The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1903-02-07

pcop4c SHoulu turn DOWN some or the
| nonenities in the state legislature
who are disgrace to the citizenship Of
Minnesota The vote on the resoIu-
ton to investigate was close. What
| ever construction is given to the action
OF the house, we know this much; that
it is direct slap at organized labor.
Not only organized labor, but hosts
| of citizens believe that the prison la
Dor evil should be remedied. Organ
| lied labor has no intention, or desire
! to prevent the convicts from working,
| but 1t does most strongly object to
prison made goods coming in direct
competition with free labor The in
! justice of the method now in vogue
does not only seriously affect labor,
but the manufacturers who have not
the good fortune to get on the inside
OF the most questionable system Of
| contracts entered into by prison off,
Gals.
1t would seem that the states con-
tract with private shoe firms should
be public property, yet we venture the
assertion that there Is not citizen in
Minnesota, outside of a most ques-
ttonable acting ring, who has seen a
| copy of the contract. When President
ration OF Labor called upon the off,
Gals holding the contract to discuss
With them the question of convict la
Dor, as were his instructions from the
convention of the organization he re-
presented, he asked to have the privi1-
eye Of reading the contract, which re-
quest the officials insultingly denied
The demand of organized labor, repre-
nj ~ -
have the contract investigated by the
state legislature was both a just and
fair demand. It was worthy of re-
did not receive.
Organized labor's right to petition
the legislature to investigate the con-
tracts Is a constitutional right that
cannot be abridged. In reality the
shabby treatment accorded labor by
the lower house Of the legislature is not
the prison officials.
If their action was clean and honest
there would have been no desire to re-
fuse to permit an investigation. AS it
is, 10000 citizens of the state who are
members OF organized labor. and any
number Of their friends, will be sus-
tracts.
L. III. Johnson, Of Minneapolis, who
was the unsuccessful candidate for
speaker Of the house, has at last, by his
own language, convinced the people
that it was most fortunate for them
that he was defeated for speaker. We
We're inclined to- syInpathize with,
Johnson in his. race for; the speaker
ship, but we sdi not know him 30 well.
then We do
In discussing the resolution to- inYes-#*
tigate the prison labor contract he is.
reported to have said: =.
IF the investigation promises to be
good for the convicts I am for it, but If
it is simply a matter of catering to
the labor element, will have nothing
to do with it,
BY this it seems that he is more So
licitous about the welfare of felons
than he is about the success Of hon
est, free and law-abiding citizens of
the state. When Mr.. Johnson was a
candidate for the legislature, no man
in Minneapolis catered more to the
labor element for their votes, but with
him 1t is better to receive favors than
II Is TO give them.
A member of the last house said in
our presence last week that the pres
ent legislature was the most incompe-
tent that ever sat in a legislative ses-
sion. We are beginning to think that
he is right.
They have been In session one month
and what have they accomplished?
Nothing. It seems that they have al
ready recognized their incompetency,
and hence refuse to take up any puz-
cling question of statewide import
ance All labor-organized and unor-
ganized-asserts that there is much in
jury in prison labor competition with
free labor. The house refuses to heed
this assertion. 1t refuses to in any
way discuss the matter, and casts it
aside in an ignoring manner. At the
same time other legislatures In other
states consider the prison labor dles-
tion to be very important one to
both labor and industry.
Let us repeat, that organized labor
wants to see convicts employed. 1t
recognizes the fact that the minds of
those confined in prisons must be oc-
cupied, or that there will be more or
less insanity among the prisoners.
The essence of its objection to pres
emit methods is "that it does not want
prison made goods to come in eompe.
tition~: with those Of free labor. In
some states the roadbuilding plan has.
been tried with remarkable success.
1t will be- claimed that in this there
is a competition with free labor, but
many roads: can be built by cu1victs
that otherwise would be neglected for
lack of funds, and therefore this plan
minimizes competitions. ~:
1t would be we'll for organized labor
of Minnesota to. offer this suggestion
to the legislature of this state: H. 49,
"That when the present contracts
expire, and in making new ones, pro-
vision shall be made 80 that in fixing
a selling price for shoes, and in com:
putting the cost Of labor in the produc-
ton Of shoes, that the amount that.
would BE, paid to free iaSor7 in the
nearest market were It engaged in tho
mahuf aeture Of: the shoes in question,