The Morning examiner. [volume] (Ogden, Utah) 1904-1910, 1909-04-04

| goods. but the "grandest nation on
earth" can't do ANYTHING In that Hi,e,
There is scarcely a state IN ,he
Union that does not export prison, +,
made goods 10 some other state. anu
this evil has become of such proper
tions that 1t Is driving many oil our
factories out of business IN certain
lines of industry. notably In the oroon'
cheap clothing. furniture and the sn'o
industries.
1t is certainly q deplorable state oil
things when state officials are per
mitted TO hire out" To some greedy
conscienceless rascal the state
wards, and that for from Go 10 so cents
per day. TO work in opposition 10 inc
men who have invested their money IN
like Industries, and are paying taxes 10
support those same wards, and In op-
position to good. honest, free work
men. who also pay their portion ol
the taxes to support those same wards.
And why is this done2 Not that inc
state derives such great revenue from
II but because II furnishes employ
ment for the prisoners intsead oil
keeping them IN more OF less idleness.
L HIS SlilG vi NnlhEo Ntio ''Cho
By the craftiness Of few men, who.
through working the tip system or
otherwise, among our legislators. Sc
cured the privilege of the services ol
those prisoners In the manufacture OF
many articles of merchandise, thus
being able to flood the markets with
goods that free labor could not COM
pete with in prices, thus ndermining
the very foundations Of our govern
ment-honest toll. Another reason for
these conditions is that many mer-
chants, because they can realize
greater profit on prison-made goods,
crowd them to the front TO the detrl-
ment of free labor Then again, many
merchants carry only cheap line of
union made goods, and when asked for
an article with the union label produce
the cheap goods and tell you that they
can not purchase goods of better quail
ity with the label This they know to
be a falsehood. for they can purchase
any quality of goods they want with
the label. but they make the greater
profit en- the prison goods. Then again
they tell you that there is no demand
for the label goods; that the union
people do not call for the label, and
that they take the other goods in pref
erence to the labeled goods Some of
that Is true. but the most of it is be-
cause the union people are compelled
to take goods they do not want or
send away for what they do want
This may be good business, but we fail
10 see it, BY selling the prison goods
thoV Curtall the output of those con-
Germs employing free labor thus re-
lucing the number of free men en-
ployed The more free men there are
employed the more money there Is
spent for the necessities of life; while,
on the other hand. the more conviCtS
there are employed to do the work
which rightly belongs TO free labor.
he less those outside the prison walls
have TO spend for merchandise, and
he more money goes into the pockets
IF those few contractors, instead of
going where it should-into the chan
Iels of legitimate trade. And II this
1t will only be the Ques,
ion OF time when those prison plants
yan and viii be So enlarged as To
the greater part OF the
business. thus cutting the throat of the
Looking at this ques-
Ion from the standpoint OF justice and
the state has no right to
inter into competition with her own
citizens and tax payers, for when she
loes great injury is wrought upon
lcr people and the standard of ciyIll- |
.ation IS greatly lowered.