Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-05-10
SAY IT'S A SHAME
What Local CIothiers Think
Of the Convict Contract
IT MEANS POLITICAL SUICIDE
The Board Has Placed Itself in Direct
Opposition to Free Labor-rhe Work
Must Necessarily Be Inferior.

Several prominent Grand Rapids
clo,hiers and merchant taiiors have
been interviewed relative to the recent
action Of the board OF management OF
the Soldiers home in awarding the
contract fos furnishing clothing for the
veterans to the states prison at Jack
son. Appended are some OF these
opinions:
c. II. Bodenste,n of Bodensteln Bros.
The soldiers home board has placed
itself in direct opposition TO Tree LABOR
anu the trade IN general. The eompe-
tltlon Is direct and 50 unequal that We
cannot hope to meet II. At the present
tine the board has contracts with
prison labor At Clinton, y. Y, and
loniA. 1t isn't right TO treat Grand
Rapids and Michigan merchants IN any
SUCH fashion- IL u . very poor SORT OF
economy at best. 80 apprentice labor,
such as will 10 employed 1t the prison,
cannot DO a. good work - skilled free
labor. They may obtain just IS good
cloth, but they cannot do as good
work.
Joseph Houseman. of Houseman,
Donnelly q Jones-My opinion 10 that
the board has perfect right, ~ . state
board, To place Its contracts with the
state institutions, but il has no right 10
ask US. who employ free labor, to COM
pete with convict labor. do not for
an instant question the moral right OF
the board to do ~ II has, but | say
that il 10 poor business policy and abso-
lutte political suicide.
shame aud Outrage.
A. May of the Giant-I think as long
as il Is not part OF their business to
make clothing there that it will not be
satisfactory TO either party. And ]
question If there will be . saving TO the
state.
&c. Levi Of the Star-I think it a
shame that prison made goods should
be allowed to como in competition with
honest labor. IL is . shame and an
outrage.
Erastus Shattuck of Pierce Bros. &
Shattuck-l think the action Of the
board was perfectly right. It was their
duty to award the contract to the
lowest bidder. The state has . lot of
men under its care and it ought to have
the right TO clothe them from its own
products. That is about the only way
] can look at the matter. Those men
at Jackson and tho old soldiers are
both supported by the state, and If one
eau clothe the other that much ex-
pense 10 saved to tho people. Turning
to Colonel Pierce, one OF the firm. he
said, Don't you look at 1t in that
light. Coloncla' "I don't see how il
can be considered otherwise" replied
the colonel.
Made q Mistake.
F. NJ. Williams--I think the board OF
nianagers made mistake in awarding
tha contract 70 the state prison. A
great many people are opposed to
prison mace goods, besides we have
hrms in this city who are able to fill the
contract and have done 20 previously
ia q satisfactory manner. The Soldiers
home is q charitable institution eetab-
lished for the protection Of the nations
defenders. The veterans are not pau
pers. They should not DC subjected to
the humility Of wearing the products
of convict labor. am not particularly
interested ia tho matter because my
business would not permit me to bid on
the contract, but there are other firms
here who are interested. This one act
of the board viii! cost the democratic
party many votes this fall and it will
wish there was never such thing as Q
prison contract. The prison should not
have been admitted - competitor
for the contract.