The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-01-09
FAVoRS ELNIRI PLAN
REV. FRANK b. Cowgirl PREACH
Es ON PRISON AND FREE
LABOR
DUTY OF THE STATE DOUBLE
1t Has Responsibilities, He Thinks,
to the Honest Laborer as Well
to- the Culprit 1t liz Trying to
eating the Subject-LOcal Effect
of Convict Competitions.

Reform - Ministers Are Invests
eating the Subject-Local Effect
of Convict Competitions.
At the First Methodist church last
evening Rev. F. B. Cowgirl reviewed
the relation of the prison to free Ia
Dor and proposed as remedy for the
competition under existing conditions
the adoption of the New York plan
of converting the prisons and reforma-
tories into trade schools. Mr.. Cowgirl
stated that the matter was first
brought to the attention of the Meth
odist ministers by the laboring men,
who claimed that they were not re-
ceiving living wages and ascribed the
cause to the competition of prison Ia
Dor.
AT the request of the laboring men, a
committee, of which Mr. Cowgirl was
a member, was appointed by the min
listers to investigate the subject.
An exhaustive inquiry had been
made, including a visit to Saltwater,
and the committee had felt that the
proper way to get the result before
the church people was through the
pulpits.
Mr. Cowgirl said, in part:
Society, in every state of its advancement,
has to deal with the problem created by the
fact that some of its people are enemies OF
the existing social order and Of the public
good. The problem is complicated by the
existing order because. it is not the best,
and some good people gnorantly oppose
what is really for the public good. 1t has
therefore often happened that the noblest
souls have been condemned and punished
| as criminals. Nevertheless, there are GRIM
| inal Glasses, and society must determine
| what to do with them.
In the earliest stages of civilization there
were prisons, except for temporary de-
tention. The migratory habits Of the people.
| made prisons impracticable. The criminal
who was too wicked to have his liberty was
| either enslaved and used, or put to death.
| The cruder the civilization the COM
| monty the death penalty was administered
Until a very recent time the prevailing
| theory of the state in its treatment of crim-i
! mails was that the state to be protected
| by the death or captivity of the prisoner,
| and the prisoner was to be punished for his
offenses. The fact that he had committed
| a crime was supposed to have relieved the
| state OF any obligation to be kind and mer-s
eiful to him. His punishment was the
| vengeance which the state might justly in
! fict upon him.
This theory led to the most cruel treatment
Of the convict. Sometimes he put TO
| death by torture. If he were allowed to live
his life. was prolonged torture. Perhaps
and cold he slowly persisted. The prisons
| We're often allowed to become unspeakably
| loathsome. The least criminal were not pro-
| tected from contact with those most har-
| dened and vile. The officials who had the
| criminals in charge were often as harsh and
cruel as they could be. They were dealing
| with those who had protectors, and could
beat, starve, or otherwise abuse them with
| impunity
John Howard is the English philanthropist
| to whom more distinctly than to any other
/ We may trace the gentler spirit of our dead
ings with prisoners. He spent large part
of his life in visiting the prisons Of his own
| and of other countries, and representing to
| the English public the terrible sufferings of
| the prisoners The hearts of the people were
| touched, and they responded to his appeal
| for more humane treatment to those In the
| prisons of the realm. From that time to the
| present the work Of prison reform has been
going steadily forward: To such an extent.
| at length. has the spirit of Christ and of
| his Gospel taken possession of men that
it is now the acknowledged duty of the state,
through its prison administration, to- re-.
form the prisoner, if possible and as soon
as possible. and give his liberty back to
| him, and enable him to live useful and
happy life There are crimes SO great that.
| it seems the duty of the state to declare their
| gravity by very severe punishment. There
are crimes which exhibit such deep depray
ity that it cannot be presumed that it will
| be safe to give the prisoner his freedom
| soon. In all such cases society now feels
| that 1t has sacred duty which 1t owes to
/ the prisoner to make the punishment which
| he must receive in many ways as possible
| beneficial to him. The modern system of
| penology fully recognizes this obligation.
| 1t is now clearly that the more we do
for the prisoner, the more we are really doing
| for the welfare and security of society 1t
| is important to society that the number of
criminals should be reduced to minimum.
| 1t is important to the state that those who
| return to society after serving out their term
| should come back prepared and disposed to
lead virtuous life. Considerations OF econ
| omy require that the terms of imprisonment
| should be made as brief as is compatible with
the moral welfare of the prisoner and the
| curity of society.
| Now one of the humane conclusions to
| which penologists have come Is that 1t Is
cruel and demoralizing thing to have pris-
| oner spend his time in idleness There is
| scarcely any hope Of his reformation If he is
| compelled to spend his time in absolute idle
| ness. Vengeance and despair take the place
| of whatever good will he may have left for
| society. His evil passions prey upon him and
| eat the heart and character out of him. The
| prolonged idleness destroys his power and in
| becomes free man again. Insanity is often
| the result of the prisoners long enforced idle
| ness.
Furthermore, it is evident that he can d.
| minish the expense of his imprisonment to
| society If he be permitted to work. Be-
| cause he has sinned against society Is no
| asitic life while in the charge of the state.
| If he be put to some useful account,
| which shall at the same time. contribute to
| his reformation, it is the proper thing. 1t is
| now agreed that the prisoner should be set
| to work.
| But now while this plan accompanies both
| the ends had in view, namely, the employ
ment of the convict so that his moral i'm
! provement is made more possible and evil
dent, and the state to some extent is remuner-
ated for the expense of caring for him. an
| other difficulty has arisen.
The wages of free labor are in many cases
| manifestly far below what feel they ought
| to be. few years ago the state bureau of
| labor in Massachusetts, reported that the av-
| erage income of the laboring man was about
| two hundred and fifty dollars less than the
| average expenses of the laboring mans fam
| lily. This means, of course, that the wife, and
| the children, who ought to be in school, have
| to go out to service to exc out the family
| support. 1t means also that the family is In
many cases unsupplied with the necessities of
! life. Many things combine to keep wages
from being adequate to the laborer's needs. It
| is evident that competition has much to do
| with wages, as it does with prices of other
things beside labor 1t may, therefore, easily
| oughly organized labor of the prison popuIa-
! ton come into direct competition with free
| labor in the production of goods which go
| upon the public market.
For a number of reasons one of the in
| dustr1e. most easily prosecuted by convict
| labor is that of making shoes. Many pris-
ons have gone into this business. and I un-
! derstand that in Massachusetts, and some
other states besides it is becoming
| burning question whether the prisons shall
| be allowed to continue the shoe business.
| In our prison at Saltwater 240 men are en-
gagged in the manufacture of shoes Their
output Is 1,500 pairs of shoes a day. If we
estimate goo working days in the yer that
means 450.0 900 pairs of shoes a year which
| are put, upon the market through the con-
vict labor. 1t was supposed and may have
been true at first, that only the coarsest and
| prison establishment. But the fact is that
the prisoners have learned how to make
good shoes.
Now, what effect does this shoe Industry
In the penitentiary have upon free labor? It
| is evident that it must cut down the price
| of free labor. 1t may make shoes cheaper
for nearly al Of US; but think we do not
want the price of our shoes cheapened to the
extent OF reducing the wages of thr free la