The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1911-12-26

AZrO 11ao DSSA1
one-sided war against the comcetitlon
Of convict labor" These are not the
words of any labor official, uttered
either in complaint or as a boast Iney
are set down as one Of the findings or
one who has investigated the convict
contract labor system in this
One-sided indeed has the conflict so
often been that rad uniOniStS IN
many States in which the pernlclous
system has been carried on nave &C
cepted the fact, as a matter or course,
that obstacles to their attempts 70
abolish it should be the sentiments Of
the philanthropically inclined but
short-sighted. the emotional utter
ances Of persons rejecting an unin-
formed public opinion. and, naturally,
the special ~pleadings to the public, &C
com~"nied by underhand
tons, of the two classes Of men direct
ly controlling the labor Of the pris->
oners-namely. contractors and prison
What is assumed to be the criminal
selfishness of the trade uniOnis In
demanding for themselves the Work
performed by prisoners, the grievous
wrong lone to convictS in keeping
them Idle in their cells. the sufferings
Of their families when deprived Of
even the little wages they might earn
during their terms Of confinement, h
certainty OF the onvict falling into
temptation when released at he end
Of his term without the pittance he
might have saved If kept at work on
wages, h serious injury to society
caused by turning loose upon 1t an
nually hundreds or even thousands or
desperately impoverished criminals ig-
norant Of any means OF making an
honest living. whereas they might
have been instructed in good trades
while In nrisOn-on these themes have
49, -
teal speeches, and college mems the
ses, until it might seem that on this
question all the rest OF the world
were in unison against the trade uR-
ionista
This. however, was w really the
fact There has always een on the
side Of the unionists a considerable
body Of men. many Of them penolog-
lists. who had given sufficient study to
h complicated subject OF prison la
Dor to be entitled to pronounce upon
it q ~Well-fOunded opinion. With time,
This group has been steadily reinforc-
ed by independent Investigators and
disinterested readers Of their reports.
When three years ago the National
Committee on Prison Labor entered
upon It's work, It was found that its
members were in practical agreement
on the question with the trade union
lists, that sentiment among active leg
islaIors and other public leaders had
been changing as guided by a knOwl-
edge of the subject. and hat hopes to
lift our prison labor systems up to a
plane that would respond to the de-
mands Of the enlightened Judgment Of
competent p~enologtsts were reasona-
bly, well founded. The present com
paratiyely advanced status of the
movement to bring prison labor in
America into accordance with meth
DDS approved by European authorities
on the subject, may be attributed in
good part to the views Of the back
wardness OF our practices expressed
by foreign delegates to the Interna-
tonal Prison Congress held in Wash
tngton last year. The president Of
that congress said Of Americas pris-
ons: I'm these jails it is hardly too
much to say that many Of the feat
ures Iinger which called forth the
wrath and indignation Of the great
HoWar at the end OF he eighteenth
century," The laws passed at the
sessions of a number OF our State leg
lslatures last winter providing for
changes in prison labor were in them
selves admissions of sad Deficiencies in
the methods Heretofore pursued.
It may perhaps be said that at
length the tide has turned and that
the public is gradually coming to rec
ognize the correctness of the position
of the trade ~unionists with respect to
prison labor. Assistance is coming to
them in putting an end to a most I'M
happy situation, whether one consid-
ers factors in it which affect the pris-
oner. the free labor, or the commun-
ity.
It is natural for the reader to
ask why it can be affirmed positively
hat the rad have been in
the right on this question when so
many other well-intentioned citizens
who regarded themselves as we'll in
informed on public questions were in
the wrong. The reply is that union
men, especially those Of certain occu-
pations, on being for years brought
constantly and Intimately in contact
with the economic and social conse-
quences Of contract prison labor, were
ur1ven by merciless necessity to find a
Jus. solution Of the problem involved
injury. ~
ron hloioers, cigar-makers, boot and