St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-03-28

The consideration of the prison
y labor bills was resumed, and Mr..
Grondahl resumed his argument
tie claimed that there were all sorts
/ OF abuses under the old contract
system; that wardens were made
and unmade by the contractors. and
that guards were appointed and re-
moved at their behest. He also
Claimed that there had been a de-
hclency in the expense of operating
the prison during the ten years the
contract system was in force of over
$4,000 He continued with strong
arguments in favor of the bill, quot
ing authorities to sustain his claims.
Then he took up the pamphlet "An
Inferno" and read from the letter
OF the warden of the Ohio peniten-
tlary, in which some advice was
given as to how the prison officials
should proceed in defeating the
states account plan. The reference
to missionary work in the legislature
and thought it would be the proper
thing for the missionary societies to
recall their missionaries from the
FIJI islands and put them to work. re-
forming the legislature, if they re-
fused to abolish the contract sys-
TEN. On'the matter to provide labor
Tor convicts, Mr. Grondahl said: IF
1t comes to the question between idle
ness for the convicts or for free Ia
Dor, say in all fairness, in all hon
or and justice, give the work to the
honest, upright, free workingmen
VINO have families to provide for"
lie said the Irvine plant which
operated on the state account sys-
tenn had been nearly self-sustaning.
and urged the members to settle
these problems as they arise, and not
allow them to be carried along from
year to year. He thought the matter
could be settled at the present time
without prejudice to the contract
ofs, the Workingmen or any interest.
He called attention to the differ
ence in percentages of convicts
which may be employed in any in
dustry, and claimed that every con-
wet in the penitentiary would be
employed in making shoes under the
jacobson bill. Then he paid his
RESPECTS TO THE LOBBY
from saltwater, claiming it was on
hand to secure the defeat of the
bSchurmeier bill. Mr.. Grondahl closed
Z ms argument with a plea for the
; passage of the bill asked for by the
Workingmen of the state. A round
/ of hearty applause followed his clos
ling words.
/ Mr.. Littleton opposed the Schur-
gnleier bill and said he proposed to dis
cpss the matter as a business propo-
sition. He said the politicians sup
ported the bill ON the pretense that it
was on behalf of the laboring men.
That the bill came from the working
men he could not believe, but thought
|tit the fire cracker of the manu-
featuring. corporation Had the bill
passed in its original form there could
obe no question that the state would
have been bankrupted inside of ten
years. Mr.. Littleton claimed that the
[ state account system had proven a
| failure wherever it had been tested
and he thought Minnesota should
profit by the experience of other
''ShISS, anu iiOI experiment. WITH Il
system that had failed in other states.
Mr.. Warren attempted to call the
speaker to order on the ground that
the state account proposition had al
ready been stricken from the bill.
Mr. Littleton insisted that he was
|: talking to the subject under consider
!, alton and was closer to the mark than
! some of the speakers on the other side
hnI Il
| ports of the prison authorities of Mass
| achusetts where the Estate account
| system had proven a failure. He said
| there would be great expense in paying
| experienced men to look after the state
account plan and claimed that the
1workingmen were suffering from COM
petition in trade and not from the
competition of prison-made goods.
/ He closed by saying that the Schur-
meier bill was the enemy of the labor
/ ing men and the pet of the corpo-
| rationS.
| Mr.. Robbins proceeded to discuss the
| bills from q humanitarian standpoint.
! He thought it would be better for the
| convicts If they were
DIVIDED INTO SQUADS
instead of being herded together in
| one shop. All that Mr.. Grondahl had
| said received his hearty Endorsement,
and he believed the Schumacher bill in
its amended form was the best bill for
| the convicts, the people and the state.
| Mr.. Boobar said he came from a city
| where there is a kindergarten of the
state penitentiary. The reformatory,
| he said, had been established on a
| granite quarry, and the management
| had instituted a school for granite
| cutters, and a law was enacted limiting
| the number of prisoners who might be
so employed to one-third of those in
generated in the institution. He
thought it would be impossible to
| make prisons and reformatories self
sustaining without seriously conflict
! ing with free labor. He favored d.
versifying the industries as much as
| possible, that every trade and industry
| might share in the suffering. He be-
lieyed the system in vogue in France
/ was the only one for the reformation
| of criminals, as it prevents bringing
more criminals into the world. He
| favored the Schurmeier bin because he
| believed it to be a just measure.
I MIR. Jacobson said it was unfortunate
that the carefully prepared speeches
or some OF the advocates OF the Schur-
meier bill had not been delivered be-
ffore the bill was amended for they
bIiid not fit the amended bill. He held
/ that the concessions had been forced
-tCby his bill, and now the main ques-
| .tion between the two was the per-
| tcentage of convicts who might be en-
|, ployed in a single industry. Re said
[ he was not afraid of the demagogues
For the walking delegates, but was
f'1eady to meet these questions fairly
Fhnd in a manly way. Two questions
fowere TO be decided-the business prop
ifoosition and l'ood discipline in the
prison. Mr. Jacobson then paid his re-
spects to Mr.. Grondahl,. and
| PICKED SEVERAL FLAWS
in his arguments. He thought the
| best friend of the workingman was the
man who would stand up and teach
| laf r,0p lr FIJI.