Gainesville daily sun. (Gainesville, Fla.) 190?-1938, 1906-12-10
CONVICT GOODS
MAY Be BARRED
House Passes Bill Which Allows
States to
gxcLUOE AT OwN pLEAsURE


day, After Making Legislative, Ex-
ecutlvs and judicial Appropriation
Bill a Special Order. \
Washington, Dec. 1O--Af 3 o'clock
Friday the house adjourned until
Monday. having during the legislative
session passed several bills and re-
ceived from the committee on appro-
priations, the legislative, executive
and judicial appropriation bill.
That bin was made a special order
for Monday. no day having been fix
ed for the vote on Il. During the
three hours the house was in session
is passed bill, which has the enthu-
siastic endorsement Of labor, as welr
as manufacturers generally, repeal
ing that portion OF the Wilson inter-
state commerce bill relative to con-
vict-made goods and permitting the
several states to legislate for them
selves as to their competition with
free labor made goods. A bill
was also passed creating game pre-
serve in the Olympia mountains In
Washington.
BY a practically unanimous vote
the house passed the bill limiting the
regulation of interstate commerce be-
tween the several states in articles
manufactured by convict labor or in
any prison or reformatory. The bill
was introduced by Mr.. Hunt. OF Mis-
souri,. a practical stonemason,
Under the Wilson bill, which be-
came law IN 1890, convict labor
made goods may enter into active
competition with goods manufactured
by free labor" and under this fed
eral law a state could not pass law
that would prevent the shipping into
the state prison made goods of other
states. The law passed Friday alb
rogates the interstate commerce law,
as az present applied to conyict-nade
goods. thereby affording to the diff
ferent states and territories the right
to inhlbit the shipping OF convict
made goods within the confines OF
any states or territory.
Mr.. Hunt asked for Us passage not
only for the interest OF the free labor
but In the interest OF the naanufaclur-
ers. He said Il was an attempt to
curb the criminal competition OF the
penitentlary with the free labor OF the
country,
1T Is cruel" he said, ito ask the
free labor OF this country 70 maintain
It's dignity and It's self-rospeet. II 4
has TO wait until the product Of the
state prison Is sold before the employ
or can get a reasonable price for his
honestly manufactured products.
Other speeches were made by Sher-
ley OF Kentucky, Gaines OF Tonnes
see, Henry OF Texas and Grosvenor
OF Ohio.
The Democrats IN the house opposed
the consideration OF the bin confer-
ring United States citizenship on the
Inhabitants Of Porto Rico. Chairman
Cooper. Of Wisconsin, under the call
OF the committees. called the attenti0n
OF the house to the erroneous posi-
lions Of tire blll on the unlon oalsn-
OAR, insisting that its proper place
was on the house calendar.
Mr.. Clark. Of Missouri. leading the
minority. objected 10 o. transfer bat
Speaker Canpoa decided with Mr..
Cooper that Il properly belongs on
the house ealendar. witch would give
4 a 6sferent status than oa The uniOa
calendar. The cAhiruan % the con-
mittoo on lnsuiar aeairs attempted %
have 4 called up Cor consideration.
Again Mr.. Clark protested. Insisting
that ne house had q rigat % have no.
tee % the possible consideration %
the measure. Ths speaNeg sastaln-
"a the prosegs. ana 10 en- veut over.
TIE discusaton Disclosed a tstermi-
natlon % TIE nemocrsts % hEai ne
measure NhcaeYef poCsieie.
VITA a. sppforyiaiion % g. go ele
and psuria1a barring -uimpnaed
spsinnr- ln tosamenta craerct ~
coaErest. he lrEifEtige. exrcctiyc
au3 ss1cisl trpropl'siioa bti t'1 -