Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1899-12-12
The Necessity for This Thoroughly Re,
viewed-Element of Competition
With the Free Laborer Also
Thoroughly Discussed.


Few persons will now be found to
advocate the maintenance of convicts
in idleness. even those who most
of convicts in certain industries" said
the speaker, "are always ready with
suggestions as to how they may be en-
ployed in ways in which they insist
the product of their labor will NOT
compete in the open market with free
labor. From an economic standpoint
no one can successfully argue in favor
of enforced idleness for these people.
Why should the criminal who must be
legally restrained be kept in idleness?
Why should the tax payer support con-
victs while. they do nothing? Why,
even, should the 1aboring man be de-
luded with the idea that he is benefit
ed by securing legislation to prevent
the convict from being producer, and
thereby add to his already heavy bur-
dens by increasing taxation? Such
legislation would result in requiring
diligent, honest laboring men to assist
in supporting the less diligent and the
criminal in idleness. Many laboring
men have very incorrect opinions
touching this question. These opin-
ions, am sorry to say, are famed into
convictions by scheming politicians.
Although a man is confined for a
crime, still the state has no moral
sarily injure his health. 1t is well
tends to unsettle the mind, and in
many cases leads to insanity.
"Hence, from the standpoint of good
v,on 1c tor nd
all convicts able to do SO should be re-
quired to labor during their period of
confinement"
On competition the judge said:
"The chief argument adduced against
convict labor, whether on the contract
or piece price plants that it enters into
competition With free labor. It is an
easy matter to demonstrate from sta-
tistics which every one will concede
reliable, that such argument is not
based upon the facts.
"Hon. Carroll D. Wright, United
States commissioner of labor (see
North American Review of March,
1870, says: That free workmen pro-
duce nearly three times as much per
day as the convict on general aver
age, and that the total value of labor
expended by convicts in the peniten-
tiaries and prisons of like grade at the
present time does not much exceed
So, 100000, or little more than one
tenth of per cent of the total wages
paid in the manufacturing industries
in the country in 1890. Thus it may
| be seen that whether the state treasu-
ry be considered, or the competition
with free labor taken into account, the
prison labor question from purely
economic point of view need not excite
much attention. have found few in
stances where prices have been affect
ed in the least, and never case where
wages have been lowered in conse-
quence of the employment of convicts
on productive industries. 1t is an abb
solute impossibility to prevent compe.
tition If convicts are to be employed in
any way whatever. 1t must be admit
ted by all sane men that they should
be employed and constantly employed
upon intelligent labor"
Regarding the underselling of pris
on products, Otis Fuller states: 81 am
satisfied that more free manufacture.
ers will be found underselling the pris.
ons than there are prisons underselling
| the free factories. That is certainly
true in Michigan. Last winter certain
manufacturers of furniture claimed
that their business was being seriously
injured by convict competition in Ionia
prison, and they asked the legislature
to abolish our furniture factory. in.
sisted that it was not doing so.
charged that nine Michigan factories
| making the same grade of goods as
those made in Ionia prison were cut.
1 ting from so cents to $1.50 below the
prison prices for the same grade al
goods. / invited them to produce Their
cash and invoice books. The legisla
| ture said: This is fair offer, gen
tlemen; show us your books Not one
produced their books, and the vote was
40 to 20 in favor of allowing the state
an opportunity to employ its convict!
in productive labor"
Warden Chamberlain, of the Jack
son, Mich, prison, says: ST am salts
fed that this charge in relation to con.
Wet labor coming into competition witt
free labor is greatly overestimated. Ii
the state of Michigan, in the year 1895
the report of the commissioner of la
Dor shows that the 100000 operative!
of free labor produced manufactured
goods that amounted to $237, O0O,O 900
In the four prisons, including the De
troit house of correction, with 400,
prisoners employed, the total outpu
was $650,00O When we come to com
pare this $650,O00 earned by the 2,1Ot
H prisoners in competition with the 1870,
900 operatives in the different indus
tries of free labor, who produce 1897,
100000, you can readily understand
how small the competition isl
In speaking of fha statement n
Hon. Carroll D. Wright, Warden Wolf
er, late of the prison at Saltwater
Mimi, says: 'sThe competition o
convict labor is not SO serious ques
ton after all. 1t is claimed that Their
are about $4,000 prisoners now confne,
in the prisons Of the United States
Divide this number by three and w
; reduce the quantitatiye effect OF con
Wet labor competition to an almost in
lfinitesimal degree. Convict labor, the
y !