The Bryan daily eagle. (Bryan, Tex.) 1895-1898, 1897-04-15

From the Detroit Free Press. n
G Barter. president of the Michigan
Federation ~ Labor. who Is constant
~ a. lansing In the interest OF labor
legislation. chief OF which he regards
the bin 10 prohibit competition be-
tween free and convict labor. by
utilizing the latter 10 making good
roads throughout the state. said Co
Free Press representative yes
torday The proposition made by
the Michigan Federation Of Labor
20 }ui the conyic,s of t'. state
AZ york on the roads o. worthy OF con
aiNmtion Tor more than one reason.
IL adoption would Tor man. years.
nd perhaps permanently. make an
end Of the competition OF prison goods
with the products % honest labor. and
Il would give the state some good
roads The question % prison made
goods ls much more pressing now than
ever before The multiplication %
manufacturing plants has proceeded
40 rapidly a. 90 outrun consumption.
rnd the sharp competition OF prison
7 kfe goods. therefore. which. when the
ttpu, Of the home factories was loss
yhan the demand vas of no particu-
Car Importance. Il now serious mat
ter both to capital and labor. Il isa
question which must be- settled. but u
can be fairly settled only IN favor Of
labor. The criminals are az best
burden upon society. The burden must
BE- borne somehow. but Il Il not fair
10 shoulder q wholly upon labor az Is
done when the prisons are made self
sustaining through the manufacture
and sale Of goods which come into
competition with a. Most crimes are
committed agains, property. and prop
crty ohould BE- made 10 bear the cost o,
protection. That can only be done hy
spreading the cost a. general tax.
whether the employment OF the con
vlcts on the roads would make the eos,
Of construction less than under the con-
tract system IL not legltimatcly a fals
subject Tor discussion. though u seems
probable that Il would. The state
would obtain the benefit Of wholesale
prloes IN the purchase OF material.
Aere would be no middlcmen 20 pay al
STAGE % the work. and the labor
n cost nothing. Il has been the
stice to coutrac. the services Of the
convic,s 10 arms who engage In bust.
ness against other nrms who employ
free labor and pay fair wages. but the
force Of competition has lowered wages
and brought the honest wage-earner
down almost % the level Of his convict
competitor. Several Of the states place
their convicts AZ work In the mines.
on the railroad tracks. and at other
employment. where they are balled ana
chained and watched by armed guards.
while IN the performance OF their IN.
hors And while the convict wears his
ball and chain as punishment Tor his
crimor. the honest man working IN
competition with him wears the fetters
OF irksomo toll and poverty partly be-
cause % the convict system 90 compe-
ton. Al the state prison nc Huntsville
Tex, the firm Of Dilley a Son Is max
ing machlnists out OF conylcts. aud the
state receives the large sum OF forty.
one cents day Tor each OF those con-
vlcts They not only make engines Tor
sale. but do an kinds OF repairs M
contract prices an over the state of
Texas Tor private parties. Asa ~
suit no one can bid on a contract and
agree to furnish machinlsts for forty
ono cents a day, In Wow OF these
facts there are very few contract
machine shops In Texas. and those
that are there are not running over
one or two machlnlsis. while the
Huntsville prison is running night
and day. Il has been said that the
competition OF free labor e. so small
that Il Il not worth bothering about.
but the fact OF the matter IL that the
total value OF goods produced In the
United States for the various states
and territories In an the state prisons
and pcnitcntlarles for 1895 was Sia,-
o., &7a.s3. This report shows Just to
what extent tho convict has entered
into composition with free labor. and
az every Job counts just one. and
means everything 20 tho man who
nssds that job. the nguroa are worth
usudysns"