The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1907-03-15
Legislative Letter.
Lansing, March II, 1907.

/ ~ AAAoAV AAh ROA eeshV PAoSO VI WOAh w -
done by the legislature last week thar
the adoption of the Peek joint resolu
ton submitting to the voters at the
April election the repeal Of the consti
tutional prohibition against teaching
mechanical trades to inmates of the
prisons. The resolution went through
both houses by large majorities. onlv
two votes being cast against it in the
senate, one from Detroit and one from
Grand Rapids, and only seven in the
house, four of these being from Detroit.
The resolution received the prompt APP
proval of the governor, and under it the
people will vote on the first of April
whether or not the constitution shall
be amended so as to permit the carry
ing on of those industries by which our
prison populations have become nearly
self-supporting, and in which good
health and good discipline among the
prisoners are promoted, and through
which, most important of all, the prob
abilities of the men becoming good
citizens upon their release are greatly
increased by their employment at occu-
pations that give them improved ability
for honest self-support.
AS general proposition attempts to
amend the constitution now, upon the
eve of convention to completely re-
wise it, seem both needless and unprof-
liable, but this case is exceptional. A
proposition is before us to introduce a
new industry that is deemed by many
to be very important as a profitable and
suitable employment of the prisoners
the binder-twine manufacture-profita-
BILE to the revenues of the prison and to
the people of the state who would be
consumers of the product; and suitable
in that it would involve minimum of
interference with existing industries
among our people. But the establish
ment Of this new industry is costly
enterprise, which would have to be
undertaken in the face of liability that
court decision under the existing consti
tutional prohibition might at any time
render it useless. We want to know,
before we embark in that enterprise,
what the liability, will be; and when
the people shall have voted on the 1st of
April, the legislature will be advised,
and can act accordingly.
The members listened to advice be-
fore acting upon the resolution, the
committees giving formal hearings to
advocates of both sides; but the argu
ments against the proposition did not
appear to be convincing. The assump-
ion in behalf of labor interests that
hose interests are threatened by pro-
lucts of mechanical labor in the pris-
,ns, would seem to have small founda-
ion when the prison labor amounts to
scarcely half of one percent of the
labor Of the state. The ex-
sting prohibition is against all articles |
Except those the chief supply of which |
s from outside the state; and all others
hould be forbidden, say the arguments |
n that.side. But how does that help? |
f Michigan prisons make pitchforks
because Michigan factories do not,
While Indiana prisons forbid pitchforks
ecouse their factories produce that
seful article; and if Indiana prisons
make brooms because they have no
room factories, while Michigan in the
interest of her broom factories forbids
he making of brooms in the prisons.
yhere is the gain? Wouldn't Michigan
orks and Indiana brooms, both pro-
ucts of prison labor, be sold in each
theirs markets? and wouldn't it be Just
ne same as if they divided the product
4 both?
A proposition of obvious merit is
ontained in bill of Senator Tuttle of
ngham county. which provides that
Ugh school tuition charged against a
oy or girl resident in a neighboring
,wnship shall be paid by the township
here the pupil resides.
The agricultural experiment station
as issued a bulletin reporting results
experiments to demonstrate the valueH
Gull beans as food for swine. The
of several experiments show
the cost of gain per cwt for bean fed
ogs to be 81. 53, against 3d. % for beans
Id corn meal in equal parts. and So. so
# skim milk and corn meal in proper
on of five to one of the meal.
A very satisfactory report has been
sued from the department of COM
cree and labor at Washington-satis-
Glory to US in Michigan-show the
ath rate from consumption to be
wer in Michigan than in any other
ate in the Union from which stats