Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1903-02-19

contract recently made with the III
nois Broom company for the labor OF
twenty-five or more convicts at 5O
cents per and that an injunction be
Issued to restrain the respondents from
carrying out the contract. The max
imum number of convicts to be EN-
ployed under the terms of the con.
tract is 80 and the contract Is to be
in force for eight years. The bill OF
complaint alleges that the fulfillment
of the contract will flood the market
with prison-made brooms with which
the outsiders will not be able to COM
pete The legal right Of the board to
enter into the contract Is denied and
the project declared to be against pub
lie policy. The matter will doubtless
find its way. into the supreme court
and 1t will be some time before the
question involved is finally adjudi-
Gated.
Inletermini.te Sentences.
Speaking of convicts reminds me
that in furtherance of the action taken
by the people of the state last Noyem-
Der in amending the constitution so
as to make indeterminate sentences
legal, Senator Vaughan has introduced
a bill providing for such sentences. Ii
provides that every convict must serve
at least the minimum term prescribed
for the crime of which he is convicted,
and cannot he released until such min
lmum term has expired. The plan out
lined in the bill is that the convict
shall petition the prison board for
parole or final discharge and the petit
ton shall not he presented to the gov
ernor unless ii has the approval OF at
least three members of the board. If,
after being paroled. the convict re-
sumes his criminal ha bits, he may be
again taken into custody under the old
sentence. Only paroled convicts will
be eligible to final discharge.
Another prison or convict bill intro
duced by Senator Vaughan, who, by
the way, was for several years pre-
vious TO his election to the senate a
member of the board of control of the
Michigan reformatory at 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
to the Michigan reformatory. Such
males convicted of second offenses
shall he sent TO the prisons at Jack
son, Marquette or Detroit. This sec.
ond or subsequent offense need not
have been committed in Michigan.
The object of the bin is to make the
for nj "a
incarceration of first offenders only
and save these persons young in crime
from being housed. as at present with
old and hardened criminals from
whom they learn more about crime
than they knew when received at the
prison.
Payment for Publishing Laws
Another constitutional amendment
made by the people last November re-
pealed the provision providing for the
payment of SO to 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 spe-
cial session when only two or three
laws were enacted, but in those cases
ii cost the state about $4,000 whack.
In line with the constitutional amend
ment the senate has passed a bill re-
pealing the act providing for the pay
ment of the compensation mentioned.
This provision served a good purpose
when the state was new and the very
few newspapers were the peoples only
sources Of information.
Representative Van Ioeren, of Grand
Rapids who is an earnest opponent Of
the convict contract labor system, will
shortly present bill providing for the
manufacture by convicts of furniture.
clothing and other articles which are
used in the various institutions of the
state. lie 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 sheriff of the county in 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 subjeqA the offending
official to fine of $3.50 and removal
from Office.
Once more the joint resolution sub
hitting to the people the question OF
a general revision Of the constitution
has made its appearance. The Lord
knows that g.neral revision is neces-
sary. but in all probability He also
knows that II is apparently hopeless
task to make majority of the people
Of the state 20 to the polls and say
so by their ballots. Several attempts
to accomplish this object have proved
fruitless. The nearest approach to
success has been when the matter has
progressed to the point that after con
stitutional conventions participated IT,
by some OF the most accomplished me-
I'm the state have. after great labor
made general revision Of the conSti
tuition and the same has been submitt,
to the people. the latter have produc
their little hammers and Knocked