University Missourian. [volume] (Columbia, Mo.) 1908-1916, 1911-11-22
CONVICT LABOR.

idle who are not convicts, he is per
nitted to wrong society still more
SO long as there are any free labor
ers who are out of work, they ough
to get the preference in any worl
there happens to be. There are plenty
of these in tie state.
| The 1909 annual report of the Mis-.
souri, State Free Employment De,
partment says that the land is full
OF idle but willing hands" and that
applicants are more numerous
than positions open. At the state
employment bureau in st. Louis
alone 1850 were turned away. The
bureau at Kansas City was unable
tC find work for $50 of the number
that applied. st. Joseph had 300
that il could not help.
With all these enforced idle
persons in the state. almost 1000,
many with families in utter dis
tress, no thoughtful man will will
ingly help to increase this deplor-
able condition by advising the use
OF convict labor.
In 1908 as many as ,621 convicts
we're employed in the prison shops
alone. The employment of this num-
ber of free labOrers would more than
remove all the enforced idlers of
Kansas City and St.Joseph combined.
Il the same year the prison shops
produced goods to the value of $3,-
137.l52. More than 6SS free workers
could live and keep a family from
want on what was paid to the state
for the labor for this alone. And it
must be understOOn that the convicts
v ere then not even getting the sew
Crty cents a day that they are now. !
This number would make Kansas
City hive where all bees who were
y illing to work could do so. /
OF course the humane element en-
cred and We cried out that the con-
.ict must have some work to occupy
his mind. Immediately with that
,ame the clever thought of making
Iim pay for his keeping. 1t is true
lat the convict ought to have some
hing to occupy his mind, but it is
l.sO true that the cost of mainten-
nee of the entire penitentiary is on
y s31O,5SO a year. This sum is in
igniicantly small compared to the
tate's resources and taxable wealth.
Why can't these convicts manu-
hcture commodities that the state q,
an sell to the poor at cost or at such I
profit that will also pay for the i
of the prison? Also
'hy can't these convicts manufacture =.
'ilitary supplies for the government, =
D saving the extravagance waste
money that goes with purchasing (
lem from private concerns, there T
' saving the cost of their msinten. .
ace! And. after al. . state peni- :,
'ntisry 10 no different from Q state q
,ylum for the insane or q state 9
,ue for the poor or even q stste o
1t 10 . state enterprise .
Id depends on the state for support. 4
ut even il left for the convicts to q
pport there is plenty for them to b
} without manufacturing for cheap p
pitalists who can defy competition
ith their inferior goods. =.
There is enough use for the con- NJ
cts right there without imposing IL
EN- on the already unemDloyed II
ass of workers. To force them on, 81
only too much what We so
dignantly rise against-the cooley h,
stem is the West, the padrone sys- M
m in the East and the contract Ia a
r in the South. 81
The report previously quoted also A..
ties that there has never been a n;
ne when there have not been thous- hl
ds of unemployed in Missouri. A oy
tie later il saws wealthy men