The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-01-17
Gray Railroad Bill Passed by Big Ma
jority and Hackieman Resolution
Adopted After Debate.
DULL SESSION IN THE HOUSE
MEMBERS GAVE EVIDENCE OF sUF-
FERING FROM EyNUI.
First Bill TO Legalfxe Marriage I'm
Many Years-Routine Business
Legislative sideIfghts.

The convict labor bills on which Senator
F. E. Matson. of this city. Representative
Charles Harley, of Delphi and Warden
j. w. Reid. of the State Prison at Michigan
City. have been working since the opening
of the Legislature, were completed yester-
day and introduced, duplicate bills being
offered in both houses by Senator Matson
and Representative Harley. The bills pro-
vide that the present contract and State
account system. which runs under the ex-
listing law until Oct. l. 1904. shall be ex-
tended until Oct. /. 1910. or for a period of
six years.
The legislative programme will be 10
push each bill as rapidly possible and.
when they meet. TO substitute the one
farthest advanced for the other. IL is
,,oistood that the bills have the Endorsement
of the labor interests of the State and that
no fight will be made against them from
that source. unless some opposition develop
from labor leaders who are cranks on the
subject of convict labor and will not be
satisfied with any sort OF compromise.
The decision to continue the present sys-
tenn was reached after numerous confer
ences between Representative Harley. who
is chairman of the prison committee of the
House. Warden Reid. Senator Matson and
number of the prominent labor leaders
of the State. including Edgar A. Perkins.
president of the State Federation of Labor.
John Feltman. organizer of the Central
Labor Union. and NJ. T. Butler. The labor
representatives agreed that some sort OF
labor must be provided for the convicts.
but they were opposed to any contracts
that brought prison-made goods into COM
petition with the products Of free labor.
However, after carefully reviewing the sit
uation they were convinced that II would
be impossible TO devise a system that would
absolutely do away with all such competi-
ton and they agreed that the present sys-
tenn offered the least objections in that
line.
PRESENT SYSTEM
The present system. which is to be con-
tinued IL the Legislature adopts one OF
the bills introduced yesterday. provides
that not more than so per cent. of the con-
victs shall be employed by contract. and
that in these contracts more than one
hundred men shall be employed in one
kind of work. The other 50 per cent. of
the convicts are employed on State account
work: that is, In the care of the institu-
tions. which requires from 200 TO 300 OF
tnem, ana IN the mdnuldCluTe Oh
consumed by the institution. Under the
existing contracts about 400 men are en-
ployed in the manufacture OF barrels,
chairs, mitts and socks and cheap shirts.
In the State account work the men are
employed in gardening. raising nearly all
the produce required by the prison. In the
manufacture of shoes. shirts. prison clothes
and clothes for the discharged prisoners,
and in the manufacture of the tobacco con-
sumed by the prisoners In this last item
alone from $500 TO $4,000 is saved to the
State every year.
Under the present law there is also pro-
vision for the accumulation OF fund for
the extension of the State account work.
the sum of $4,000 being set aside each
year. Oct i, lsoi, the sum OF sl.SV" Viii
this fund that the State account work Is
to be enlarged under the provisions of the
new bill Ii is the plan Of Warden Reid 10
branch out slowly and on a comparatively
small scale in order that a. the system
proves a failure the loss TO the State viii
be small In addition TO the work now
being done he will provide machinery for
the manufacture OF brooms brushes. soap.
etc, and will employ few men In each
line. The State account system. as II has
been tried extensive scales In Illinois.
New York and other States. has not been
successful. and il has cost those States
large sums. IL is the desire OF those in
terested in the work that Indiana shall
make no such mistakes and meet with no
such losses n the work is found satis-
factory on a small scale In 1910. when the
new contracts expire, IL may be deemed
advisable to employ all the prisoners on
State account work. manufacturing goods
not only for the prison. but for the other
State institutions as well.
THE NEW BILL.
The new bill does not provide for the
renewal OF the present contracts. The Leg
isIature could not do anything Of that sort
II merely provides that before these con-
tracts expire the warden shall advertise
for bids for new contracts. and the present
contractors may be successful In the COM
petition or other firms may step in and de-
feat them. The present contractors will
have the advantage. however. in that they
have their plants installed and should be
able to make a better bid than any new
corners. The contracts must necessarily oe
for work that does not require great
amount OF skill. for the prisoners cannot
and will not do skilled work.
In discussing the convict labor question
Representative Harley. who was warden
of the state prison for several years and
said last evening"
The problem II one that will never be
solved 10 the satisfaction OF every one In
terested. The only thing that we can hope
10 accomplish is to reduce the objectionable
features OF the system 10 the minimum. IL
goes without argument from any one that
the prisoners must be provided work OF
some kind The Legislature OF 1895. In an
swer 10 the demands of organized labor.
abolished the convict labor system. and for
two years after 1 went 10 the prison az
warden we had a condition OF affairs that
almost drove me wild and that drove the
/ prisoners frantic. Prior 10 1885 all the con-
victs had been employed on contracts The
bill of 's5 forbade the renewal of any OF
/ these contracts and l had 500 idle men on
my hands. Necessarily the PRISONERS were
kept in their cells almost twenty-four hours
! OF every day. and have had men call me
| 10 their cell doors. and with tears stream
! inS down their faces beg me 10 take them