The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1900-05-04
PRISON LABOR
RECOMMENDATIONS
Made By the National Indus
trial Commission.
EMPLOYMENT OF CONvICrs
should BE Restricted to the Manufacture
or Goods to BE Used In state, County
And Municipal Institutions
Says the Report.
Special to News-Democrat.

Special to News-Democrat.
Massillon, May 3.-The Industrial
Commission, of which Mr.. M. D. Ratch-
ford; of this city, is a member, today
submitted it's report on prison labor, to
congress. The report, a copy Of which
was furnished the News Democrat man
by Mr.. Ratchford, shows that the in
vestigations of the commission extend-
ed into every state and territory of the
Union. The conditions prevailing
among the prisoners employed in the
various penal, reformatory and eleemoA
synary institutions of the country, is
shown in all details in the report,
which is of local interest on account of
the action of the Trades Assembly,
taken in the prison labor question at
divers times during the past year, and
also because of the Stark county work.
house prisoners. The commission de-
clares that the industrial of the convict
labor problem can be regulated to the
satisfaction of all sections of the coun-
try only by uniform legislation on the
part of the states. In regard to the
various schemes adopted by the states
to lessen the competition of convict la
Dor with free labor and industry the
report says:
"These devices have been adopted
without regard to conditions prevailing
in other states, or in the hope Of re-
lieving acute conditions. rather than
providing a permanent remedy for a
evil that has always been a feature OF
our government, and that has develop
ed and expanded with the increase in
population and wealth of the country
That the competition with free labor
exists and has been and can be made
severe by the use of methods now iI
vogue, Is clearly shown by the evidence
presented herewith. This is a sufficient
reason for a change in those method!
and the adoption, so far as practicable
, of a uniform system whereby the EN-
ployment of convicts in one state car
not act detrimentally on the industri
al interests Of that or any other state.
: Figures showing the amount of goods
, manufactured by prison labor and com
ing into direct competition with fre
, labor are given and show the vas
amount of materials manufactured II
the prisons of the country. The pris
. ons of New York, alone, made good
\ in 1895 of the value Of s., 1893, ,769.02. Tn
e system then in vogue has been aban
! doned, the convits being now engaged
n exclusively, in the manufacture o
q goods for the use Of the state and 1t
q institutions. Under the Public Accoun
!, system values Of goods produced in
creased 100 per cent between the year
1886 and 1895. There were large de
o creasees in the contract and lease sys
TENS while the piece price system show
d ed gain.
d The report says: after carefr
, consideration of the subject in all of II
phases as presented in numerous re
ports. of the testimony and recommer
. dations that have been submitted, {
: the present system of employing cor
victs, and the conditions that have Gu
+, minated in the adoption of those sys
IS tens, the commission feels warrante
e in arriving at the following conclr
+ sions:
First: That provision should be mad
- in the laws of each state for the en-
ployment of all prisoners in productiy
labor.
e Second: The state should have al
It solute control of the care, punishment
y reformation and employment of II
Ic prisoners, as well as the disposition
,r the products of their industry.
,e Third: The employment Of prison
ers in productive labor does, of nece
,, sity, result in competition of SON