New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-11-22
THE STATES FACTORIES.
SING SING PRISON.

GREAT VARIETY OF OCCUPATIONS WHICH NOW
ENGAGE THE coNvIcTs-ExcELLENcE OF
THE PRODUCTS TURNED oUr-THE ART
SCHOOL AND ITS OBJECTS.
frRoM A sTAPP CORRESPONDENT OF THE TR1BUNEl
Sing Sing November 81 1891
Smoke curls out Of the tall chimneys rising above
the roof OF the big State prison located here. and
one sees some freight Of the NewYork Central
Railroad just being dragged out of the prison yard
by a powerful locomotive. Evidently the convicts
are at work. are manufacturing something and are
not cursed with compulsory idleness as threatened
only few months ago. What has happened?
This question will naturally be asked by all per-
sons who aware that on January OF the pres
ent year. by command Of the State Constitution. the
prison authorities were forbidden 10 sell the prod
uct OF the labor of the State prison convicts There
were three thousand convicts suddenly made Idle
at Sing Sing at Auburn and at Dannemora. Hther-
to a large proportion Of the goods they manufact-
ured had been sold. and thus the State prisons had
been partly sef-supporting. Moreover, the con-
victs had been kept In good health by having en-
ployment thrust them. wholesome labor
might truly be said to have protected hundreds OF
imprisoned men from becoming insane. And then
there was the daily practice Of some industry which
tended to CONVEX; into honest workinemen those
tempted to crime through lack OF Industrial train
ing.
There were State officials, however whose duty
III
three thousand idle men, These State officials were
Lispenard Stewart, Charles J. Boyd. Nelson Daven-
port, William T.. Remington, John g. Torrance
William J. Mantayne, Mrs John davenport ana
George b. Hayes. all members of the state commits
sion of Prisons. and Austin Lathrop the snperlh-
tendent OF Prisons. While the new Constitution de-
clared that no article manufactured by convict
should be sold II also said: The legislature shall
by law provide for the occupation and employment
OF prisoners sentenced TO the several state prisons
pententares. jails and reformatores In the state
1t then added: This section shan not ne con-
strued to prevent the Legislature from providing
that convicts may work for and that the products
OF their labor may he disposed Of TO the state or
any political division thereof or for or to any puohc
institution owned managed and eohUoiea py
the State or any political division thereof
PLENTY OF WORK FOR THE STATE
In this authority TO have the convicts make aiu-
cles for the State for any political division
thereof" the Commission OF Prisons ana the ou-
perniendent OF Pr. found the only legal me'hod
Of providing employment for the convicts LOOK
ing about them they saw twenty thousand persons
in the State hospitals for the insane. who needed
shoes clothing and bedding A National Guard OF
twelve thousand were requiring new uniforms
yearly; eight thousand persons In the minor chaIi-
table institutions OF the State. under tho super
vision OF Controller Roberts, were also requiring
shoes. clothing and bedding; thousands OF school
children were needing desks and school furniture:
thousands OF inmates OF poorhouses had 10 DE
clothed: State and city departments needed printed
blanks and STRENGTHENING departments In cities
required brooms. In word. employment Tor
every one OF the three thousand convicts was oo-
viously within their grasp. Il estimate said Lis
penard Stewart. president OF the state Commission
Of Prisons to-day, that the State and the several
counties Of tho state. together with municipalities
contribute toward the support OF nearly one nun
dred thousand persons. Ii Is therefore clear that
xxytlh ay
work. In fact think now. in view of the demands
made upon us for their labor. that the state Com
mission OF Prisons and the superintendent OF
Prisons will be abba TO assign some WORK 10 tho
penltentiaries II may he remarked here that Aus
Tin Lathrop the Superintendent OF Prisons. and
IN. members of tho Prison Commission have
worked together tremendously In the solution OF
this great prison labor problem. and that absence
OF friction between these officials has been one OF
the main causes OF the success OF their Efforts
In tho ten months which have elapsed since jan
uary a wonderful change has taken place Al
Sing smgoYsIt+ Is typical of what has occurred
at the othAs sfste prisons and what VIII soon DO
the experience of the various county penitentariea
on December ~. 1870, work suddenly ceased a'
Sing Sing on the day following, the conviets were
Tale They had nothing TO do beyond preparing
their food cleaning their cells and making their
own clothing That would sive employment 10 only
about one-tenth Of the twelve hundred men theh
In the prison. Omar v. Sage. the Warden OF sins
Sing looked forward &C the future win s'ea'
anxiety But as already stated. tho Prison Com
r,.s,on and the SUPERINTENDENT Of Prisons began to
look about them discovered ways OF employing
the convicts. and month by month added 70 mo
number OF convicts employed at new TASKS VI
ders for goods came In from other state insu'u-
tons and from State and city officials ana now
on this late day IN November. isH almost all the
convict, who are able to work have some employ
ment II Is creditable achievement upon tho part
of the State officials IN charge that In such Tow
months they have organized new industr,es' taught
the oonvlcts TO make new lines OF goods ana now
have employment for virtually all WITHIN tho
prison walls.
SING SING RESEMBLES A FACTORY.
President Stewart OF tho State Commission OF
Prisons a few days ago visited tho prison at sing
Sing I'm company with Tribune correspondent Tor
the purpose Of inspecting tho various workshops
and learning the progress OF the EFFORT TO give con-
slant employment TO the convicts. tour or tho
prison was made that day In company with
Warden Sage and one OF his subordinates. Some
description OF what was seen will doubtless be
read with interest by many persons. and notably
nv men and women interested In prison manage
ment.
Sing Sing now resembles q factory. 1t might be
termed a factory OF the department store type
You can ind everything In u. from tho brooms with
which Colonel Waring cleans the streets OF New
York to beautiful reed organ which Is to be used
In one OF the prison chapels. There Is shoe shop
and a tailor shop. In one room visitor would
think he had suddenly penetrated into furniture
factory. In another he would be confident that ho
looked upon art school. Docs visitor wish
hair brush? He can have II. Is there State OIL
who desires some printed envelopes for his de-
partment7 They arc In the next room. Everything
from the reed organ 10 the envelope has been mado
by the convicts.
When Warden Sage found himself with so many
discovered that one OF them had formerly been the
head of drawing school In a Western city and
was a most competent Instructor in the art OF
freehand and instrumental drawing. carving IN
wood and modelling In clay. Another man
of the best designers In the United States Dreyious
TO his Incarceration in Sing Sing prison Accord.
ingly the Warden improvised drawing school and
assigned certain proportion OF the convicts 10 at
tendance upon IL. He also set apart for the use
OF the school a large wel-lghted room in the
handsome brick mess hall. chapel and hospital