The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-06-27
MAYCURTA|L SALE
OF CONVICT GOODS
Bill in Congress Likely to Inter
fere With Virginia Prison
System.
ALLOWS STATES TO SETTLE
Committees Favorable Report Is
Accompanied by Startling
Figures.

resentatives with favorable report,
and with indications that 1t may be
passed at the session of Congress next
winter, is bill which may seriously
cripple the operations of the Davis
Boot and Shoe Company, which EN-
ploys the convict labor at the Virginia
State Penltentiary. The measure is
aimed at all goods made by the labor
of inmates of prisons and reformato-
ries
Under the terms of the contract be-
tween the state of Virginia and the
Davis Company, the product of the
shops cannot be marketed in this
State. The general offices of the con
Germ are in Boston, where the goods
are sold.
In the closing hours of Congress the
House Committee on Labor came for
ward with u favorable report on the
bill. enactment Of which has been go
strenuously demanded by both organ
lied and unorganized labor. ito limit
the effect of the regulation of inter-
state commerce between the several
states in goods, wares or merchant
disc. wholly or in part manufactured
by convict labor or In any prison or
reformatory." The report came too
late for action at the session which
closed Saturday, but IL is supposed
that Republican leaders thought II
would be a good stroke TO have tho
bill on the calendar, so that they
would be able to tell the labor vote
curing the coming campaign that the
ehance OF enacting the Legislation at
next winters session is excellent.
Ruinous Competitions.
The passage of the bill has been
widely demanded by manufacturers
who have felt the effect of prison labor
competition on their own lines, which
competition, the report of the commit
tee asserts. IS always demoralizing nd
often absolutely runous
The bill is brief and simple in its
provisions. II merely makes convict
made goods coming from one state
into another subject to the laws of the
latter State, regulating the sale of
such goods or wares. Some states
have laws prohibiting the sale of SUCH
goods when made within their own
poroers. but they are helpless when IL
comes TO dealing with importations
from other States under the provisions
a. Interstate commerce laws The bill
Is designed to remedy this.
II 1t becomes a law IL will be posi-.
pie ior any State TO make such laws
rs Will absolutely prohibit the sale of
the goods made at the Virginia Peni-
Tertiary within It's borders. Virginia
could also pass law preventing the
sale of such wares coming from other
States
The existing contract between ytr-
ginia and the Davis Company expires
In 1913, 1t is the subject of contin-
uous discussion on one or another of
IT'S features One Of the principal OBJ
3ectiohs arises from the low rate paid
by the manufacturer to the state Tor
fv -
that the next Legislature viii take
some action relative 10 the renewa! or
abandonment OF the Arrangement
Convtcts' Mig Work.
some interesting and even startling
statistics as to the extent and char
acter of the manufacture and sale of
prison-made goods are given in the
report on the pending bill made by
the House Committee on Labor.
hitherto unpublished table of the sale
and consumption of convict made
goods In the various States for the
years l9o3-1904 is given.
ms table was compiled by the
bureau OF Labor from reports of it's
agents, 1t shows that in the State of
pennsylvania convict -made goods of
nome manufacture We're sold to the
value of S326.58e: convict made goods
OF Pennsylvania origin were sold out
side the state to the value of s36.S33:
in the public Institutions of the state
there were consumed convict-made
goods 10 she value of S1SS,172 Total
market value Of goods sold and used.
S55l,594.
In New Jersey the value of the
goods sold in the State was sT5,263.
sold outside the state. s2s0,0o0 used
IN public institutions, s137,467; total
sold and used, s49a,730. In Maryland.
the value of goods sold within the
State was s13s67l sold outside the
State, Sl,l21, 5S6; used in public insti-
tutions. s43,sS2; total sold and used.
s1,S04,l3s. For Delaware the figures
were s2.a79; $4,000; s7.aS3 and $780,
212, respectively.
The effect of the passage of the bill
might be to seriously disorganze the
present prison-labor systems CT the
various States, especially those of Viz
GINA. New Jersey and Maryland,
whose pris on-made goods are largely
sold in other States
States Want Control.
The committees report says:
The bill makes simple prop position
to permit the States to settle the vexet
question of convict-labor competition
among themselves. The desire of
number of States to solve it is mani
fest in the existence of more than So
separate acts of legislation on the sub
ject AS matters now stand, there Il
no power to effectively treat the sub
ject because of the conflict betwee,
State and Federal laws, and the in
voking of the commerce clause of tn
Constitution when State attempts &c
interfere with the ingress within II
borders of convict-made goods from
other States.
Congress should at least make the
attempt to remove the barrieE to sue
cessful action by the States; at leas
give an opportunity by this Legislation
to have the question settled by the
national tribunals. AS the matter nov