-09-11

SUCH al eAGenG as 10 urlVe all OGu6rS
engaged in them outof the business.
The cooperage business of Chicago
was almost destroyed, and the bus
mess Of the stove factories in Ore
gon are said to have been broken
up. Penologists say that this sys-
tenn is a disadvantage to reforma-
tory efforts, because the convict is
under the supervision of the con-
tractors employees, who are looking
only at the amount of work that can
be done, and not the good of the
criminal. They claim that all the
prison operationssh should beentirely
in the hands of the States officers,
who are responsible to the people
for the faithful execution Of their
trust.
Under the piece-price system the
contractor furnishes the materials
for manufacturing to the prison Of
fcials, who return the completed
work to the contractor at a given
sum per piece.
The advantages of this system
are that the contractors have moth
ing to do with the convicts, leaving
them to work within the prison
walls under the supervision of the
State officials. This satisfies the
prison reformer, but there is the
same competition in prices Of goods
and amount of sales as under the
contract system.
Under the State-account system
the State works and controls its pris-
oners, and the profits which result
from their labor 90 into the State
treasury, and not to an individual,
company, Incorporation. The pris-
on reformer does not object to this
system, because the convicts are I'M
der State control entirely, and no
outside influences are brought to
bear upon them; but to make fl
nancial success it is necessary to
have practical, capable business
men to conduct the various indus
tries, and it is difficult to find men
who are capable of filling the duty
Of warden and at the same time SUI
perintending the manufacturing in
dustries so the State incurs no risk
of losing.
Under this system the labor in
} come has met about 80 per cent. Of
the running expenses, but many
States, through the maladminstra,
ton of wardens, have lost heavily
The chief disadvantage to this sys-
tenn is, again, the competition in
prices and sales Of convict-madt
goods and goods manufactured by
free labor. 1t issaid that the State
not being compelled to makeprofits
can put its goods on the market a
a lower price than under any Other
system, and, therefore, the mos
, hurtful competition in pricesis pro
duced.
, The lease system brings more rev
/ enue into the State thar any other
relieving it of all business risk anC
expense, and paying a surplus int
the treasury,
5 The disadvantages Of this system
} are great. Thelessee usuallyselect
9 some one industry upon which Il
concentrate his forces, and thereb,
, becomes the agent of the creates
/ competition, and the burden ismad'
= to rest upon the one industry or few
industries selected. Again, it is i'm
possible to classify the criminal ac
cording to the degree of his crime
to separate the younger criminal
a from those more hardened in crime
and put around them the proper re
formatory influences. This is tn
q system of Alabama, Arkansas, Flor
ida, Georgia, Louisiana, Tennessee
Kentucky, Mississippi, North Car
DINA, South Carolina, Washington
r Nebraska, and New Mexico; mos
. of the other States work under th
: three systems jointly, the State-ac
3 count, contract, and piece-price
I only two Arizona and California
I working wholly on State account
! and five { Rhode Island, Maryland
q Virginia, West Virginia and De
! kota) working exclusively unde
!, contractsystem; and all have trout
q lie on account of competition wit
. free labor causing reduction i
prices and in wages Of laborers.
J. The States which diversity thei
/ systems and industries succeed bes
W in reducing this competition.