The Florida star., 1900-05-11

tenance or state. county and municipal
institutions and the support OF the In
mates or the same or In work on the
public buildings or roads tends TO the
least direct competition with free Ia
Dor.
or the various systems OF employing
eonyicts those under which private In
dividuais or corporations are interested
have resulted In procuring the greatest
revenue 10 the state.
No system OF employing convict Ia
bor can be entirely free from the dan
ger OF abuses In management. The
most desirable system for employing
convicts Is one which provides prima-
rily for the punishment and reforma-
ton OF the prisoner and the least COM
petition with free labor and secOnda-
rlly for the revenue OF the state. In
order TO harmonic the antagonistlc In
terests OF the different states it is es-
sential that the industrial operations
OF all the penal. refOrmatory and elee-
mosynary institutions In each should
be under the supervision OF a central
office.
The adoption OF laws embracing the
above principles has been retarded by
the prevailing Industrial. economic. So
cIal and climatic conditions i'm many Of
the states. These conditions are so di-
versified and the Industrial. moral and
educational possibilities OF the prison
population differ 50 widely in the sew
eral states that the commission is of
the opinion that IL Is impracticable for
all OF them TO adopt a uniform law for
the employment Of prisoners that
would be Identical in all OF its prOvi-
sions. The necessity for uniform legis-
latiOn is, however, fully realized. Ii is
the only permanent remedy for the
abuses that exist under the systems
now prevailing and for the abatement
Of competition with free labor. The
commission accordingly submits gen
eral provisions of law, mainly from
the New York statute. which are in
harmony with these conclusions and
recommends that all. or such OF them
as may be possible. shall be embodied
In the laws OF the different states. with
such additional provisions as to man
agement as may he necessary To meet
the prevailing social conditions.
The commission is of the opinion
that the nearest to complete remedy
for the evils OF convict labor cOmpeti-
ton with the business and labor OF the
country would be the interdiction OF in
terstate commerce in all goods, miner
ais or materials I'm whole or In part the
product Of convict labor. supplemented
by state legislation. But in the alb
sence OF such legislation by all the
states and in order TO protect such
states as do adopt such legislation
| from the convict labor competition OF
/ others the most practical step would
be an act of congress by which goods.
| in whole or In part the product OF con-
Wet labor. upon their arrival in any
state would become fully subject TO
Its laws.
Commissioners Smyth and Harris
dissent from that portion OF the report
recommending an interdictiOn OF pris-
| on made goods. and Mr.. Smyth also
dissents from recommendation fixing
eight hours for days work for prls-
/ oners.
/ New York, whose convict labor sys-
TEN Is favored Icy the commission. has
probably had more trouble ySIth the
problem than any other state in the
| Union. and the states experience in
cluded several experiments. some of
which were very expensive. The lat
est change made by New York was the
| ccu,plarn nhpIitipp of tho contract S,-S-
TEN. The inmates OF the states penal