The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1911-09-21

thing like three thousand men
zxho have been incarcefated there for
a breach % the laws. or IN the reform
schools IN some Instances bccause they
are incorrigible youths. Society has 10
restrain these men for Its own protection.
II II well that they should be employed
II would be cfuei punishment IN keep
them confined without employment. The
present system provides 20 hire them out.
sell their labor 20 the highest bidder. sub
iect 10 the approval % the prison com
mssioners. They win bring. say ATTY or
seventy-nve cents day. The money de-
rived from the sale n applied 20 paying
their expenses. that n. the cost Of keep
ing them IN the penitentiary. of guards
and clothing and food ana doctors and
little bit TO- prencher. You know We
pay the preacher less than anybody else.
tie gets his reward In Heaven. laugh
teri
The iaborine people ON the outside Of
these penitentiaries object 20 this system.
and Justly 10. They object upon the
ground that these men employing convict
labor In the manufacture Of shoes or fur
niture or whatever u In. put thsir product
In competition with free labor on the out
side. The free labor on tho outside as u
In called. has to house itself In a pretty
good house. has TO feed itself under the
high Hbst Of living. has 10 clcthe Itself.
and has a wife snd a lot Of children, ~ IL
Is doing lie full duty In the world. 70
oiothe and 20 educate. These children
must be put IN schools and must be given
fair chance. and all that takes money.
You can't DO that on seventy Ave or
eighty cents n day. not In this day Now
they have to 50 into competition with
this prison convict labor. and the state
~, !, actually ssi,s rs scavicss 60 dsprss.
OF the walls. The result Of u Is 10 pre-.
duce Dissatisfaction and hard times. and
the STATE gets no esnent from e. Who
want TO cite to you this instance Z
had a cicsk Of one Of those contractors
complimentary terms OF the present gov
ernor OF Kentucky. what do you think
that fellow did only to-day1 Why. he l.
out OF that psni,entiary two Of the very
best workmen we had. They WEIR a
couple Of young fellows who were put In
granddaughter. They were bright young
there seven or eight years. and they had
the shoe department. They We're actually
worth seven or eight dollars . day apiece
to us. but do ycu know that sou-of -a-Eun
,Lsughtsr'J The idea is they were get.
ting them at eighty cents apiece. whcr.
they could not strike and could hardly
E Say an" WORK TssT ss.y n s'' great nss az ss
stripping fellow with a cat o. nine-taiis
20 cut their blood, That n the system In
ks. worth ss oa sxS S ds eSs 'S a So
the market. and here IL was sid for Q
pittsnee TO the contractors. sold In sia-
yssy a. s ws a, dou have w., r1ghi 20 pun
right 10 rob him. You have the fight to
take a man. iife for certain capital o.:
Of that capital ofrense. you have no rlshi
90 break his life.
Would Abolish system.
propose 10 abolish that contract sys.
tenn, propose. so far az the free labot
on the outside n concerned. 20 remove
that composition which u now has % bear
psq%, is. Do scr ask are remain ss%
No, that is not good for them nor the
STATE ! propose 20 Keep them .t work
pose 70 psy sssm tos can 90 e,sn na grI
to let that work Of theirs be sold for what
u Will bring upon fair market IN com
ssme price Ga. the ssors1s on. z. ses
ease Tor complaint II a man commits a
wife and his H Children have comm, e mo- no
crime, and why should the state punish
them n he commits q crime. he ~ In
sat ,s, e n the psn,ssstsry psrnsps 20,
does not sbsolve him from his obligation
TO support that wife and those children
. s ~ . BIZ aa x. % ssl 70 and sss
for a pittance. my idea 10 20 cash his Ia
boz at its fair value. pay the expenses Of
keeping re, him IN th., in.s,sution aud re.
children that they may live. Applause,
There is one other feature that I want
20 eau your attention to as affecting the
tculariy those laboring people who are
not an organised people We live under
s ,o,.,,a s o. law not q men. not O
In this country. n the laws be wise and
just. 20 Is your government; but II the
laws be unequal and unjust. 10 Is your
Judge can give you other relief than the
laws Of the land AFFORD Who makes the
laws, We Popaiariy suppose I, Is the
made by the legislative Department We
call II In Kentucky the general assembly
The people elect the general assembly and
laws. and they never adjourn but what
the people Of Kentucky heave a sigh and
say. Well. thank Cod. that bunch has
= Y" The matter You wsrs 'h hoeefu, whsa
you sent them there. You are invariably
disappointed when they come beck
gentleman who has been % the iesisia.
would fan In his measure Of responsi.
charge Is that majority, saS Of e them sy have ans
failed. dismaily failed. ignominiously
failed, aye, fatally failed. TO the destruc-
strucuon OF popular government In Ken
lucky
When they left here they left with YOU !.
seal OF approval and endorsement, and
refer 10 all OF the districts Of Kentu-,
and not Ohio county. What caused thil
20 miscarry In executing the commission
that they bore? They met folks up there
who were not "httin' " company Tor un-
country people 60 associate
with; They were always we'll dressed
gentlemen. always polite. always courte-
Gus. always kindly. and always corrupt
Laughter and applause.) They are
known as professional lobbyists. We call
them the Third House" You know
there are two houses TO the legislature,
the senate and the lower house This Is
the Third House" II you would SPEAK
would say SThe House, "A you
They always work slyiy. clandestinely.
they are powerful IN whispering Laugh
bu, they sit ~ late At night.
ausncs that has for twenty pears
has suspended section after section OF the
for twenty years. many OF
them to-day unexecuted and no attempt
made TO execute them standing there
empty and meaningless TO the people OF
Notwithstanding each OF them
Is eouched In the language OF Deity. say
Ing TO each member. "Thou shalt do 80
and so. In the name and by the author