Great Falls weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1894-1???, 1895-09-20
LABOR.

PRISON LABOR.
The subject of the proper treatment
of inmates of the ~penitentiaries has long
engaged the attention of public philan-
thropists, and much has been said and
written about it. In the opinion of many
penal punishment can oe made a Pc
Rod of quasi reformation, if the criminal
is willing to be reformed. In accordance
with this feeling the old and horrible
system of solitary confinement gave
place to exacting from prisoners labor
during their incarceration. 1t must have
been a welcome relief to those who were
inmates of prisons, especially for long
periods. This system, however, soon be-
came a matter of abuse, and OF serious
injustice to honest workingmen. In the
large prisons of the east, the labor of the
convicts was leased to the highest bid
der, and by the introductionof machinery,
coupled with the cheap prison labor,
the contractor was enabled to enter into
@ruinous competition with the regular
manufacturers in several industries.
The evil became 80 crying that leglsla-
ton was invoked to suppress, or at least
to reduce, it to a minimum in most OF
| the states, though IN some it is etlll IN
vogue 1t can hardly be disputed that
the state has no Just reason for permit
ting its criminal classes to work a detri'
ment to honest free labor, and that is
what the prison contract system does.
On the other hand, every weIl-thinklng,
intelligent man will agree that the en-
forced idleness of prisoners is at once a
wrong to the criminals and to the tax
payere. There is a certain class Of work
about all penal institutions in ali the
states that can and should be performed
by the inmates and that would not IN
~terfere with the legitimate rights OF The
honest men. Thus far in Montana no
effort has been made to utilize the labor
of the convicts and they spend he long
DAYS in idIenese. These thoughts are
suggested by the recent remarks OF
Judge DuBoee in sentencing to death
Gavotte, convicted of murder. 1T appears
that the mar had previously served d
term Of one year in tho peni.entlary 1ol
assault, and after referring to this the
iudge said: when the court remembers
that fact he cannot help but think thai
your death upon the scalfold will be The
direct result Of the atrOciOus penlten
tiary laws of Montana, which coiniat {
man who has committed a first ollenst
TO be incarcerated in the penltentlary II
idieness aud in the company OF hardened
criminals. Instead of tho law dilutinl
the criminal instincts of unfortunate be
lngs like yourself with good principles,
affords the opportunity fol- hardened
criminals to teach you TO believe tina
there is something grand in 4 life o
crime; that idlAness is happiness, AM
} that criminal notoriety is fame. II you
DEATH continued the judge, fixing hi
eyes on the prisoner, "if your death aid
= III ING ltdEL III Cbl iCLtibS io VA Va e'A
1 law, then you will not have died it vain.
This is a remarkable statement to b
I uttered by d Judge upon such ii solem
f occasion. 1t demonstrates that in hi
opinion tho existing law of the stat
which does not permit the employment
at some class of labor, OF prisoners is a
f iudefeusibly wrong. Coming FROM sue
e a source the opinion is worthy OF conslt
Grafton. 1t does not follow that the col
G victs should be allowed to engage
y skilled occupations, the %productof whie
d would be inimical to the honest classe
but it suggests that there should !
It found a way to make them work.
the plan were adopted, it might n
Is make better men of them; it could n
make them worse. The innovation
'c worthy of consideration and of a serio