The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1897-01-22
MICHIGAN'S PRISONS.
Contract System To Be Fought
by Labor Men.
WILL MEET WITH OPPOSITION.

Sne heynote HAS beeh oouhueu ny ia
Governor Rich and Prison Managers
Will Oppose Any Effort to Abolish Con-
Wet Labor by Contract What O. M.
Barnes of Lansing Has to Say Upon the
Subject Pingree's Recommendation.
Lansing, Mich, Jan. 19.-One of the
FIRST Hobbies to make its appearance in
the legislative halls is that representing
the Michigan Federation of Labor,
which at its annual meeting here last
month. decided to confine its efforts be-
fore the present legislature to bill pro-
hibiting the employment of convicts In
Michigan prisons on contracts. This
decision was made on the recommended
tion of II. c. Barter, the new president
OF the federation, who, in his speech
accepting the Office, called attention to
the fact that two years ago the labor
unions and interests asked for number.
of things from the legislature, and SO
widely was their shot scattered over
the whole field of reform that they did
not succeed in securing recognition for
any of their demands. 1t was largely
on his advice that the federation de-
cided to give attention to nothing else
during the pending session. While the
delegates were thus solicitous about
the adjustment of the contract labor
system in prisons. they had nothing
definite to offer as substitute for the
employment of the prisoners, the best
they essayed to do in this direction ia
voring cooperation with the wheelmen
with view to employing the convicts
~, he n ionx We ~ tha ctata far
practicable, and looking to the culti-
walton of larger prison farms.
Furniture Men Will Help.
The labor organizations will be as
sisted in their effort by the furniture
manufacturers of the state, at least to
the extent of an endeavor to secure the
prohibition of the manufacture or
furniture in the penal institutions or
the state. One of the fiercest tights
before the last legislature was made
by the furniture men, but their efforts
were unsuccessful. This class of citi-
zens consider themselves especially ag-
grieved because an extensive furniture
plant is maintained at the state house
Of correction at Ionia. They declare
that it is being run at a material loss
to the state, and that this fact, together
with the fact that the labor costs the
state but a trifle, enables the prison
managers to put goods on the market
at ruinously low figure. Those OF 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
20, 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-of1icio member Of the prison boards
Of control, given this subject much at
tention during the rast four years, and
in recent address he sounded the key
note of the opposition He declared
that while the prisons of the state can
not, in the aggregate, be made self-sup
porting, the state prison at Jackson
should be, and charged that the atti-
tude CT 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 on
manufacture on state account, and the
ex-governor declared that this power
cannot in reason be curtailed, for even
though all of them have been resorted
20, it has been impossible 10 keep all
of the convicts employed. 1t is his
Judgment, based on the experience of
the past four years, and in this opinion
he is sustained by every prison manager
in the state, that the contract system
is the most profitable and desirable for
all concerned, Notwithstanding tho fact
that II Is the one most severely criti-
cised by labor organizations and pris-
on reformers.
shouId Pay for Their Maintenance.
The ex-governor argued that the men
were consumers both before. and after
imprisonment. He further maintained
that most of them were producers be-
fore their Imprisonment, and he insist
ed that they should be made to pay the
cost Of their conviction and mainte-
nance. This, too, should be done in a
manner that will not reduce the price
of free labor. He contended that under
the contract system the labor must be
sold in the open market for what it Is
worth, and the man who purchased 1t
must furnish his own capital, sell his
own goods, and generally compete with
other manufacturers. Attention was
called to the fact that convict labor
does not bring as much as free labor.
nor Is IL worth as much, as experience
has proven, nor is there anything to
show that employers of 1t are, as
class, more prosperous than other man
ufacturers. II they were, it was in
sisted that the price of convict labor
would be higher. Another point urged
was that, under the contract system,
the state receives pay for each days
work, retains control of tie convicts
and enforces it's own discipline. The
effect on free labor was declared to- be
no different than IL the same number
Of free mon were employed at the same
work, except that convicts will not ac-
eomplish nearly as much as free men.
As a potent reason why the contract
system should not be abolished, ex-
Governor Rich emphasized the fact that
under the state account system the
state is obliged TO furnish active cap
ital for material and tools, money to
carry a stock OF manufactured goods
and men to sell them. Tt was stated that
experience has proven that in this state
II has sometimes cost more to main