The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-10-27
CONTRACT PRISON LABOR IN
INDIANA.

When Thomas Taggart put into his
dictated letter to Democratic workers
the words. Republicans in Indiana
pledge the repeal of the labor laws he
knew that he was telling a whole-cloth
lie; this word is used because no other
expresses the quality of the falsity Of
his statement. He knows that the Re-
pubiicans are pledged to nothing of the
kind-nothing approaching 1t.
One of the bills which organized labor
pressed before the last Legislature pro-
hibited the letting of convict labor to
contractors to be used in manufacturing
competing with free labor. The bill
further provided that onvict labor
should be employed in manufacturing
the clothing and other articles for the
various penal and charitable institutions
of the State. and the residue sold in
the open market at ruling market prices.
That was one of the most sensible and
practical plans ever suggested for the
disposition of convict labor and the pro-
ceeds of it. Was it enacted? Not a bit
of it. 1t was introduced early in the
session. referred to the House labor
committee, and after being reported
back favorably was sent TO the ways
and means committee. 1t died there at
the last House.
Why was this? Because the Demo-
cratic managers of the prisons opposed
1t. as did other party leaders. In the
southern prison the warden had sold the
labor of about s~eventy-hve convicts TO
the lowest bidder, to be employed in
making saddle trees. That contract is
labor being less than one-third the wages
of a decently paid free workman in the
same employment. The result Is that
this contractor controls the market for
that kind of goods. Part of the surplus
labor in that prison has been put at
brick-making, and the result is nearly
every private brickmaker has been
Vile. 1t has been stated time and again
in the news items of several papers
from Michigan City that a bicycle man
ufacturer has contracted for the labor
OF a considerable number of convicts to
make such carriages. At a low price,
so near the great market of Chicago,
the machines of such a contractor must
come IN open competition with those of
manufacturers all over the country, but
particularly in indianapolis and like
cities. When the Cleveland disaster
came to the country in November, 1892,
several hundred people found employ
ment in bicycle factories and the selling
of Indianapolis bicycles. In a year the
construction fell off one-half. 1t might
pick I'D some now, but so long as con-
victs are employed at less han one
lhird the wages which should be paid
to a mechanic working on bicycles in
this city the business will be an uphill
enterprise. There is reason to believe
that there are many such contracts
for Indiana prison labor. the result of
which is to place convict-made goods
on the market at prices with which no
outsider can compete and pay decent
wages. 1t was the influence of the Dem
ocratic managers and their favorite con-
tractors which strangled the bill of or
ganized labor in the last Legislature.
In contrast with such action is that
of the Republican constitutional con-
vention in New York In submitting to
the people a constitutional proposition
to prohibit the letting of prison labor
nv oonfroof