Omaha daily bee., 1896-11-23
rHE CONVICT LABoR pROBLEM


| A free convict labor pcnltentiary Is
to bc the new fad in Nebraska. As yet
we do not clearly understand the way
| the new departure Is to operate. If by
| free convict labor II Is contemplated to
! give convicts nothing TO do, 1t will be
the worst punishment that men could
possibly be subjected to. 1t will also
mean an enormous increase of taxes
by the loss of whatever is now received
from the proceeds of convict labor, be-
sides the necessary increase in expenses
for maintenance of extra guards Con-
victs who have nothing to do will be
more obstreperous and unmnnageable
than criminals who are compelled to
labor and have no time for agitation
and plotting. If. on the other hand,
free convict labor means that the state
proposes to abolish the contract system
and work the convlcts under supervi-
sion of the warden and other officers,
several problems will present them
selves for solution First and foremost
will come the question, What ar
ticles the state shall fabricate
in the ppntentiary? The OBJ
lection to the convict labor sys-
TEN is not so much because it is done
by contractors for gain, but because
the product of convict labor comes into
ruinous competition with the product
of free labor. The penitentiary being
mechanical training school in which
after they are of age, and therefore
never become very proficient, the
amount which contractors can afford 10
pay for convict labor in the aggregate
is way below the ordinary wage paid
for skilled free labor Another
consideration that weighs with
bidders for contract convict labor
is that some of the best work
men keep dropping out by reason of
pardons. reprieves ana expiration of
sentences. This naturally bears down
the price of convict labor, but the
cheapening of penitentiary made goods
is due also to the fact that they would
not be sulable unless they We're sold
under the market price of articles made
by honest labor.
If the state assumes the direct opera
ton of the penitentiary, there will be
no cheapenng of the price of labor, be-
cause there will be no price put upon
the time of individual cOnvicts, but
the product of convict labor when
thrown upon the market will be just
as much in competition with
free, honest labor as it would be
under the contract system. That would
be true, even if the articles munufac-
tured in the penitentiary were to be
used exclusively by the state in its own
institutions. BY substituting convict
made articles for factory-made COM
modities we would deprive free labor,
which row enjoys the patronage of the
state, of the opportunity for earning
livelihood. Assume, however, that
the scheme of free convict labor CON
templates the sale of convict-made
wares through jobbers or commission
men, under the regulation that each
article shall be labeled or branded "Ne-
braska penitentiary," the state will
either be compelled to sell these wares
below the standard market price for
similar articles, or have these wares
remain unsold on its hands.
From these conclusions there can be
no escape. This brings up the stubborn
fact that the penitentiary at Lincoln.
where there is no quarry or coal mine
TO operate and no forest to fell or lum-
ber to mill, will never be made to pay
its way without bringing convict labor
into ruinous competition with free
labor. The only employment in which
convict labor could be made remunera-
tive without competing with free labor
is farming and cattle raising. The
prices of grain and cattle are not af- |
are regulated and fixed in the worlds |
markets. Penitentiary raised corn, |
wheat, sugar beets, or cattle, would not |
20 out with a convict label or brand. |
The bulk of penitentiary farm products |
would be consumed by the convicts |
and nobody would be the loser The |
only drawback would be the expense |
of enclosing the grounds and guarding |
the prisoners. The solution which we |
look for eventually will be the reloca- |
tion of the penitentiary and division
of convicts that would place the most
criminals at work in tilling
the soil and herding and feeding cattle.
while dangerous and hardened crimi-
nails would be kept at hard labor in
breaking rock at some point where a
limited number of convicts could be
worked in quarrying stone.