Great Falls weekly tribune., 1896-08-07
THE COURT HOUSE BLOCK PARK
Labor Unions Have No Objection tC
the Employment Of Prisoners
Thereon.
They DO Not Want to Compete With
Prison Labor, However -
New County Roads.

| New County Roads.
The county commissioners met Wednes.
day morning in regular monthly session
all except Commissioner Ellis being
present.
The following communication was
presented:
Whereas, 1t appears to the satisfac.
ton OF the executive board of the Cas-
cade Trades council that it is the unani-
nous wish Of the people of Great Falls
that the county commissioners should
complete and maintain public park on
what is known az the court house
square, in the city of Great Falls and it
being represented to US that the county
commissioners have suspended improve
ments thereon. owing to an objection
having been raised by organized labor in
Cascade county to the employment of
prison labor on public works; and,
Whereas, Upon thorough inquiry by
this board we find that the labor unions
are being unjustly criticised by the peo-
pie of the city for the request made by
them in their petition to the board Of
county commissioners in relation to
working county prisoners on the court
house square; therefore, be it
"Resolved, That it is the sense of this
board and that we do recommend strict
fidelity to the known principles of
organized labor, on the question Of
prison labor, yet, out OF consideration for
the unanimous wish Of the people of
Great Falls, we waive 80 much Of the
petition presented to the board of county
commissioners as pertains to the employ
ment OF county prisoners on the court
house square and maintain all that
portion of said petition wherein the
county commissioners are requested to
enter on their journal OF proceedings an
order forbidding the sheriff's or other
county officials using or working the
county prisoners in any capacity that
will come in competition with free labor.
"Respectfully submitted,
JAMES O'BRrEN,
president Executive Board.
"Approved by the board Aug. 3, 1906.
rs. M. MOORE, Secretary"
Mr.. O'Bricn appeared before the COM
missioners and stated that the unions
have no objection to the employment of
prisoners on work that would not be
done unless done by prisoners and that
would result in the number of prisoners
being reduced by reason of the knowl-
edge of the hoboes that they must work
if they eat; but they wanted an assur-
ance from the commissioners that pris-
oners should not do work that might be
done by honest labor.
O. f. Wadsworth, Jr., appeared and
stated that the people wanted the court
house square improved; they also wanted
hoboes driven from the county by their
fear of work if imprisoned; he thought
the prisoners should be worked 10 hours
per day and put on bread and water if
not worked.
Commissioner Dickey said that it had
never been the intention OF the commits
sioners to deprive honest labor of any
work; the commissioners had never or
dered the work done on the court house
square, but that the commissioners had
objected to the prisoners being worked
only three hours per day and fed thre
meals per day.
The recommendation in the above res
olutions was then adopted.
James WantZ having declined to
serve, T. j. Hardy WAS appointed regis
try agent in district No. II.
The following roads were ordered
opened:
Beginning at the southwest corner of
the northwest quarter of section 6, town
ship 18 north, range s east; running
thence on the line OF the old road to the
section line between sections 90 and 49,
% and 33, and q and "a, township 10
north, range east
Beginning at point on the line be-
tween Fergus and Cascade counties, &c
chains and 7G links south Of the north
east corner of township lG north, range
10 east; running thence, following the
telephone line as nearly as possible, to
intersect the stage road at point one
half mile east of Grafton postofiice.
Commencing at station No Is of the
Sand Coulee Riceville road, running
thence to the initial point OF the Halt
Breed Coulee Morris Postofiice road.
This is the road on the west side OF Up
per Sand coulee, and is about % miles
in length. 1t is now Travelled.
The old road on the west side OF
Upper Sand coulee, commencing whore
the old road crosses the north quarter
section line of section IS, township II
north, range east, and running thence
up said coulee on the west side to where
t crosses the south section line of sec
ton 2s, township II north, range 5 east,
was ordered abandoned.
The board then adjourned.