The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1905-01-14
JOLIET PRISON MUST
UNDERGO AN INQUIRY
Organized Labor of Illinois De-
mands Investigation of
State Prison.
kDraws Up List Of Charges to
be Presented to General
Assembly Today.

Springfield, Ill. January 12.-When
the new state administration gets
0ottled down to a working gait after
the inaugural ceremonies one Of the
first things 1t may be expected to take
up IS thorough investigation Of the
Joliet penitentiary and the multiplied
charges Of violation of the convict law,
m1smanagement, extravaganza and
generally slipshod methods that have
been brought against Warden Murphy
and the commissioners.
Notoriously lax as the Legislatures
of the state have always been in regard
to the way in which all the state in
stitutions have been conducted for
generations past, the party in power
looking upon the appropriations for
those institutions as the legitimate loot
of a victory at the polls, there is little
or no room for doubt that, with the
Governor to back up the demands for
an investigation that will really mean
something, the present Legislature will
not escape providing for one.
The Governor to be inaugurated to-
day is confidently expected to back
the demand that will be made by the
Federation Of Labor. and which Will
come from other quarters also.
Deneen Pledged to Reform.
Mr.. Deneen is pledged to the reform
of the state institutions by all the
speeches he made in the Autumn
campaign. To accomplish the reforms
promised he will first have to inquire
into the charges Of violation Of the law
and mismanagement.
There is still another reason why
Governor elect Deneen Is likely to in
sfst upon an investiga ton of the Joliet
penftentiary. 1t is a generally under
stood thing that when he secured the
Republican nomination at Springfield
last Spring Mr.. Deneen made an agree
ment with Governor Yates to take
care" Of the latter's friends after
election. To take care" of them
meant to retain them in office. Mr.
iDeneen's friends who are in the office
hunting class were agreed to that ar
rangement at the time, but they can
not see why it should be lived up to
now: they want the offices themselves,
and if charges can be made, and proved
that will throw a lot of Yates sup
.porters out of office Mr.. Deneens
sspoils- seeking henchmen will be might
EEl1y pleased. ,.a..... ...s.,...
Demand
What the public at large is mostly
interested in is that the investigation
shall be made, and that it be thorough
:end sincere, and not merely a white
washing" inquiry. Specific charges
shave been piled too high for the Legis-
:lature to refuse to take notice Of them
The Legislative committee of the
Federation Of Labor will meet at
Springfield this morning, when the de-
mand for an inquiry as to the viola
tion of the convict labor law will be
formulated.
In the summary of the charges
against Warden Murphy and the board
behind him is that of violating the
convict labor law, which carries with it
the assumption that some one profited
Dsouniarily from whatever the con-
tractors paid for the convict labor, as
iths state could not legally accept any
tmoney for the work done against the
law. Whatever amount Selz, Schwab
& Co. paid for that labor cannot be
learned from the books of the institu-
tion.
But after reading the correspondence
of the Selz-Schwab superintendent at
the penitentiary there is no doubt left
in any persons mind that it was the
contracting corporation, and not the
state, that did all the work in the
penitentiary shops up to the middle of.
November when Mr.. Bent wrote his
form that they intend to work about
fifty men, If they can get orders
enough"
Build Powerhouse
Allowing the Selz- -Schwab Company
to continue for three and half months
after it had become illegal for the con-
victs to work for contractors was not
the only instance in which the officials
Further Investigations shows that
while the Legislature was dis
cussing the convict labor law
from the prison the commissioners
sanctioned an expenditure of over
$4,000 in erecting a. powerhouse which
would enable the Frankfort Chair
Company to avoid paying the state
$500 month for power
Another bit Of evidence showing that
the management has a liking for cor
pora tions is the fact that though the
various coal companies of which fuel
for the institution is purchased ad-
mittedly owe from $4,000 to $4,000 in
rebates for shortages, that no attempt
at a settlement has been made for the
past two years. The excuse put for
ward is that companies have been
decent to the institution and have not
boosted the price when the chance Of
fered."
The state has no contracts with the
dealers, but pays the current price.
That fact will give the Investigating
committee a chance to go into the
business records of the institution.
Many Counts in the Indictment.
zOther counts in the eindictment are
those of extravaganza, particularly in
spending 5000 in repairing the private
dining room of the warden And about