The Sunday globe., 1901-05-26


honest toiler on the outside has been
the means of compelling the attention
OF the legislature to the subject. The
prison product undersells a similar ar
ticle made by outside labor, because
the prison product is gotten up cheap
er by reason OF prison labor, hence
competition is destroyed and the prison
manufacturer runs his outside COM
petitor out of busisness or forces him
to cut down the wages Of his men.
Prison contractors furnish doctorei
statistics to show the small per cent
in relation to the whole Of this con-
vict production, and they argue from
this that the grievances Of outside and
honest labor is purely imaginary or
sentimental.
But even II this were true, the abol-
ition of contract labor and the employ
ment of the prisoners by the State
must effect the principle object of I'M
prisonment, viz: The reformation OF
the prisoner, eventually takes place In
all our prisons or the pretence Of ref
ormation must be entirely abandoned.
There is no human being can be re-
formed who knows and feels he is be-
ing worked into physical prostration
in foundry, bolt or machine shop for
the benefit of contractor, whose in
terest in him is confined to the guam
tity of work he can sweat out OF him
before he is taken to the prison hos
pital for repairs.
This contracting for the sweat, the
toll. and the blood of hapless prison
ers is barbarous and inhuman and
, against the best interests Of the society
; in whose alleged interests it is en-
I forced. It is not advanced as a meth
cd Of reformation that prisoners
should be kept in idleness; on the con-
trary, occupation is as necessary for
/ their reformation as food is for their
existence but the toll required should
| be of a character in harmony with the
changed conditions and quality OF food
! furnished as we'll as the deprivations
of all the recreations which make or
binary toll, if not pleasure, at least
bearable and not destructive to soul
and body, as is now the case in ths
Ohio prison and others Of its class
The State itself is the proper and
natural employer Of its prisoners, as 1t
can regulate toll with the disciplinary
and reformatory methods prescribed
for the rehabilitation of the prisoner
and his restoration to society at the
expiration of his sentence. In other
words, the State is not licensed to de-
stroy the prisoner physically aud men
tally while exacting from him the PEN
atty of his offense against society. The
State is morally and legally bound, on
the contrary, to, if possible, improve
his diseased and criminal instinct oc
tendency to crime and neither impair
nor break down his physical system
Under the present system of contract
labor, tue State does both, for the piece
price plan, substituted in Ohio for the
old contract system, is simply whip
ping the devil around the stump" as
the men are let out to outside con-
tractors precisely as under the old
plan, with this difference, that instead
of the contractor paying the State by
the day for the convict's days work.
as formerly, he now pays by the piece
or article produced. The task, how
ever. or days work required of the
convict is, if anything, more severe
than under the old system. The same
contractors own the prisoners now al
formerly and prescribe the days WORK
by the piece, while their contract with
the State is based on the convict's full
hllment of the task prescribed. II he
fails he is punished and kept up to the
task by the paddle on his naked flesh
ducked in a tub of water until he Is
amost strangled. or hose turned on
his mouth until he is filed with water
and faints under the treatment, OF
hung up by the thumbs in solitary
confinement and fed on bread and
water!
Changing the subject for the present
a few words on the society of the
prison, its classification and "exclu
| lsiveness" must close this paper. There
are a great many Southern prisoner
in the Ohio prison, sent by the United
States courts of Georgia, South Caro-
lima, Texas, Tennessee, etc. Thes'
prisoners usually flock by themselves
when the rules Of the prison permit
, Among the number of moonshiner
, and other criminals are Southern gen
, tlemen of education, some of whom
, fought for the Lost Cause" Th
prison paper invariably represents tn
patriotic sentiments of the Northern
prisoners, but occasionally, and es
pecially under the management OF tn
writer, the Southern element wa
! given encouraging representation IN it
columns. Among the many contribu
tons in prose and verse, a captain o
, a Georgia regiment contributed tn
! following, which, for sentiment an
i correct metre, is fair sample Of tn
, feelings and ability manifested by tn
Southerner in his contact and asso
! citation with his Northern fellow Grim
, linal. The poem is entitled Pickett
Charge at Gettysburg" and is as fol
, lows:
= Brave hearts within their bosom set
No brow with coward, dew damp wet
D They come in Veteran linesi
> Wave now their 1ags so free and bold,
| We see their dies in snake-like told
! Uncoil from yonder pines.
= "Tls Plcketts men !" our general said,
. HAnd this broad plain a field al dead
Or mid these guns they rest;
{ My oOuntry's fate within the hour
+ | Triumphant live or sink its power
a DO every man his best'
Above the slopes well covered read
> Now all our guns with grape shot load
2 Cleans Hancoek's waving sword =
> "stand by those guns nor cease their fire
'rill Treason foul in blood expire
Now comes their rebel horde !"
Line after line, as II ON p'rade,
| In quick-step march each gray brigade
with Pickett IN the van.
e Behold yon heights with cannon crown
g Give way no foot OF blood-won ground,
. Nor falter one brave mani
awe rest amid these guns today,
+ Tho on our front they murder'us play
4 Now columns dOuble.quick!
Ho ee-NiTglnia-boldl
AS lions leap at frightened fold
3 Cbargel thrO' this carnage thick
8 Though lanes Of dead and thunder'us din
| Mark how each rod Of ground they win
Cheers Pickett at their head