The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1903-02-20

tunity TO pas oh tue questloll Oh
the constitutit ~ of the convict
contract labor tenn in Michigan as
referred 10 i'm cent letter. Several
days ago the ohal broom Makers
Union No. . e Whittier Broom
cnmnanv and Van Duran Broom
comDanv of GJ Rapids, commenced
n suit i'm cha in the Wayne cir
cult court aga Narueh ihceht ana
the board of pol Oh Jackson prison
The court is ri To declare void the
contract rec, made with the ILL
nois Broom puny for the labor OF
Twenty-Five more cOnvicts at 30
cents per. a Et an injunction be
issued 10 res the respondents from
CARRYING ont contract. The max
imum numbe + cOnvicts TO be EN-.
ployed under ne terms or the con-
tract is $50 nd the contract Is TO be
i'm force for light years. The bill or
complaint mPges that the fulfllment
OF the contr.ct will food the market
with DriSon-rade broOmS with which
the outsiders viii not be able to COM
pete. The lgal right of the board to
enter into tle contract is denied and
the project declared to be against pub
lie Dolicy Fhc matter will doubtless
lind its wp into the supreme court
and il will be- some time before the
question involved is finally adjudi-
Gated.
Indeprminate Sentences.
Speaking Of convicts reminds me
that in furGerauce Of the action taken
by the peope of the state last Novem-
Der in amtudug the constitution SO
as TO make indeterminate sentences
legal. Senator Vaughan has introduced
a bill providing for such sentences. 1t
provides that every convict must serve
ut least the minimum term prescribed
for the crime of which he is convicted,
and cannot be- released until such min
imum term has expired. The plan out
lined i'm the bill is that the convict
shall petition The prison board for
parole or final discharge and the petit
ton shall not be presented TO the gov
ernor unless it has the approval of at
least three members Of the board. II,
after being paroled, the convict re-
sumes his criminal habits. he may be
again taken into custody under the old
sentence. Only paroled convicts will
be eligible to tiual discharge
Another prison or convict bill intro
duced by Senator Vaughan. who. by
the way. was for several years pre-
vious to his election 10 the senate
member OF the board of control of the
Michigan rcformatory ut Ionia. re-
Quires that all male convicts sixteen
years of age or under, convicted for
The first time Of felony. except murder
in the first degree, shall be sentenced
70 the Michigan reformatory. Such
males convicted Of second offenses
shall he sent 10 the prisons at Jack
son. Marquette or Detroit. This Sec
ond or subsequent offrnSe need not
have been committed i'm Michigan.
The object Of the bill is 10 make the
Michigan reformatory a place for the
Incarceration of first offenders only
and save these persons young in crime
from being housed. rs at present, with
old and hardened criminals from
whom they learn more about crime
than they knew when received at the
prison.
Payment Tor Publishing Laws.
Another constitutional amendment
made by the people last November re-
pealed the provision providing for the
payment of SlJ 10 each newspaper
publisher who published the general
laws enacted at any session of the leg
islature. OF course. advantage of this
provision was taken only after a spe-
cial session when only two or three
laws were enacted, but i'm those cases
il cost the state about $4,000 Il whack.
In line with the constitutional amend
ment the senate has passed Il bill re-
pealing the act providing for the pay
ment of the compensation mentioned.
This provision served Il good purpose
when the state was new and the very
few newspapers were the peoples only
sources Of Information.
Representative Van Zoerrn. of Grand
Rapids, who is an earnest opponent Of
the convict contract labor system. will
shortly present a bill providing for the
manufacture by convictS Of furniture,
clothing aud other articles which are
used III the various institutions of the
state. He would prohibit the sale Of
any articles made in prison in compe-
tition with free labor, except as they
are sold to state institutions for use
therein
Investigate and Prosecute.
The second section of the bill makes
il the duty Of the prosecuting attorney
and sheriG Of the county i'm which the
shooting occurs to Immediately lnvesti-
gate the shooting and prosecute every
person who violates the above prOvi-
sion, and failure TO so investigate and
prosecute shall subject the offending
official to a fine of $1,000 and removal
from Office
Once more the Joint resolution sub
hitting to the people the question of
general revision of the constitution
has made its appearance. The Lord
knows that IA general revision is neces-
sary, but in all probability He also
knows that it is apparently hopeless
task to make a majority of the people