The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-01-19
lII(HICAN'S PRISONS.
.,,,ct System To Be Fought
can'Ia'' BY Labor Men.
81, MEET WITH OPPOSITION

KEYNOTE ms Hs.u.yers
The S., n Rich and Prison ,, Man. can.
cove Cow o0oose Any Effort to Abolish o"a
WIZ orr by Contract -what o. M
Wet '' 80 Lansing Has to Say Upon tho
Barnes y, Geo.. Recommendations.
.,e Mich, Jan. 1s.-one Oh the
Lahs,ns ,,. 20 make it's appearance In
NE nls' legislative halls is that repreSen anor
tns Michigan Federation OF LABOR
nc s,oh At its annual meeting mere 'as'
whl'n soo,ded TO confne its efforts De-
m0".n w. nresent legislature to a Dill pro-
S,nitng the employment Oh oon'' Tn,s
, a"oSiran prisons on contracts ms
M''"s was made on the recommenoa-
Oe'i' q Rarter, the new president
w. ~ ,be federation, who in ms speeen
VI wing the office. called attention. 70
acceP'm' ,bat two years ago the LABOR
inc laO' "a interests asked for NUMBER
uhlo.'s from the legislature, ana 80
Oh 'ilHe ,os their shot scattered over
wiu.H so,o field of reform that they uld
ue ,,oceed in securing recognition ior
env of their ueHldiu9' -. a.
an his advice that the federatioh "
~ Vaad 10 give attention to nothing eise
~ ''Ing the pending session. Whlle the
Gu,~s ,os we're thus solicitous about
eohoIisbment of the contract LABOR
"e an prisons. they had nothing
go! rssi,o "a offer as a substitute Tor the
u e.nioyrent of the prisoners, the pest
. .na,, cssaved to do in this direction IA
alsS generation with the wheelmen
NTH a view to employing the conVic's
on the highways of the state as iar as
Uractleable and looking to the cuil-
rotion of larger prison farms
FURNITURE Men VIII Help.
rho labor organizations will be as
.,s,ad in their effort by the furniture
monufacturers of the state, at least TO
,ha ovtent of an endeavor to secure the
nrohibttion of the MANUFACTURE oL
furniture in the penal institutions Oh
the state. one of the fiercest hghts
before the last legislature was mace
nv the furniture men, but their EFFORTS
wo,s unsuccessful. This class OF citi-
,ers consider themselves especially ag-
grieved because an extensive furniture
nlant Is maintained at the state house
Of correction at Ionia. They declare
that it is being run at a material loss
N the state, and that this fact, together
NTH the fact that the labor costs the
s,ota hut a tri1e, enables the prison
managers TO put goods on the market
alta ruinously low figure. Those or the
manufacturers who make chairs want
the state to abolish chair making at
the Detroit house of correction, and the
labor men will find strong allies in these
manufacturers in the fight they propose
10 make.
There is no doubt that all he pris-
on managers and state officials who have
had anything to do with the manage
ment of the prisons will strenuously
oppose any effort to abolish contract
labor. Ex-Governor Rich has, as an
ex-Officio member of the prison boards
Of control, given this subject much at
tention during the past four years, and
in a recent address he sounded the key
note of the opposition. He declared
that while the prisons of the state car
not in the aggregate, be made self-sup-
porting, the state prison at Jackson
should be- and charged that the atti-
tude Of the labor organizations on this
subject has materially added to the
difficulty Of the problem. Under the
present law the convicts can be EN-
ployed on piece work. on contract or or
manufacture on state account, and tn,
ex-governor declared that this power
cannot in reason be curtailed, for ever
though all Of them have been resorte(
TO- 1t has been impossible 10 keep al
Of the convicts employed. 1t is hi
Judgment based on the experience o
the past four years. and in this opinion
hes sustained by every prison manage
IN the state, that the contract system
the most profitable and desirable 70
all concerned, Notwithstanding the fac
that 1t is the one most severely criti
cSed by labor organizations and pris
on reformers.
should Pay for Their Maintenance.
Inc ex-governor argued that the me-
were consumers both before and afte
imprisonment. He further maintaine,
.hat most OF them were producers be
iOie their Imprisonment, and he insist
eu that they should be made to pay tn
eOSt Oh their conviction and mainte
nance This, too, should be done in
mahher mat will not reduce the pric
VI Tree labor. He contended that unde
"e contract system the labor must b
1O'u IN the open market for what It
"Ortn' and the man who purchased
must furnish his own capital, sell hi
o"n goods, and generally compete wit
er manufacturers. Attention wa
aneu 10 the fact that convict labo
soeS not bring as much as free labor
~. worth as much, as experienc
as proven, nor is there anything I
snOw mat employers of IL are. "a
lass more prosperous than other man
s.,os . II they were, it was in
wo 'eu mat the price of convict labc
wou'u De higher. Another point urge
~. mat under the contract systen
NJ, s'ate receives pay for each day
81" retains control of the convjc,
en-. .nlorces Its own discipline. Th
~ ~. ~. oh Tree labor was declared To =
~ Inherent than IL the same numbs
MI men were employed at the sau-
corr,, Except that convicts will not a,
As sn nearly as much as free me,
sv,,a potent reason why the contra,
Cow. should not be abolished. o,
undo y. hich emphasized the fact tn;
STATE 'ne state account system n
ia, 90 ooiiged to furnish active ga,
carry . material and tools, money
and ma STOCK Of manufactured goot
hVI 10 sell thap, Ia