Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1900-06-30
THE STATE PEM1ENT|ARY.
SOME TIMELY AND PERTINENT
CRITICISMS OF THE EXISTING
METHODS.
k,mGralizing and Ultimately Ex-
Densive Results of Making the In
stitution Boarding Place for
Federal Prisoners-A Matter in
Which Laboring People are Vital
Iy Interested-fncrcas the Com
petition With Free Labor-some
Figures on Expenses.
TO the Editor Of the Register.

! Durlng Jne progress OF the political
campaign in West Virginia this year,
We shall no doubt hear a great deal
about the efficient management" of
our State institutions by the Repub-
lican officials, for it seems that upon
this alleged efficient management
! the Republicans expect TO make their
| light Governor Atkinson. in his set
speech before the Republican State
| Convention in Fairmont last month,
called special attention TO his wonder
full efficient management" of the State
institutions, and especially of the pen
itentiary at Moundsville and the sweep
ing statements Of the Governor have
| been paraded in the Republican news
papers OF the State from chat day I'M
I'll thus and strange to say, Governor
MacColAle, in his carefully prepared
| speech challenged the statements OF Gov
ernor Atkinson concerning every State
Institution except the penitentiary. He
| made an exception of that and tacitly
! aiSmlsted ,hej- ilhe penltentlary was
we'll managed. In my opinion, not one
! OF the State institutions have been SO
badly managed as the penitentiary. In
| the past three years of Republican
! administration it has been greater
! burden on the taxpayers of the State
than 1t has ever been in any previous
THEE years in the history of the State.
| Up TO The fourth of March, 1900 the
Republican administration had been in
| power nciL three years According to
the reports CT Warden Hawk, the man
| agement OF the penitentiary spent in
the first year, 1897, 1929; second
year, 1898, 20S08.33; third year, 1899,
S29,831.48 making total Tor the three
years of SS5,893.49. For the three
years next preceding the beginning of
the present management, which was
then under Democratic administra-
ton the management spent during 1894
S2S,900, during 1895, the management
spent $l0,649.98; during 1896 the man
agement spent $4,000, making a total
for the three years of $50, 4499S diff
ference in favor of Democratic admin
isdration of $25,443.51.
But the Matter of Dollars
and cents sinks inso utter insignificance
when we consider the demoralizing
effect upon our people and the ultimate
tax burdens placed upon us, which will
| result from the importation to this
State, by the car load, of convicts from
the Federal Courts of the District Of
Columbia, Maryland, Virginia and 9TH
er States. Senator Elkins appears to
have been the genius who successfully
manipulated this matter, and had these
convicts sent to our penitentiary.
Whether he did it for the purpose of
making our State prison money max
ing institution, or for the purpose of
forcing down the price of labor in
West Virginia, | have been unable to
learn. However that may be, he caus-
ed a contract TO be executed which
provided that the convicts turned out
by THE Federal Courts of the District
of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia and
possibly other States should be sent to
the West Virginia pen!tentiary. Sena-
tor Blhns had ascertained that it was
a profitable business to keep persons
in the penitentiary. The Federal Gov
ornment pays the State Government 20
cents day for keeping these prisoners
and it costs the State about IL cents a
day to keep them, leaving a profit to
the State of 16 cents a day on each
prisoner. The warden of the peniten-
tiary then turns around and hires these
convicts to she manufacturers of
brooms. shoes, whips and clothing at
60 cents a day. Adding, then, the 16
cents to the 60 cents a day, we nave
total profit of 76 cents day on the
work of each convict.
Under the policy of importing federal
prisoners into this State by the car
load there is no reason why the peni-
tentiary should not be made a bowling
success financially. The contract with
the Federal Government by which we
get a large consignment OF prisoners
every month was executed about the
beginning of last year. Since that time
the reports of Warden Hawk show that
we have received up to the beginning
of the present month 200 convicts, or
about II month. At this rate the
number will soon be so large that it
will be impossible TO crowd them into
the institution. Its capacity is about
700 and it is said that the prisoners
number $50 or so above the capacity
OF the building.
But, as | have said, it is not ques-
ton of dollars and cents. 1t is a Ques-
ton of cheating
Our own Honest Free Lsborins
men and demoralizing our people. We
cannot afford to make our penitentiary
a national boarding house or convicts
only for the purpose of putting money
into the State treasury. The bringing
Of these convicts into the penitentiary
places their. cheap labor in direct COM
petition with the labor of our honest
and honorable workingmen and me-
chanics 1t may not have been the pur-
pose of Mr.. Elkins to bring IN these
conyiets from other States in order to
cheaper labor In this State, but that
will be the effect of it. The limit of
the endurance of our working men
seems TO have been reached when the
labor of West Virginia convicts was
placed in competition with that of our
free worlxingmen. but when our public
men go out to other States to gather up
conviets TO bring here 10 demoralize
wages il is like adding insult to in
jury Ii is singular that our labor or
CARNATIONS of West Virginia have per-
mitted this policy to be pursued at the
penitentiaTy for eighteen months with
out p>0test. The presumption is
that they have not been apprized Of the
extent of their wholesale importation
of convicts into the State A few years
ago. when New York was about 10
contract for United States prisoners.
TO work in the New York prison. the
labor organizations sent in a strong
protest against il, an. the contract al ,
ready signed was ahrogated and now