The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-03-10
THE PROJECT OF THE STATE PRIS-
ONS COMMITTEE CHARACTER
lied AS ABSURD.
WOULD INVOLVE INJUSTICE.
OBJECTIONS CLEARLY POINTED
OUT.


printing establishment" was the way ex-
Foreman w H. Taylor of the State
Printing Office spoke of the legislative
plan having the object named in view.
''The reason for my emphatic declara-
ton are many and are incontrovertibly
substantiated by well-known facts. One
of the grounds upon which this project is
urged is the value of the water power at
Folsom. This can be only a pretext as
the power needed to run the entire ma
chinery used in the State Printing Office at
Sacramento is merely nominal.
ut is suggested in the report of the
committee that an interchange of pris-
oners between Folsom and San Quentin be
made with the object in view of placing
the older and more hardened criminals at
the latter place in order to increase the
number OF prisoners at Folsom.
NOW | want to call attention to the fact
that 1t requires five years apprenticeship
at the trade to turn out passable printer.
Yet it is proposed to utilize at Folsom the
class of prisoners who have the shortest
terms. l hardly think it necessary to
point out the abSurdity of endeauoring to
run an establishment which requires the
work of tirst-class journeymen with force
that, at the best, can attain only a small
degree of competency, for the terms of the
prisoners whom it is intended to put on
this work are usually Short not exceed
ing, say, three years.
Much the larger proportion of the work
now being done at the State Printing
Office comprises the reports of the various
State boards, commissions and public in
stltutions, and these all require to be done
In what we call rush How q force of
inferior and unskillful men will be able to
handle the work is a problem that appears
impossible of solution to me.
During the session of the Legislature
bills are frequently sent to the printing
office to be printed and returned within an
hour. In the matter of reports, the law
requires that all copy must be in by Sep
tenn Der Ii, but few officials pay any atten-
ton to this provision, and it is the eXcep-
ton for copy to come IL earlier than four
or six weeks after this date, and have
seen the copy for voluminous report
come in as late as the middle of Decent Der.
These reports must all be ready by the
first of January, as they are drawn upon
for large part of the Governors message
to the Legislature.
'In order to meet emergencies like these,
the number of men employed at the State
Printing Office tiuctuates very greatly. AT
about this period the total number en-
ployed will reach nearly 800, and this
dwindles away to fewer than 100 during
the less busy seasons. How matters will
be regulated at Folsom to meet this phase
OF the situation L cannot conceive. They
will certainly not be able to supplement
the convict printers with union men, for |
am sure that no self-respecting man will
care to work in such company.
Another thing is that the convicts will
have no incentive for rapid and good work,
and TINS will always prove serious draw
back, as time is SO frequently an important
element.
But the most ridiculous reason put
forward for the proposition is that this
removal would obviate the expense of pur-
chasing new site for Governors man
sion, the report stating that the building
was formerly erected for that purpose and
that there is no doubt by reasonable ex-
penditure it could be put in suitable condi-
ton to serve again as a Governors resi-
dence. 1t is fact that while | was there
we were compelled to put in three iron
braces from wall to wall to keep them from
falling apart and allowing the roof to cave
in on US. What is really needed is a new
structure for the printing office. And 50
far as a site for the proposed Governors
residence is concerned there is ample and
suitable space on the Capitol grounds.
Zone reason for the change the commit
tee evidently overlooked. 1t is that State
prison printing office would offer excep-
tional facilities for convictS of literary
turn OF mind, like Convict Bachman. to
have their productions placed before the
world under peculiarly appropriate circum-
stances"
In the committees report it is stated:
This is serious question of interest to MANY
but when taken into consideration that oniv
State printing is to be issued from this office
such as the state series OF schoolbooks, blanks,
etc, now printed at Sacramento il would moi
interfere with any like industry, and the num-
Der OF men given permanent employment are
not suficlent to cause any serious objection by
the typographical unions.
When the attention of w. B. Benoist.
secretary of the San Francisco Typograph-
ical Union, was called to the matter he en-
phatlcally and without hesitation re-
marked: $50 they think there will be no
objections by the typographical unions
Well, let them try it and they'll find out in
short order. | can say with absolute con-
fidence in the correctness of my statement
that every union will protest against it to a
man. There are in the neighborhood of
800 men employed in the Sacramento print
ing office. The proposed change would, of
course, throw these people out of employ
ment, and the outlook for the printer un-
der existing circumstances is not of the
best. In this city we have about 800 union
printers and of this number more than
one-half have no regular situations, in fact,
j think L am right in saying that but one
third of this number have regular employ
ment. What, then, are the 300 persons
who now find employment at Sacramento
to look forward to should they be displaced
by convict labor?
at must further be remembered that
type-setting machines are being introduced
in large printing offices as fast as they can
be turned out at the factory. These
machines will displace at least two-thirds
OF the men now employed in composing
rooms.
ITO consummate this Folsom prison
proposition would in view of these facts
not only be an injustice to printers now in
the trade, but would be grosser injustice
to the convicts who would be put to work
in the prison printing Office. The latter
would be taught trade that would be of
little benefit to them after they completed
their term of prison service. 1t would be
much more advisable to teach them trade
IN which there would be some prospect OF
remunerative work when they became
free
WITH RENEWED VIGOR.
Members of the State Suffrage Associa-
ton Will Continue the Rattle